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When I’m suffering in darkness, God is my light

Are you suffering in darkness, walking through dark days? On a recent dark day filled with pain-full moments, the Lord gently reminded me that He who created my days (Ps. 139:16) also created light and darkness, sun and moon (Gen. 1:5, 14). His power spoke them into existence and He Read more

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What do I do as I wait for suffering to end?

Are you waiting for things to improve, hoping for things to become easier?  Sometimes, it’s years of waiting.  Sometimes, things don’t get better or easier, but worse and harder. What do we do then? What if…our waiting lasts a lifetime? Psalm 69 gives us the words to pray in the Read more

woman looking towards the sky

Praising Our Sovereign God Into Depression

I wondered about the author of this hymn’s lyrics (God Moves in a Mysterious Way, Cowper, W., 1773). What happened in this believer’s life? His mother died when he was six. He fell in love but wasn’t allowed to marry her. He went to law school but couldn’t handle the Read more

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Singing to Jesus, Priceless Treasure

Did you take music lessons as a child? Did you sing in the school choir or play in the band or orchestra? Does music fill your home daily, drowning out the noise in your head?  There’s something to that, you know. Researchers have found that music uniquely fills our minds, Read more

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Children, don’t grow weary

My sister in Christ shared her weariness. She was just “over it all.” The fatigue of earthly life felt weighty and weary to her, mostly because it seemed unending. Even in her tiredness, she wasn’t sleeping well; insomnia compounded her emotional and physical weariness. Sister, don’t grow weary! Jesus came with Read more

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‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

David was in trouble. In Psalm 55, He cried out to the Lord, complaining honestly about his upsetting situation. He lamented, moaned, got it all out there as He prayed. He was hurt, burdened, and filled with anxiety. Can you relate? I sure can. As my students often say, “The Read more

race of endurance

I Praise You in a Kingdom-Focused Race of Endurance

As a choral educator, I know the power of singing rounds. All learn a simple melody, repeat it over and over, and when the round begins, groups of people sing the same song at staggered times. I remember singing this round as a teenager, memorizing Scripture with song: Seek ye Read more

I surrender all

I Surrender All

As I live with chronic illness, my body forces me to listen to symptoms of unpredictable flares. Sometimes, my symptoms force me to cease striving (Ps. 46:10a NASB), to rest, to be still, as I use all the therapies doctors suggest. My calendar and to-do lists are wiped clean until symptoms subside. Read more

The best day of 2020

The day COVID-19 shut life down became my best day of 2020. But it sure didn’t feel like it in the moment.  We silently gathered for a hushed emergency faculty meeting: “Prepare for an imminent, sudden shut down.” I walked down the hall, swallowing tears, to bravely face a class Read more

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A Healing Peace in Problems

I felt anything but a healing peace in my problems. I was “wearied by the length of [my] way” (Is. 57:10 ESV) and I felt down, low, and weak. My frustration and anxiety over unwanted problems produced exhaustion. No wonder I felt no peace. I needed to look away from my desperate Read more

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