More than Unbroken

As I have prayed this week about what to write, an old show-tune came into my mind and stuck. It’s called “Learning to be Silent” and is from the musical “Footloose.” In the song, two mothers express how they have learned to avoid conflict by keeping their thoughts to themselves. I can definitely identify with these lyrics well, although I still find myself speaking out of turn and chastising myself later for not keeping my mouth shut. Well, in church today, the message was about witnessing. The fact is, we are a witness for what we believe. What we say and do, or what we don’t say and do, determines if we are a good witness, a bad witness, or even half-hearted.  My thoughts immediately went back to the lyrics of the song in my head. And God spoke. I’ve learned to be silent my whole life. The fact is that my silence may cost someone a blessing or knowledge of the Truth that I carry inside of me. B ut as I stood there in silence— not even speaking of good things— the turmoil within ...

I’ll be honest. I haven’t felt overly inspired to write this week. In fact, I have had a few days of feeling “less-than.” Have you ever been there?  Maybe supper didn’t go as planned. That was actually week before this past one. I turned on the InstantPot, set it on the stove, and then turned on the burner. At the smell of melting plastic, I realized what I had done. Needless to say, supper was late that night. Maybe it’s some little something that was said to you. I’m so guilty of overthinking words. Because of this, I try to weigh my words carefully before I just speak my mind. But one idle word can make me wonder what I did to offend someone. Even worse, certain behaviors of others cause me to assume they “don’t like me” or “think less of me.” Your mindset may be completely different. I admire people who can brush off words and passive-aggressive behaviors without another thought. That’s certainly not the case for me. It’s these little things that latch onto my mind and put me i...

Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬) We started the 2023-2024 school year. I’m humbled by this calling to be a light in our public schools and grateful for other teachers like me who are just trying to make a difference in the world.  This week as I anticipated meeting new students and praying that God would use me, my creative side kicked in and the following poem was the result. Please remember to pray for faculty and staff of public schools. We are under attack on so many levels, so it takes men and women of faith to stand up for what’s right and true. We absolutely want what is best for students, although some would argue we don’t do enough. If your child walks through my classroom door, just know that I am going to love them unconditionally as my gracious God loves us. Thank you for your continued prayers. ‘ Twas the night before school, and all through the halls not a spot could be seen on the floors...

David is a hero of our faith that I can so easily identify with. He was a worshipper. He was thought young and inconsequential by the prophet Samuel and King Saul when he volunteered to take on a giant. What I can relate to the most, though, is the fact that he made mistakes. I definitely have plenty of those under my belt. But when David sinned, he cried out to the Lord and turned from his ways. God continued to use him, resulting in David being considered “a man after God’s heart.”  Consider this young kid who had finally “arrived” into the calling of ruling over God’s people. So many times in the Old Testament, the kings would allow this to become their ruin. They would step into their calling only to wind up serving other gods or focusing on things that didn’t really make an eternal difference. It’s heartbreaking to read through Chronicles I and II as king after king are named as doing evil in the sight of God. Not David, though. His faith became the watermark that God would re...