By: Traci Payne Sitting on my patio one morning writing in my journal, I suddenly found myself in the middle of a vivid daydream, spurred on by the thought: “Social Media is like a party.” I saw myself attending this “party” by “walking in,” “visiting” with different people by making comments or “having conversations” and wanting to know what everyone …
Do you ever feel that you can’t focus on any one thing? Does busyness, anxiety, and worry “draw you away in differing directions”? “Drawn away in differing directions.” This is the very definition used for the word “worries” in the parable of the sower. Instead of “and the worries of the world…enter in and choke the Word,” we could read …
Grandma’s cellar was a magical place, if you could get past the salamanders. The dug-out was originally built as a storm shelter in the 1930’s, containing no concrete, just plank-braced dirt. I loved it because it was the only location on the farm offering a refreshing escape from the summer’s heat. The moist, dampness of the cellar had an …
Have you ever noticed how all your past journal entries are filled with the same problem? Or how your past crises have all centered around the same issue? That annoying raspberry seed is important to God. Often, in my own life, I hear God’s conviction about something I consider minor, then move on to tweak something else. I want …
There is a tree in my neighborhood that makes me grieve every time I walk past. Tall and stately, it grew past the housetops years ago. Because we live in a semi-arid climate, I know this tree didn’t just appear on its own. It was once planted and watered by someone who desired its beauty and saw its potential of shade. …
Holy Father, Thank You for Your kind and gentle words regarding my weak faith. Sometimes, I wonder how You can be so patient – especially when my sins continue to revolve around the same issues year after year. I confess to You that my thoughts haven’t been on trust, but on worry. I’ve worried about Ebola, our government, …
Sunday was not an unusual one as Sunday’s go. I got up, had my coffee with a short devotional, then readied myself for church with my peers. After church, Mark and I returned home, had left-overs and I took a nap. (I felt like I needed it as our two-year-old grandson had been with us for the past two weeks.) …
Dear Mentor, My problem is intercession. When my loved ones aren’t going through some heartache, I tend to forget to pray for them altogether. Of course, I don’t want them to experience grieve so that I will pray, but I can’t seem to stay motivated in prayer. I tend to pray the same things for them a few …
Remember learning about “merimnao”? (We talked about it last Monday, if that helps). It had the root word meaning “to be drawn in different directions”. Basically, distractions. Let’s dissect another verse that has that same word, “merimnao” in it. “…casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “Casting” …
My friend Kathy and I recently discussed this idea of worry and worship. She said, “We want to control the situations that affect us. When we realize we can’t, we turn to worry.” Hummmm. That’s true. But He has promised to accomplish all that concerns me and you. Then isn’t worrying about it a lack …
