A Call to Parents (and Grandparents)

Leave a Comment / November 5, 2026

(Please note: I have no particular person or family in mind as I write this, but am observing an overarching pattern in our Christian culture.)

“Political action cannot stop the progress of evolutionary, socialist, leftist, anti-biblical thinking. It is systemic. Leftist thought is propagandized in the public schools, in the colleges and universities, throughout the government, in the military, by the mainstream media. It controls the thinking of most of the nation’s largest corporations. It dominates the entertainment industry and the prominent social media companies.”

I recently read this portion of a post on Facebook (I don’t know the author). But I think we really need to stop and think about what this says.

My husband and I were just talking about this yesterday. Yes, there are many people who appreciate what this country has been and hate to see the changes that are happening.

But those same people are allowing the minds of their children to be filled with leftist propaganda in public schools. They are letting them watch movies and tv shows that promote the values they stand against. They are not paying attention to the philosophies of the music and podcasts their kids are listening to. They are spending hours and hours at sports practices and games, sacrificing family dinners (and the family discussions that naturally happen during them). And then, after all that, they are sending their children off to left-wing universities that are extreme in their anti-biblical philosophies and very intentional in teaching those philosophies to their students.

Are we surprised that the next generation does not have their parents’ values?

I went to public school all my childhood years. I graduated high school from a public school. Even back then…had I not been given a good biblical foundation from my parents, which was echoed by my biblical church, I would have floundered to know what I believe. I can’t imagine what it’s like now.

I’m not telling you what to do. And I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions of schools or sports programs or whatever else. I am just asking you to think very intentionally about each choice you make, discerning what is spiritually best for your family with each one. To ask, “what does God want here?” Not what do I want? Or what does my child want? But what does God want?

Most in the generations that follow ours will listen to their professors, their friends, and their co-workers because Moms and Dads never really talked about the stuff that mattered with them at home. Often, they couldn’t even find the time.

And because Grandparents didn’t invest in the future generation because they had “done their time” and wanted to go off and do their own thing.

And because churches were bullied into only and ever speaking words of love and encouragement. Conviction of sin and worldliness, holiness, knowing and memorizing the Bible slowly disappeared from so many churches.

And, in their place came programs. Lots and lots of programs. Keeping families insanely busy with the temporal things of life.

Families who had rules but no reasons. Why can’t I do this or that? The child never knew. God and the Bible were not part of their daily conversations and so this next generation easily falls prey to new age beliefs, following their favorite celebrities and social media influencers, or standing up for abortion rights. Etc. Etc.

They were never given the anchor of God’s Word to hold on to in a way that made any sense to them.

Christianity was a thing parents practiced a time or two a week. It was not their very life.

Oh, I fear for the next generation. I see so many families getting caught up in the lie that kids must stay busy with activities all the time. Even to the point where they are skipping church because of a sports’ demands. And then I see them proudly send them off to study and play a sport at a secular college. A place that will very intentionally try to undermine the biblical foundation they had hoped to lay in the heart of their child.

We really need to think about the choices we are making today if we want to continue a godly legacy.

No sport or school is going to teach your kids the truth about God. And they are very likely going to teach them lies about Him, either purposely or through peers.

Children need to learn the truth of God and His Word from their families and churches. They need to understand why we love God and follow His commandments. They need to learn what it looks like and why it matters from their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—through example and through intentional discussions.

And, of course, no post like this can be written without an important qualification: Yes, kids are their own people and they have their own souls. They all have a choice to make about whether they are going to follow God or the world. About whether they are going to live for Jesus or live for self. As parents (and grandparents) we can’t choose this for them. And this can be a heart-breaking affair. I know many of you know that.

This post is just to encourage anyone who reads it to do what you can in your own family to encourage and grow the children in your life—our most precious treasures —in true biblical faith. To do what we can to point them to Jesus and God’s Word. To not get distracted with the temporal. To help the next generation understand why we have certain rules or live a certain way. To at least have the conversations.

Because…

If we don’t, someone else will.

All That Glitters is Not Gold

Leave a Comment / October 29, 2026

The other day I saw a clip of a young movie star claiming her love for Jesus. She said she never did anything without checking with Him first…that He ruled all she did.

This was followed by a different clip where she was explaining how Jesus was okay with her doing nude movie scenes with men who are not her husband and for the public to watch.

