This week, I discovered new depths in a well-known Bible verse – perhaps so well known that we take it for granted. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18 ESV An […]
A Story of Hope
Many of you know that I work I teach English at a local Chinese congregation. I want to share with you a story about one of my former students. Note: Name and identifying information changed to protect the identity of the student. Yan Dong A few years ago a new student, Yan Dong, started began […]
Days of Grace
I wonder if time passes as quickly for you as it does for me? When I was a child, I recall how long summers were. They were tastes of forever, with trips to the beach, hikes at Sleeping Giant “mountain,” and long evenings curled up with a Nancy Drew or Bobbsey Twins mystery. Then, suddenly, […]
Utterly Helpless, I Discovered God’s Strength
In my last post, I shared how I finally learned that God truly, eternally, loved me as heart knowledge, not head knowledge. As promised, I am sharing what I learned after my heart was stabilized and I was finally able to enter a rehabilitation hospital for my right knee (following knee replacement surgery). People always […]
I Did Not Believe God Really Loved Me
Note: This is a rather long post, which will be completed in a subsequent post. I hope it encourages you. Happy New Year! Since childhood, I’ve struggled with God’s love. Perhaps that is why I answered so many altar calls as a child. The preacher would give a stirring sermon about forgiveness and God’s love, […]