Scripture: “And there was war and slaughter everywhere” (Revelation 6:4 NLT). The twentieth century was perhaps the bloodiest in history. It began with World War I, “the war to end all wars,” and soon re-erupted into World War II, then the Korean and the Vietnam Wars. As folk singers Peter, Paul, and Mary wrote, the […]
Read More →Scripture: Teach us to number our days . . . (Psalm 90:12). I cling to the philosophy that age is just a number. But as a young doctor gently pointed out to me this weekend, “The added birthdays mean your heart has pumped a few more times than mine.” Eventually, these years do catch up. […]
Read More →Scripture: Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor (Proverbs 21:21 NIV). My husband’s business, Hillman Marine, had a waiting list each spring to prepare vessels for the shrimping season. A winch powered by an ancient Ford engine pulled the boat out of the water onto railway ties. Then he and his hired […]
Read More →MERCY Scripture: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1 NIV). From my prayer journal this morning–on mercy, a quality I do not naturally have at all and much too […]
Read More →Scripture: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT). Were you ever bullied as a child? Schoolchildren are often […]
Read More →Scripture: “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)” (Isaiah 7:14 NLT). God with us! This tiny baby in a manger in the insignificant town of Bethlehem, born to peasant parents, was God Himself! He came to live with […]
Read More →Scripture: “God places the lonely in families . . .” (Psalm 68:6) Tommy Hillman was the love of my life, but I did not find him until my late thirties. We brought five almost-adult children into our marriage. They soon left, and we found ourselves uncomfortable empty-nesters. After much soul-searching, we applied as foster parents, […]
Read More →Scripture: “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35 KJV). Christmas 1972 came at a bleak time in our lives. My troubled marriage had finally come to an end, and I had fallen into the role of single mom with a bare-subsistence income. Michael and Crystal, my children, were old enough to know […]
Read More →Scripture: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . . Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things . . . “ (Psalm 103:2,5 KJV). My early days of marriage were marked with innumerable kitchen disasters. The food was often overcooked, poorly seasoned, too much, too little, etc. Somehow, we survived, and I slowly learned. […]
Read More →Scripture: ““I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8 ESV). I love jigsaw puzzles. My daughter and I have just completed one of one thousand pieces. Both of us gazed in awe at the perfection and beauty of […]
Read More →