How do we reconcile this?

We live in a crazy, confusing world where everyone, apparently, loves Jesus.

But do they really?

It is easy to say we love Jesus. It is easy to profess Him, to point to the sky and praise Him, to say He is our Lord.

It is a very, very different thing to live it.

The Christianity of today seems to have a very specific definition of a “Christian”. If someone uses the name of Jesus and loves others, then they must be a Christian, right?

But is that how the Bible defines a true follower of Jesus?

It is not.

Jesus says in Luke 9:23–

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

And in Mark 12:30–31–

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

And then in John 15:14–

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

We learn from these verses that, while loving others is important, so are a lot of other things. We don’t get to pick and choose what defines a genuine Christian. God does that for us in His Word.

It is important that we aren’t naive and think everyone who professes Christ is genuine.

This isn’t because we are negative or out on a witch hunt (although these accusations may rain down upon your head if you dare to speak up about someone).

But for those of us who love God and His Word, our motives aren’t from a heart that takes pleasure in seeing these things.

Rather, it’s from a heart that understands the hard and unpleasant truth that not all that glitters is gold. According to scripture and from our own experiences, we recognize that not all who say they are following Jesus really are.

Throughout scripture, we are told that there will be wolves in sheep’s clothing. We are told to beware and to test all things against God’s Word. We are told that there will be people who share the Gospel who are doing so for their own sinful reasons.

And, so, any serious Christian must do as the Bible commands and test all that goes on around us. And while we trust God implicitly, we should probably not be so trusting of people.

I was reading from J.C. Ryle’s “Expository Thoughts on Luke” regarding Luke 20:19-26 and came across a passage that has to do with this very thing. I will conclude today’s post by sharing some of his insight regarding this subject.

Let us mark, for one thing in this passage, the cloak of goodness under which some of our Lord’s enemies approached Him. We read that they sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. We read further that they attempted to trick Him by flattering words. “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.” These words sounded well. An ignorant bystander would have said, “These are sincere inquirers after truth!” But all was hollow and unreal. It was the wolf putting on the sheep’s clothing under the vain idea of deceiving the shepherd. Their words were smoother than butter, yet there was war in their hearts (Psalm 55:21)!

The true servant of Christ must expect to meet people of this description as long as the world stands. There never will be lacking those who from selfish or sinister motives will profess with their lips to love Christ while in their hearts they deny Him. There will always be some who, by their smooth and flattering speech, will attempt to deceive the heart of the simple.

The union of burning lips and a wicked heart is far from uncommon. There are probably few congregations which do not contain some of those whom Solomon likens to earthen vessel[s] overlaid with silver dross (Proverbs 26:23).

He who would not be often deceived in this wicked world must carefully remember these things. We must exercise a wise caution as we travel through life and not play the part of the naive [man who] believes everything (Proverbs 14:15). We must not lightly put confidence in every new religious volunteer, nor hastily take it for granted that all people are good who talk like good men.

Such caution at first sight may appear narrow-minded and uncharitable. But the longer we live, the more we shall find that it is needful. We shall discover by experience that all is not gold that glitters, and all are not true Christians who make a loud profession of Christianity. The language of Christianity is precisely that part of religion which a false Christian finds it most easy to attain. The walk of a man’s daily life, and not the talk of his lips, is the only safe test of his character.

-J.C. Ryle

Blindness Is…Blinding

Leave a Comment / October 21, 2026

Two couples sat gossiping together about another couple. The third couple had committed a grave sin and it had ended up being quite a public affair.

Ironically, the other two couples had committed the same sin. But they couldn’t see that, public or not, the sin was the exact same sin. In their minds, the third couple’s sin was much worse than their own.

I guess we’ve all been guilty of calling out, judging, or gossiping about someone who is doing something that we do ourselves and can’t even see.

Human blindness to sin and worldliness is incredibly…blinding.

And just a little terrifying…

Our tendency is to judge others and never look at ourselves. Somehow we can rationalize and excuse away what we do and, yet, do not apply the same reasons and excuses to others.

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 it tells us to examine ourselves to be sure we are in the faith.

Unfortunately, we so often examine others instead of ourselves.

And, ironically, we can often see sins in others that are present in ourselves and somehow harshly judge others while giving ourselves a pass.

