My anxiety had teeth that day. In the quiet darkness of the early morning, apprehension stealthily lurked in my dreams and poised to strike with the initial ray of the sun. Before my first cup of coffee, my heart was hemorrhaging with fear as the deceitful claws of panic gripped my soul. I knew the feeling all too well. My …
“Jesus said, ‘Didn’t you know that I had to be dealing with the things of my Father?’ But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt” (Luke 2:51, The Message). I see myself in this story, but unfortunately, I’m not the one listening for the Father’s words. I’m the one upset and hurt. Jesus should have understood both …
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Humanity looks for Him amid the fashionable, and we are disappointed to find so much emptiness there. We seek Him among the influential and are disillusioned by noteworthy lives. We hope for Him in the educated and are discouraged when we come to the end of human wisdom. Our search is misplaced. His …
Personal journal entry, January 3rd, 2023: “Solivitur Ambulando — A Latin phrase often attributed to Saint Augustine meaning, ‘It is solved by walking.’” I had forgotten about my first scribbled words at the beginning of the year, but as I reread them, I realized their significance. My recent journey around the sun was all about “walking out” truth and laying …
By: Zephare Ramirez On the 1st Sunday in December, I was given an assignment: share a message titled “Walking Wounded.” In true Zeph-like fashion, I immediately said to the Lord, “Seriously?” My argument with Him (I was really arguing with myself – He just listened) was, “How do you expect me to share when I feel like the poster child …
Zephare Ramirez Associate Pastor of Lubbock Dream Center Obedience. That’s a tough word. Depending on your background, it can be a word that triggers some very unhealthy thoughts and perspectives. Looking back now, I realize everything buried in my marriage was surfacing because it was now time to deal with it. Landing us with one particularly bad argument. It was …
By: Linda Merriott Anger. We all have lost our temper at times. But when anger becomes a predominant emotion, we have a problem. The Bible says ugly, hateful words should never come from our mouths, but if we grew up in angry homes, we learned how easily tempers can flare (Ephesians 4:29-32 The Passion). When we become parents, we tend …
“No words can aptly describe your heart being torn apart. The pain, the sobbing, the gasping for air. Grieving the loss of something never to be regained. Lost dreams. Lost confidence. And a lost me —drowning in the deluge of betrayal, anguish, and woundedness without a seeming breath of hope.” (personal journal entry 2021) Perpetual sadness and the lure of bitterness hold their …
The Apostle who walked on water, testified to Jesus’ deity, and saw the Son of God transfigured was also the very one targeted for turmoil (Matthew 14:29; 16:16;17:1-4). With a violent upheaval, Satan demanded to overthrow Peter’s faith (Luke 22:31). Of course, Peter resolutely rejected this idea. His experiences with Jesus were too many. His love for Him was too …
Flecks of pink and orange winked at us between the needles of shortleaf pine. Turning off the Blue Ridge Parkway, my husband geared down our car to ascend into a higher elevation. The December sun descended quickly, and by the time we located our last turn, darkness enveloped our Honda CRV. Night falls rapidly in the Smokies. Parking on the gravel drive, we …
