faith – Matters of the Heart

Heaven Can Wait

I grew up in rural western North Carolina, where the closest grocery store was a 15-minute drive, but Baptist churches were on every corner. They dotted the roadside like watermelon seeds embedded in the sweet juiciness of family activities. The devout families attended church every time the doors opened–Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday evening, revivalsContinue reading “Heaven Can Wait”

Joy

No one can infiltrate the things that bring you joy because joy springs from within, and happiness lives outside ourselves. – author unknown The best description I can provide of people with an innate capability for consistent joy is that they are reincarnated angels who have managed to keep their spiritual glow. Their internal glowContinue reading “Joy”

Peace

To solve our problems, and achieve our wants and needs, Christians are taught to pray to God as though that entity is external, somewhere in the celestial beyond and we wait for the prayed-for-fix. Often, the fix doesn’t happen. Does that mean peace is a pipe dream?

Wilderness of our Spirits

We all experience difficult periods where life and our spirits feel like a barren wilderness. Times when where we are physically or emotionally, is not an easy place to be. The stings of life’s scorpions come at us from multiple directions.

Hope Flutters Within Us Like A Soft Feather

In his book, Where is God when it Hurts?, Philip Yancey says this about hope: Hope means simply the belief that something good lies ahead. It is not the same as optimism or wishful thinking, for these imply a denial of reality….hope resembles courage more than cheerfulness. It involves a leap, much like faith. IContinue reading “Hope Flutters Within Us Like A Soft Feather”