Have you heard the complainer judge others for complaining? Or a prideful, arrogant person complain about someone else who is arrogant? How about the gossiper who gets so offended when they are the target of someone else’s gossip?

It’s always easy to see what someone else is doing wrong, isn’t it?

And so a most important prayer to pray is for God to open our blind eyes.

And when He does (and He will), we need to be willing to see what He is showing us.

In my experience, this can be a very painful process. But better to be in pain than to continue on in sin or worldliness you didn’t even realize you were committing.

The human heart and mind are fascinating. And they tend to be very deceptive. They can convince us that lies are truth. They can give us reasons to continue on in sin or worldliness. They convince us that someone else’s sin is so much worse than ours, even when it’s the exact same sin.

And there is only one remedy. And that is coming to God, through prayer and studying the Word, with a humble, teachable heart willing to hear the truth, painful as it may be.

I can tell you right up front that this won’t be a pleasant process and it won’t really feel good. But, like a wound that lies festering beneath the surface, facing the truth about ourselves brings healing. It will begin the process that will grow and strengthen our relationship with Jesus and heal and strengthen our relationship with others.

And that makes it so worth every bit of pain.

Coffee-Colored Sin in a Coffee-Colored World

Leave a Comment / October 17, 2026

The other morning I went to get up from my sofa and my hand accidentally knocked over my coffee. This is not the first time—nor, I am certain, will it be the last—that this has happened.

Something I didn’t realize when we so carefully picked the color for our new sofa (years ago now) was that it was the perfect color to spill coffee upon.

I didn’t actually really like the color when it arrived (don’t you hate that? Buying furniture is one of my least favorite things to do!) but it’s been very practical when it comes to those occasional times I’ve spilled my coffee, for it leaves no stains and no indication that coffee was spilled upon it because…it’s the exact same color as coffee.

As I bent down to clean up the coffee on the sofa and then the bit that also spilled on the carpet (a color which is not so forgiving), I had this thought that coffee on the sofa is a bit like some of the sins we tend to write off.

They actually don’t look “that” sinful, do they? When you say just a little something kind-of gossipy at work, it doesn’t stand out among all of the really bad gossip. It melts right in and we can even, perhaps, pat ourselves on the back for not being as bad as everyone else. That’s a coffee-colored sin in a coffee-colored world.

Other sins like this are complaining, envy, pride (which is cloaked as self-confidence, self-abasement, self-obsession), anxiety and worry, gluttony, selfishness, ungodly entertainment choices, grudges, discontentment, idolatry (often cloaked as wrong priorities)…well, there are so many more, aren’t there? We label them as not that bad—and perhaps don’t even think much about them—because they are falling on the norm of a coffee-colored world and not standing out as very bad at all.

Do you, like me, ever wonder how God views these things? If we stripped away the coffee-colored filter, would we understand that these are the sins that Christ died for? It wasn’t just for murder and adultery and all the sins we label as “very bad sins”.

It’s for the sins we hardly even think about. He died for that unkind remark, the constant complaints we voice, the grudge we hold in our heart against someone, the movie filled with sorcery or violence that we watched last night, the over-eating we did at dinner, the choice to prioritize a hobby or our children over honoring the Lord, the anxiety that comes from our lack of trust. Etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.

If we aren’t comparing ourselves to scripture, we can get the wrong idea that we are pretty good people. Our coffee-colored sins spill out on to a coffee-colored world without mark or stain. But when they spill out on to the pure white carpet of scripture, it’s a different story, isn’t it? That’s when we begin to understand sin for what it is. That’s when we begin to understand our need for a Savior and the marvelous grace and mercy that God has shed on us in providing Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but I have so many coffee-colored sins that splatter the landscape of my life. Too many. Things that I have excused or rationalized away as “just me” or “not that bad”, as I compare myself to the rest of the coffee-colored world.

But they are still sins nonetheless. They are sins that Jesus died for. And I’d be utterly lost and hopeless without Jesus’s victory on the cross.

I am NOT a good person. I try to be. I want to be. By the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in me, I’ve made some progress. But I could never be good enough. There is no balance to weigh our good works against our sins, but if there were, I wouldn’t make it into heaven. None of us would (Romans 3:10).

