A Merry Heart!
/When we have a merry heart, it can cause us to enjoy each day that God has given us to live for Him. In Proverbs there are three references that define what having a merry heart...
Read MorePicnicking
/We are had a BASIS picnic recently. That means going out to some lovely place in God’s creation to take some time with people who love us and whom we love, to be re-created by God and the place and the loving fellowship. Picnics are fun, relaxing and restoring. Picnics are good for the soul.
Jesus knew that. Remember how often he “withdrew to a lonely place?” He needed to get away from the crowds. Maybe you need to get away from the trigger of sorrow that “crowd” in on you. I’m suggesting that you do the other thing Jesus did when he got away from it all for a time. He made sure to spend time “being still and knowing … God.” He listened to God’s voice and was refreshed, strengthen for the next thing. You, too, could benefit from listening so that you can be refreshed for the next thing, like the next hour – or if you’re very early in your grief, for the next minute.
Picnics -Time away, in a lonely, lovely setting, to see God’s handiwork, to hear His voice of comfort. To be restored. I recommend it.
Being A Servant
/This past week H*VMI held its annual training for our new incoming missionaries. During the time we were together, we covered several topics centered around...
Read MoreSERVANT Orientation 2012
/I am so blessed to have the five newest H*VMI missionaries here at H*VMI headquarters to go through our SERVANT Orientation training. There's such a diversity of age, ministry focus and background. The common bond is . . .
Read MoreOur Story as Told in Scripture
/You “remember” your affliction and how bitter it is when your child has died. Your soul is probably “downcast.” Have you done the next thing? Jeremiah says he deliberate did the mental work to remember, “call to mind,” the Lord’s every day doses of compassion.
Read MoreGod's Peace
/As I read Elisabeth Elliot’s article on Stillness, I was reminded that another by-product of being still before the Lord is the experience of...
Read MoreImmense, Intense and Durable
/Grief is immense, intense and durable. God is more immense.God’s love for you is every bit as intense, immense and durable as your grief.
Read MoreSurrounded By God's Love
/One of my most favorite places to be is in a valley. When you are located in a valley, you have to...
Read MoreEmptiness
/Quoting Nancy Guthrie’s Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow: “Emptiness can be good when, in our emptiness, we come to Jesus to be filled... When we do, we have the opportunity to find out for ourselves that Jesus really can fill us up – that he can be enough for us... We can be confident that his grace will be delivered to us in the form and quantity and timing in which we need it."
Read MoreFear Not, For He Is With You!
/Fear not, for I have redeemed you; .... (Isa. 43: 1b-3, 5a) This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It says to me that with my God, it’s personal when . . .
Read MoreFinal Thoughts On Loneliness
/Now that we have looked at the lessons Joseph learned in his pit, it's time to focus on what we might do to keep ourselves from falling into the pit of loneliness and if we are already there, what can help us deal with the loneliness we feel. First, we need to...
Read MoreDifferent Sorts Of Losses
/I just want to comment that how your child died has some impact on how you grieve. Even when you expect death, it is surprising when it finally does come. Paul says that he’s been in difficult circumstances of many kinds. He’s learned to be content in all circumstances. That contentment comes directly from the grace of Jesus
Read MoreLessons Learned in Joseph's Pit
/Joseph is such a unique Bible character in that he experienced suffering and rejection from his own family, employers and inmates! Although Joseph could have given up in dispair when he was in his pit of loneliness...
Read More"As Always" - Handi*Camp 2012 Report
/As always, we received much more than we gave out at Handi*Camp 2012. God truly blessed us with . . .
Read MorePhases of the Grief Journey
/Grief is a journey through stages. You’ve probably seen or heard of “stages” of grief... I don’t particularly like this language to describe grief. Grief is not linear or compartmentalized as the word stage implies.
Read MoreLessons Learned In A Pit
/Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you were in a pit of loneliness? Maybe it was because others were...
Read MoreIndependence
/It got me to thinking about independence and grief. I realized that there is only a very little bit of the work you have to do as a grieving parent that you can do independently.
Read MoreMotivation For Encouragement
/The secret to encouraging others is to be motivated by...
Read MoreGardening and Grief
/...grief sometimes generates some LARGE energy. Sometimes grief makes a person tired, but sometimes it generated energy that had better be spent on something constructive. My friend knew it was time for a new flower bed! Urgently.
Read MoreEncourager Extraordinaire
/If I were to ask you to name someone in your life who has been a great encouragement to you, who would you name?...
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