May
13
“Firsts” have a way of embedding themselves into your memory. First impressions, first experiences, first meetings. And the more startling the “first” is, the more effectively it wedges itself into your mind. I was nine years old when I saw my first potbellied pig. It was at a petting zoo in Pennsylvania where our family …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2012/05/13/what-i-learned-about-my-mom-from-a-potbellied-pig/
Apr
10
You’ve heard the quote: “God is more concerned with our character than our comfort.” It’s a true statement, but it’s not the whole story. God’s concern with our comfort depends on what kind of comfort we are talking about. Do we mean that it is His job description to provide us with a comfortable, trouble-free …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2012/04/10/does-god-care-about-your-comfort/
Mar
16
Two years ago this week, I found myself in a craft store in Northern California waiting on some friends. As waiting is what I do best when others are shopping (no, I’m not much of a shopper), I searched for entertainment—anything to help pass time. My eyes landed on an old book used as a …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2012/03/16/larger-than-the-cloud/
Feb
29
I grew up in the Midwest, where February is a drab, tiresome month between winter and spring. There’s usually dirty snow sitting in patches of mud. And the skies are often hazy grey. When my oldest sister, Nichole, was four years old, my dad noticed her listlessness and discouragement during the overcast days near the …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2012/02/29/a-bonus-bonus/
Feb
14
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Arlene!” “Hiiiiii, Miss Déirdre!” “I made you some cookies and just want you to know that I love you.” “Awww, thank you.” [big hug] I got to hear this delightful conversation repeated several times this evening while making Sunday school visits with my friend, Déirdre. But one conversation ended more memorably.
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2012/02/14/%e2%80%98cuz-you-came/
Dec
25
The first Christmas gift had the most miraculous label. To: sinners From: God What love! Christmas is a miracle because of what God did, but it’s also a miracle because of who He did it for—me. And you. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/12/25/the-label/
Dec
15
You know that line you’re tempted to use in a thank you note: “I can’t tell you how thankful I am for…”? Usually that phase would be more accurately worded, “I don’t know how to put into words…” There are very few emotions, ideas, or responses that cannot be communicated through the English language. Sometimes …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/12/15/unspeakable/
Dec
09
Have you ever wanted to say, “Yes, Lord, but….” I have. Just recently, actually. I was faced with a difficulty with which I had no choice but to trust the Lord. I couldn’t control, change, or manipulate it if I wanted to. (And, frankly, I wanted to!) When my fate of no control was confirmed, …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/12/09/but-or-and/
Nov
27
Whoever came up with that advertising tagline was clever. Who wouldn’t want to give a gift that would “keep on giving” all year long? Far better than this tagline, however, is the reality of having a gift that keeps on giving—especially when that gift goes on forever…and ever. Friday of this past week was my …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/27/the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving/
Oct
29
What would change in your life if you really believed Romans 8:28? A friend recently gave me The Promise: God Works All Things Together for Your Good by Robert J. Morgan. I was surprised that someone could write a full-length book (210 pages) about one verse of Scripture, and I expected that it might be …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/10/29/book-review-the-promise/