Praise God we have a Savior. Praise God for the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to show us the true reality of our sin against the purity of God. Praise God that we can be born again and have eternal life if we but repent and have faith in Christ alone (John 14:6).

Coffee-colored sins deceive us into thinking we are something we really aren’t. And that may be the most dangerous kind of sin of all.

Only Jesus can wash away all of our sins—including those deceptive coffee-colored sins that fall upon a coffee-colored world, fooling us into believing the lie that we are a “good person”.

Choosing to be a Hummingbird

1 Comment / October 6, 2026

The other week I heard an analogy that was most helpful. I thought I’d pass it along to you.

The lesson was being given to elementary students and the topic was about our speech and how to be sure it glorifies God.

This is probably a great topic for us all. How easy it is for us to complain or to gossip! Complaints and gossip about others often pour from our mouths much more easily than words of gratitude and encouragement.

The teacher that day compared our words to two types of birds.

First, he mentioned the buzzard and how this bird goes into a field to search and find what is dead. He feeds on the dead things.

Now, from a practical perspective, we can be glad God designed buzzards to do this! They do a great service to the earth that God created.

But, as people, we don’t want to be like the buzzard and hunt down all the negative, bad, “dead” things.

Next he mentioned the hummingbird. This tiny bird goes into a field to search and find the beautiful flowers.

While the buzzard feeds on dead things, the hummingbird feeds on the nectar from the flowers.

And the question that begs to be answered is this: What are we searching for and speaking about? The negative, ugly stuff or the positive, beautiful things?

Philippians 4:8 puts it like this—

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

And, according to scripture, the greatest way we can tell what someone is thinking about is through the words that come out of their mouth—

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

One of the greatest challenges in this current Christian culture is the tendency to twist scripture into a false Gospel that isn’t biblical. This is often done by placing improper significance on certain things and eliminating or disregarding others.

One of the things that has gotten much emphasis over the past years within Christian circles is this idea of positive thoughts and words. Only speak the positive and never speak the negative.

But this isn’t what the Bible teaches, is it?

And so, as believers who want to grow in our faith, we need to navigate these wrong emphases by serious study of the scripture.

Speaking positive, thankful, uplifting words is a good thing. In fact, it’s a great thing!

May we not, in our efforts to distance ourselves from a wrong movement within Christianity, distance ourselves from the Truth of scripture.

May we be known among our family, friends, and co-workers to be more like the hummingbird than the buzzard. May we strive to look for the good, to speak words of gratitude, and to keep those unkind words and complaints to ourselves.

In doing this, we will not only be pleasing the Lord but we will find much more willing listeners when we do find ourselves needing to speak something that is perceived as negative.

God has given us mouths to speak. I am not sure I always consider what a serious responsibility this is.

As James reminds us in his third chapter, the tongue is a powerful tool. May we use it to glorify and honor God. May we use it to build up and encourage others. And may we use it to point others to God, to His marvelous plan of salvation, and to His perfect Word.

The “Easy” Hike

2 Comments / September 29, 2026

I spent a great week in Gatlinburg last week with my family. We did lots of things and had lots of adventures (I’ll write about one specific adventure at the end of this post) and just enjoyed being together.

On the last day, we decided to try to find an easy hike to take with all the grandkids (Twelve of them, ages ten and under!) One of my son-in-law’s has an app that rates trails. He searched the app and found a hike not too far away that was rated “easy”. We all loaded into our cars and headed there.

It wasn’t long before those of us over 50 were questioning the “easy” label. There were rocks and roots throughout the trail. Certainly, it would get better?

But it didn’t. I have a rather bad knee and was struggling myself to keep my balance so when I saw my mom struggling, who definitely doesn’t want to fall at her age, I was a bit perplexed. A vision of us, falling together and laying hurt on that rocky path, danced through my mind.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I watched my son and son-in-law come alongside her. They continued to walk with her, supporting her as she walked through all those rocks and roots for the entire mile trail.

Sure…the hike was easy. For someone who is sure-footed, without physical issues, and without concern for balance or falling. We watched the grandkids hop like little goats across all those rocks and roots. But for those of us who are older, it presented an unexpected challenge.

As I watched my mom walk with those two young men, I had to think about what a beautiful analogy it was of the family of Christ.

When one of us is on a rocky path, we are to hold each other up and support one another. “Bearing one another’s burdens” as Galatians 6:2 puts it.

