Liz Curtis Higgs grabbed my attention with joyful greetings when she opened her weekly “Rise and Shine Mondays LIVE with Liz” online presentations. “Lively” is a more apt description. “Good morning, Lord!” she often prays in a cheery voice when she teaches online. Then she praises Him and requests His help and blessings for listeners. Liz sprinkles funny stories into her teaching, often laughing at herself. She shares the names she assigned to her wigs during chemotherapy and giggles about the large, colorful earrings she prefers. Although I learn from Liz’s deep study of Scripture and obvious reverence for the…
Tag: Bible study
What Blocks Your View of God?
Weather permitting, my best mornings begin like this: My coffee and I walk out to the deck. I turn on the stone fountain and let caffeine percolate in my brain. I place my Bible, journal, and coffee mug on the table, then raise the umbrella. Seated in my outdoor sanctuary, I pray and study God’s Word—unless distracting thoughts and unwise choices obstruct my view. Did you notice I said, “my best mornings?” True confession: They don’t all start that way. Even when the weather and my decisions allow deck time, stray thoughts surface. What time is that appointment? What…
Storing Treasure: Thoughts from a Jewelry Box and Psalm 119
Once my daughter and nieces claimed their favorites of my mother’s rings, the dark green satin-and-velvet-lined jewelry boxes that sat on Mama’s dresser for decades held only valued memories and a collection of inexpensive pieces. When I study the contents of the jewelry boxes, I recall bits of Mama’s well-lived life and evidence of the values she held dear. You can tell a lot about a person by the things they keep. Among bracelets, necklaces, and earbobs (as she called them), I found my brother’s Scout medals and my 4-H pin, as well as a lapel pin I made…
Autumn Rain Blessings
When landscape workers tilled the wrong section of our son’s sloped yard, he prepared to create a new lawn. The salesperson at the feed and seed store recommended immediate planting due to rain in the forecast. My husband and son sowed ryegrass seed onto the upturned soil and topped it with wheat straw. Before they finished, a soft rain began to fall. Although sprinklers provided water for the newly planted seeds on several sunny days that followed, no evidence of growth appeared. In less than a week, however, bright green shoots popped up through the wheat straw. Gentle rain and…
God Is Speaking Encouragement. Are You Listening?
When our daughter was three years old, she would take my chin in her little dimpled hand and turn my face toward hers before she made a request. She wanted to ensure she had my undivided attention when she asked for cookies or described something she saw outside. Do you have that same desire in conversation? How do you feel when you’re talking, and the other person is obviously distracted? I’m sure you’ll agree that focusing on the speaker enhances comprehension. What about listening to God? We don’t have to get His attention, but does He have ours—our undivided attention?…