How Do We Be “Poor in Spirit”

How Do We Be “Poor in Spirit” The moment our missionary team stepped off the bus putrid smell wove itself into my senses.  As a sixteen-year-old girl from a small Appalachian town, this Peruvian landscape was unlike anything I had ever seen. The dirt under our feet stirred up dust and I sneezed. Looking around I marveled at the paradox. Children in school uniforms were walking home to houses made of cardboard and mud.  We made our way through the…

How to Know God Through the Psalms 

How to Know God Through the Psalms  Do you know him?  Who, I asked?  President Bush, she replied.  I giggled. We were on a mission’s trip to another country. A native asked me if I knew our president. She figured since I was an American I knew him. To her disappointment, I didn’t know the president the way she was implying.  Our pastor was talking a few weeks ago about knowing God. Not just the head knowledge, but the heart…

The Kindness of God

The Kindness of God Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy – (covenant keeping love) be upon us, just as we hope in You. Psalm 33:20-22 (emphasis mine) Rejoice by waiting, trusting, and hoping. So how do we see the kindness of God?  Wait on God to move. Trust His timing. Hope is the assurance that He…

How Waiting is the Worst

How Waiting is the Worst  *This is an exert from my Bible study, “Lessons in the Desert.” Get your copy here!  Waiting is the worst.  Waiting  for anything  is the WORST. As our family entered the international adoption world, my life was turned upside down with a new kind of waiting.  Unlike many times in life, with adoption there are no due dates. The uncertainty of waiting was enough to drive me insane. .  Wait? No thank you. Instead, I’d…