Is there anyone in your life who needs supported today? How can you encourage them?

And there’s another side to this, too, isn’t there? Perhaps you are someone in need of support but you are too proud to accept it.

My mom was very humble as she gratefully accepted the help offered to her. I called her this morning to ask if I could write about this and, as she gave me her permission, she noted that this her life and there’s nothing she can do to change it.

She has accepted her limitations as she has grown older with grace and humility and is a wonderful example to me and to my kids and grandkids.

Grace and humility…do they grow in importance as we grow older? Without them, we will end up miserable and discontent.

So let’s ask ourselves two questions today:

  1. Who can I help or support today?
  2. Am I too proud to accept help or support when I need it?

Things to think about as we walk through the path of rocks and roots in this life with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

(Now…I want to share an adventure we had in Gatlinburg, but there is really no spiritual lesson to it. Unless it is to be careful not to think you are “above and outside” given warnings!!)

One morning I sat on the porch drinking coffee. As I went into get a refill, I heard lots of loud talking outside. I went to the front door to look out and, lo and behold, several car doors were open and trash was strewn about.

We quickly figured out that, during the night, a bear had come down the hillside and had had a feast. Three of our cars were ransacked.

Our son’s car was first. It was full of mud because the recent rain had made for a very muddy bear. The sad thing about their situation was that they thought their car was locked. Unfortunately, their extra key was in there and the car didn’t automatically lock as it always does. The bear had a real heyday in their van and carried their backpack up the mountainside. Strewn all through the hillside was all sorts of sundry items. We were thankful that the extra set of keys had dropped out of the backpack first and were laying on the driveway! (When my son climbed a ways up the hillside he found that their backpack wasn’t the only thing stolen by the bears. All kinds of things were up there on that hillside!)

The second car to be hit was our oldest daughter’s. She and her husband had even had a conversation in bed the night before about the cracker they had left in the unlocked van. Should they go lock it? They decided a bear wasn’t going to enter a van for one cracker. They were wrong. It did enter their van and found that one cracker!

And the third car was our car. My husband likes candy and had quite a bit in the car for our drive there. I guess bears must also like candy because it was all gone! It had entered in one of our back doors, climbed over the console, and must have sat on the passenger seat enjoying the treats because there was a bit of mud there, too. The funny thing was that I had suggested to my husband that we lock the car and he thought it was a ridiculous suggestion…!

We had heard the stories before we took our trip but we never believed it could happen to us! But it did. So if you are going to Gatlinburg, lock your car doors! Those bears are getting braver and braver.

Ironically, the following day, Eric was outside playing with the older grandkids. He was throwing a ball to the kids for them to catch, when the bear (I am assuming the same bold bear who broke into our cars) came wandering down the bank right behind the kids! Eric calmly told the children to come to him and they all went inside and then we all headed out to the deck, where we watched the bear ramble on to the cabin deck next door, go down a set of steps, and play in the yard between us for a time. It was quite the fascinating experience.

So, yes, bears are a “thing” in Gatlinburg. The stories aren’t just exaggerated for hits and likes. Some things you read are true! We’ve become a bit skeptical, haven’t we??

So that’s our “BEAR ADVENTURE” from last week!

Just Take the Next Step

1 Comment / September 10, 2026

I heard a quote the other day: “Relationships are a series of steps and you can only take the next step.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about this. In regards to relationships, as well as in regards to the rest of life.

I find that I often want to solve a problem immediately and completely. Please, Lord, give me the shortcut!

I want the relationship fixed or the issue resolved right away. I want to move past the hurt and the pain and the work and the effort parts and get to the solutions and the rewards.

But there are a few reasons why we shouldn’t hurry the process, aren’t there?

(The following are in no particular order.)

First: We learn and grow in the process. If we skipped right to the happy ending and avoid the hard things, we miss out on becoming more like Jesus and learning to think eternally.

Second: The process is a vivid reminder that we live in a fallen world. This world is not our home. These things serve to weaken our grip on the things of this life and to think instead on “things above”.

Third: These things teach us about ourselves. They show us vividly that we are a sinner in need of a Savior. If we are honest with ourselves, then God will reveal blind spots and personal sins as we seek to heal a relationship or resolve a difficult situation. We are usually not just an innocent bystander. Our sin and flesh have often contributed to the problem. We need a Savior and these things reveal that to us in a very real way.

