Monthly Archives: April 2016

unexpected tragedy and prayer through it

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Jill

A couple nights ago in my town a car filled with young college girls wrecked. Four girls, aged 19 and 20, are no longer alive. Their moms and dads sent their daughters off to college last August, just as I … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, God | Tagged ashes, beauty, car wreck, Christianity, faith, God, Isaiah 61:3, Jesus, Kathy Randall, Prayer, tragedy, UGA car crash | 10 Comments

May my speech distill as the dew

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Jill

May my teaching drop as rain, my speech distill as the dew, as the gentle rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Ascribe greatness to our … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God | Tagged Deut. 32:2-4, God is good, Moses, Numbers 20, old age, Promised Land, Psalm 92:12-15, speech, speech distill as the dew, Teaching, the Rock | Leave a comment

a new morning’s mercy

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Jill

He gives mercy for this morning. He’ll give strength for this day. And He promises hope, bright, for tomorrow. Child of God, as the golden glow brightens your new day’s horizon, believe. Believe His great faithfulness. Believe His promises. Believe … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God | Tagged believe, faithfulness, God's promises, great is thy faithfulness, hope, mercy, morning, promises, strength, sunrise, Thomas Chisholm | 1 Comment

What does our ceaseless motion help us avoid?

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Jill

“People today are afraid to be alone. This fear is a dominant mark of our society. Many now ceaselessly sit in the cinema or read novels about other people’s lives or watch dramas. Why? Simply to avoid having to face … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God | Tagged avoid God, avoid quiet, avoidance, busyness, diversion, entertainment, fear of quiet, Francis Schaeffer, Matthew 18:8-9, noise, Ray Ortlund | 1 Comment

on Jordan’s stormy banks we stand

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Jill

Life here is often stormy. We stand on Jordan’s banks, and unexpected winds threaten what began as a sunny day. Dark clouds suddenly appear and life’s torrential downpours burst forth. Our fear swirls like rushing water around our feet. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God | Tagged Canaan, Gustave Dore, I Peter 4:12-13, James 1:12, Joshua, Luke 9:23-24, On Jordan's stormy banks, Promised Land, purpose in trial, Samuel Stennett, trials | Leave a comment

fighting temptation

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Jill

Do you ever think of temptation as a nebulous concept? “I’m fighting temptation,” you might say. But…temptation to what? To sin in a particular way? Yes, certainly. But, each time you and I face a particular fight against a particular … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God, Jesus | Tagged Ephesians 6:10-18, fight, fighting temptation, happiness, Lewis, Mere Christianity, spiritual battle, temptation, tempted, turn away from God | Leave a comment

as a good day (or a bad one) ends

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Jill

At the end of a good day: “I felt useful today, Lord. Thank you. It was good to be used by You.” “Yes, child, it’s good that you feel useful. I want you to enjoy moments of usefulness. Now, rest … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God, Jesus | Tagged bad day, good day, love abundant, love free, rest, significant, unbelief, useful, useless, value | Leave a comment

Does God know what you need Him to withhold?

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Jill

The sentence is there, tucked into Ryle’s explanation of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. It’s a short sentence. But the statement comes to mind when I’m in a conversation with someone who yearns for beautiful earthly goods, or when a … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God, Jesus | Tagged glory, God gives better, God withholds, grace, greater plan, health, money, peace, prosperity, Ryle | Leave a comment

twisted and stuck, or held and comforted?

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Jill

“The antipsalm tells what life feels like and looks like whenever God vanishes from sight…It expresses the fears and silent despair that cannot find a voice because there’s no one to really talk to…Something bad gets last say when whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, God, Jesus | Tagged alone, antipsalm 23, David Powlison, disappointed, fears, frustrated, Psalm 23, restless, silent despair, taste the difference, the Lord is my shepherd | 2 Comments

the teaching of kindness is on her tongue

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Jill

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26 The teaching of kindness can happen as much by what a woman doesn’t say as by what she does. For a woman who … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, God | Tagged children, Claude Monet, kindness, parenting, Prov. 31, speaking, speech, talk, wisdom, women, words | 3 Comments

By it I see everything else

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Jill

Puffy layers of radiating yellow and burnished orange hover over a darkened ocean and cause me to wonder this: how can it be that humans would look upon this same beauty I look upon and not be drawn to, or … Continue reading →