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Finding Peace in God's Word

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Faith Stories

How to Make a Resurrection Garden for Family Devotions

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How to Make a Resurrection Garden for Family Devotions

A resurrection garden is a fun project that can spark interesting family devotions. It’s a great way to celebrate Lent with your children. You’ll need to build it several weeks before Easter so the grass seed has time to grow.

I wrote about the spiritual meanings of the different pieces in this post. You can use this information to teach your children the meaning of the resurrection garden and how God grows our faith during Lent. I’ve also written a 40-day devotional to accompany your project–see signup details below.

Building your resurrection garden is quick, easy, and inexpensive. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to do it.

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Faith Stories

Reforming the Spheres

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A range of emotions swept over me as I watched the video clips before the sermon.  Shock, since I don’t meet face-to-face with such secular worldviews in my job at a Christian school.  A mix of fear and overwhelm and doubt, since I try so hard to prepare my children to be lights in this dark world, but will my work be enough?

Then I felt thankful, realizing God has given me faith since early childhood.  If it wasn’t for His claim on my life, I could easily have the same vague, inaccurate picture of Him and His Word like the people on the video.  Finally I felt compassion, remembering that Jesus wants me to care for and reach out to those people who don’t yet know him.

Dangers of Relativism

In my two years at a Christian college, I learned that relativism is one of the greatest challenges believers face in a post-Christian culture.  Relativism is the lack of belief in ultimate truth; anyone can create their own definition of what is true.  One woman in the video said, “I pray every day, but spiritually I do my own thing.” A man said he finds spiritual answers in science.  Another man said perhaps there is a “spiritual force” that rules the universe, but we cannot understand it.

These views stand in stark contrast to the Christian worldview of one God in three persons who we can know through his Word, which is holy, without error, and inspired by the Holy Spirit.  I am excited about this sermon series, because studying the Bible’s themes will strengthen our worldview as believers and help us discern between falsehood and truth.

Reforming Spheres of Influence

Another truth I remember from college is that we can reform our spheres of influence.  Our extended family is a sphere, our workplace is a sphere, the gym, the coffee shop, and so on.  If we see these spheres as our personal mission fields and pray for God’s guidance, we will develop compassion and notice opportunities to fan a spark of faith.

I don’t want to live with a spirit of fear or judgment toward unbelievers; I want to see them as thirsty people who need the living water of Jesus.  When I study the Bible regularly, I become more aware of opportunities and I am less fearful and judgmental.  When I fall off track, my awareness plummets and my fear and judgment rise.  I am looking forward to regularly studying the Bible in the coming weeks and seeing what opportunities God presents in my spheres.

Which people in your spheres need your influence this week?

My weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays is delivered at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that is shared nowhere else.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

Want to know more about me before you sign up? You can read my story here and learn more about my books here. By signing up, you are agreeing to the terms of my privacy policy.
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Faith Stories

Christmas Comfort Zones

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Certain elements of the Christmas season bring me warm, fuzzy feelings every year.  Colorful light displays.  Children’s Christmas programs.  Hot cocoa and family recipe cookies. My tree decorated with treasured ornaments.  I look forward to these traditions because they are tickets to temporary happiness in what is often a stressful time of social interaction.

Tempted to Retreat for Comfort

As parties approach, I tend to fret about dealing with difficult people, especially ones who have deliberately hurt me in the past.  I have worked hard to forgive them and let the past be the past, but I don’t trust them not to hurt me again.  I’m tired of the Christmas battleground.  Part of me wants to retreat to my couch with my plush blanket and admire the tree lights in my quiet, peaceful living room.  That’s my Christmas comfort zone.

Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

The problem is, my comfort zone doesn’t include people in my life who desperately need to see a living example of God’s grace.  Jesus wants me to get off the couch and rely on Him as my Prince of Peace while doing my best to showcase his grace, even to people who feel like my enemies at times.  Romans 12:18 says that as far as it depends on me, I must work hard to live in peace with others.  Especially at Christmastime, when all of us can use an extra measure of peace.

Helping Thirsty People

In his book “Vanishing Grace,” Philip Yancey writes about a meeting he had with Henri Nouwen, a priest who ministered to AIDS patients in the 1980’s.  As Nouwen stepped out of his comfort zone and listened to their stories, his viewpoint changed.  He prayed, “God, help me to see others not as my enemies…but rather as thirsty people.  And give me the courage and compassion to offer your Living Water, which alone quenches deep thirst.”

This Christmas, my desire is to step out of my comfort zone to give God’s grace and peace to thirsty people in my circles.  How is God calling you to step out of your comfort zone this Christmas?  Who are the thirsty people in your life?

My weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays is delivered at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that is shared nowhere else.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

Want to know more about me before you sign up? You can read my story here and learn more about my books here. By signing up, you are agreeing to the terms of my privacy policy.
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Faith Stories

Being Aware: Finding God’s Plan in the Details

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Recently my treadmill broke, so I have been exercising outside in the glorious autumn weather.  Years ago, my husband and I purchased acreage from a small country church, and now a county road runs between our properties.  I had never considered the church cemetery’s gravel pathway to be a walking track until my treadmill broke.  I began walking laps around the cemetery, enjoying the peaceful country setting.

Soon I became curious about the names on the headstones, and I took a break from walking for closer inspection.  On a fresh grave marked with a hanging flower basket, I bent over to read the small nameplate.  Tears filled my eyes as I recognized the name of a dear lady.  She was the mother of a friend I’ve known since kindergarten.

This godly woman, full of a zest for life, died from a long battle with cancer earlier this year.  I remembered joyful sleepovers at her house, and I recalled her quirky stories when she subbed for our elementary school teachers.  She was the “fun mom” in our class—always laughing and telling jokes, keeping our spirits high.  I have kept in touch with my friend in recent years, and I know how devastating this loss has been to her close-knit family.

I realized that by passing this gravesite on my walks, I have a visual prompt to pray for my friend and her family as they continue to grieve.  Like so many Christians, I start with good intentions to pray regularly for people in need, and then I easily forget to keep praying.  God’s plan is for me to pray over and over for this family during my walks.  If my treadmill had not broken, if I had walked the county road instead of the cemetery path, and if I had not stopped to inspect the new grave, I likely would have forgotten to keep praying for my friend.  I am thankful God strings those small, seemingly insignificant details together to direct me into service for His kingdom.

When I pay attention to the details right where I am, God often surprises me with new ways I can serve others.  What detail is God calling you to notice in your daily life, so you can join Jesus in serving others?

My weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays is delivered at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that is shared nowhere else.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

Want to know more about me before you sign up? You can read my story here and learn more about my books here. By signing up, you are agreeing to the terms of my privacy policy.
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Poetry

Ode to September

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Ironweed
Goldenrod
Monarch on aster
Swallowtail on milkweed
Jerusalem artichoke
Grasses gone to seed
Sumac berries
Sumac leaves
Blue sage

The cicada’s sizzle-hum sings
all September, rising high
in rippling waves.
Ironweed’s melancholy plum
brightens alongside showy goldenrod.
Monarchs and swallowtails
flit between asters and milkweed
leaving a legacy of yellow-orange eggs.
Jerusalem artichokes reach heavenward
winking their bright black eyes
in afternoon slanted sunlight.
All the world’s gone to seed.
Sumac plumes darken to sienna
while pointed leaves wait
for the brilliant crimson burst
before frost arrives.
Blue sage bids farewell to summer
with azure glow at dusk.

My weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays is delivered at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that is shared nowhere else.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

Want to know more about me before you sign up? You can read my story here and learn more about my books here. By signing up, you are agreeing to the terms of my privacy policy.
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