Fourth: We realize God’s deep love for us in His small mercies and little kindnesses along the way. We cannot comprehend the depth of His care until we see the answers to the small prayers we pray and the little mercies that are given to us that we never even thought to pray for!

Fifth: These unresolved and insurmountable difficulties teach us to bow our knee and to surrender our will to God’s will. They teach us that we are not in control, after all. And they teach us to stop trusting ourselves and to trust instead in the Lord—day by day and with each passing moment. I have to think of one of my favorite hymns “Day by Day” as I reflect on learning to trust (see lyrics below).

And Sixth: Along with trusting, these things teach us to pray. Prayer is a gift from God and so often we don’t use this gift as we should. But when we are walking through something very difficult and puzzling, we grab hold of it more tightly and make better use of this wonderful gift God has given us as we journey through life here. Trials help us understand the value and the necessity of prayer in our lives.

There is coming a day when we will no longer have to learn anything. We will be in a perfect place with no sin, no sickness, no hatred, and no conflict. There will be no world to battle, no flesh to deny, and no demonic enemy to stand against.

Until that day, God is using the seemingly unresolvable situations and the difficult relationships of this life to teach us so much.

Rather than searching desperately for an escape or shortcut, may we simply take the next step that the Lord has revealed to us.

With faith in God, may we simply take the small step and trust the Lord for the ending.

And, while we don’t always have happy endings here on earth, we can be assured that a happy eternity is coming for all of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus as our Savior. 

DAY BY DAY

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

One Small Decision at a Time

Leave a Comment / August 25, 2026

We live in a culture that gives a lot of merit to the big things of life and denigrates the little things. It’s a culture that idolizes those who do nothing of value and ignores those that literally are saving lives and changing the world. It’s a culture that wants instant gratification, instant food, and instant service.

And in this kind of world, it’s tempting to always be looking for the “BIG” and the “FAST”.

We keep waiting for the big event or for the “moment” that will change our life instantly and put us on the path to wherever it is we have our heart set on being. Until that time, we just apathetically wait (which is often accompanied by quite a bit of complaining).

But life just rarely works like that. Life is made up of few big moments. What all of our lives are made up of, however, are lots and lots of small decisions.

To get to the life we want, we need to make a million tiny and seemingly insignificant decisions that lead to that life.

As a Christian, this takes on an even deeper meaning for us, as we want a life that is pleasing to the Lord rather than just pleasing our own selves and fulfilling our dreams. We desire to live out Colossians 3:17 and 23-24, which encourage us to live our lives with a heartfelt desire to please the Lord in all we do.

Let’s take one small decision, for example…

The daily decision to read the Bible so that we can find out exactly what a life that pleases the Lord looks like.

How easy is it to talk yourself out of this, if you aren’t in the habit of doing it?

Unfortunately, it’s just too easy.

We say things like “I just have so many things to do today; I’ll do it later” but later never comes. Or we say “I listened to a sermon or I did a devotional, that’s enough” or “I did this good deed, I’m sure that counts for something this week” or “one day won’t hurt”. Etc, etc.

We can talk ourselves out of Bible reading so easily.

And that tiny little decision keeps you stuck in not reading your Bible. Because we really do become experts at rationalizing away anything we really struggle to do. Or perhaps things we simply don’t want to do.

We can apply this same tactic to whatever area we are working on or need to change—eating too much, spending too much, gossiping, laziness, procrastinating, selfishness, etc. How often do we find ourselves rationalizing away whatever it is, convincing ourselves that one more day won’t hurt or that we will “begin again” on Monday or even next year?

God has been convicting me that this type of thinking yields only discouragement, apathy, and…well, stagnancy.

Just one little decision—the same one—made every day will eventually yield results. But it’s not instant and that is a hard one for most to us. Change takes time and we need to be patient.

I’m sure my rationalizing days aren’t over but I do think it’s been helpful to recognize rationalizing and excuses for what they are: Tools used to stay stuck in a life I don’t want and—so much more importantly—to stay stuck in a life that is not pleasing to God.

I’m not sure if any one besides me needed to think about this today, but I thought I’d share…just in case.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 

Colossians 3:23-24

Spiritual Prepping

Leave a Comment / August 18, 2026

There are many of us who have been talking about the “Last Days” for a while now. And we continue to talk about them, as it grows clearer with each passing week that we are in them.

But no one knows how long those “Last Days” will last. It could be that the Lord will return today or it could be that He will return in fifty years. Or more.

God’s timeline is not our timeline.

As the world continues on without our Lord’s return, the scoffing from both those who claim to follow Christ and from those who don’t continues to grow. Peter told us this would happen:

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:3-4)

Things do continue on. We don’t know how…but somehow they do.

That doesn’t mean Christ isn’t returning. It just means His timeline is not ours.

Way back in the early 2000s, I heard a very knowledgeable friend predict that the economy would crash within a year or two. According to them, there was no possible way it could keep going.

And yet it did. It has. And over twenty years later it continues on.

In the 1970s and 1980s predictions for the rapture abounded. And yet, here we are…some fifty years later.

Does this lack of fulfillment mean these things will never happen? Of course not. They are simply delayed beyond what our expectations may have been.

I don’t know when Jesus is coming back. And neither do you. We must live like it could be today but also like it may not be in our lifetime.

We need to find that balance of living with eternity in mind while being a good steward of the many responsibilities and blessings that have been given us while here on earth.

I have been reading recently of the years in Romania during the years of Ceausescu. I had no idea.

To be found with a Bible could mean a lifetime in prison. To make a statement—any statement—that was imagined to be against the government could lead to you just disappearing forever (labor camps, execution…no one ever knew what happened to you). To simply watch a movie about Jesus in the privacy of your own home could lead to arrest. To have wealth and property led to your death because the state wanted to confiscate your wealth and your property. To be a biblical pastor led to imprisonment because they couldn’t have pastors who would not point to Ceausescu as god. You get the idea…

They were unimaginable circumstances in which to live.

And it reminds me…

Things could get much worse for us before the Lord returns. Oh, they might not. But they could.

What am I doing to prepare for this potential possibility?

You hear so much about “prepping”. Stockpile things so that you are prepared for any major disaster. Food, water, material things we might need. Oh, we don’t hear about it quite as much now as we heard in 2020, but it’s still around.

But how much more important to “stockpile” spiritually? To prepare our hearts and minds for the possibility of not having a Bible in our home? To prepare for the possibility that we can’t go to church without fear of arrest?

There’s only one way to do that and it is to strengthen ourselves spiritually, through prayer, Bible Study, and Bible memorization. Not only for ourselves but we need to prepare our kids and grandkids, too. The necessity for this may not be in our generation.

I am amazed at how many Bible verses came to mind for Romanian Christians. They had memorized them and when they were imprisoned or facing death, these verses came to mind to strengthen and comfort.

I have often read the same for persecuted Christians in other parts of the world.

If you were imprisoned or taken to a Labor Camp today because of your uncompromising faith, would you have verses and songs memorized to help uphold you in that dire time?

It’s a good question we Christians should all ask ourselves. Because life can change and it can change quickly.

I am not saying it will. I have no inside information. But I was reminded in reading about the Romanian Christians that it could.

We can tend to get lazy in our comfortable and secure lives here in the west. But we dare not get too comfortable. We are still just pilgrims and strangers traveling through a strange land. This world is not our home and, any day, it could turn on us.

Let’s prepare ourselves for that day. Just in case.

Feelings Won’t Get You Into Heaven

1 Comment / August 11, 2026

My husband and I had the opportunity to talk with an older gentleman the other day. In the course of the conversation, he offered the information that he had traveled several hours to get the “monument” that he and his wife had already purchased for the graveyard back home in his old state. They had moved and had decided to be buried in their new state.

It was a rather unexpected conversation to be having, but there it was. And, along with it, the perfect opportunity to talk about eternity.

And so my husband and I started asking him questions. Kindly. Gently. Do you know what is more important than preparing your gravesite? Do you know where you will spend eternity?

He replied with assurance that he most certainly did.

So I asked him: How do you know?

His response was terrifying but not unexpected…

“I feel it in here” and his fisted hand went to his heart.

As we talked further, we realized his great confidence in where he will spend eternity was based on feelings and his good works.

When we started talking about the Bible, we found out he never reads it and didn’t even know where his was. Somewhere in the basement, he thought.

After telling him about the sacrifice Christ made for us and why, we suggested that he find his Bible and read the book of John.

He sounded like he might do just that but we also realize that people will tell you anything for their own reasons. (You can pray that he does. Pray for “J”.)

That conversation was such a vivid reminder of a few different truths. I’ll share just two.

First, many people are basing their eternity on nothing but feelings. I guess it is natural, isn’t it? We live in a society where feelings are used to make the most important decisions.

I just read a post on Facebook by a middle-aged wife. Her kids were in their teen years and she no longer felt “connected” to her husband. And so she was walking away. It was all based on feelings. She didn’t feel love for him or from him and so she was going to follow those feelings into a “better life”. (Ironically, statistics show that the “better life” she is chasing is often just an illusion.)

If we let them, our feelings can control how we treat others, how we spend money, how much food we eat, where we go, and how much time we spend scrolling our phones or playing games on our iPad, or what we watch on TV. Feelings can lead us into deception, into sin, and into worldliness.

We want to feel good. We want to feel safe. We want to feel loved. We want to feel popular.

We don’t want to feel bad. We don’t want to feel insecure. We don’t want to feel unloved. We don’t want to feel backwards.

And so these feelings—driving every other decision made in life—eventually lead many into the assurance that they are going to heaven.

Their belief in what is true is more important than the actual truth. If they “feel it inside”, then it must be true.

But it just doesn’t work like that.

Just because someone feels like they are healthy and well, doesn’t mean they are. Deadly diseases don’t always give symptoms.

Just because someone feels unloved and like the whole world is against them, doesn’t mean it is. Many a people have committed suicide believing this lie that was never—even for a second—true.

Our hearts are very powerful and deceptive. It leads people into beliefs that simply aren’t true through the use of feelings.

The Bible tells us that our hearts are wicked and we cannot trust them—

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool:
but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. (Proverbs 28:26)

As someone once wisely told me:

When it comes to decisions—small or large—feelings should be the caboose of our trains and not the engines. In other words, the feelings will tag along and change, when we choose to make the right decision. They should never be what is driving our decisions. It was good advice and I still remember it today.

We can’t afford to make decisions based on feelings. And we certainly can’t afford to make the biggest decision of our lives—where we will spend eternity—based on feelings.

Instead, we must anchor our lives in the Word of God—the only source of Truth that we can count on.

Second, it was a reminder of how many people that talk about Jesus so easily do not really know Him. Jesus tells us that we are His friends if we do what He commands (John 15:14). Many people never even open their Bibles to find out what Jesus commands. They just live in a comfortable, albeit false, belief that if they say they “believe on Jesus” they are good to go. But that is simply not what the Bible teaches. Genuine belief yields a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Many people, particularly in America, know the “Christianese” language very well. And it comes very naturally to them.

The other day I saw an interview with a baseball player after a game. In the interview he shared his gratitude for God and His sovereignty in his life. All praise was due to God. Then, in the next sentence, he cursed quite naturally.

I am not making any judgment on him personally. I do not know him nor do I know anything about him.

But I use this as an example for what we are seeing today. We are living in the midst of a syncretistic religion called “Christianity” where anything goes (except for true, biblical Christianity…that doesn’t go over so well).

I think we often are tempted to believe that anyone who refers to God or tells us they are praying for us understands what the Bible teaches, but that just isn’t true anymore. Even if that person goes to church, most churches are not teaching a biblical Gospel.

Just because someone talks like they are a Christian, doesn’t mean they truly understand. The mission field for the Gospel is probably much bigger than we have assumed here in America.

Of course, if we go back to “J”, we will realize that most people have been inoculated against the true Gospel by the belief that feelings equal truth and so it is hard to have any really good conversations. Most people who believe they are going to heaven have no care for what the Bible says and are basing their beliefs on other things.

Thankfully, we know it is the Holy Spirit that opens spiritually blind eyes and we don’t have to worry about the results of any conversations we have.

We simply need to have them.

So let’s have the conversations.

I’m not very good at it myself. This conversation with “J” was the first time I’ve had the courage to bring up eternity with someone in a long time. But I want to do it more.

Because I have nothing to lose and they have everything to lose. And we never know how God will use even the tiniest seed of the Gospel that we hesitantly toss onto the soil of another life.

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