Dear writer

There were several stories in the queue this morning. Each one had to be sent back because of major formatting issues. Except yours. For that …

I thank you.

Thank you for reading our guidelines post

When I wrote the submission rules and formatting guidelines post in November 2019, it was under the direction of publication owners Janis Cox and Kimberley Payne, and then-head editor, Bett Harris. They wanted a more uniform look for the publication overall, as well as a way to help writers grow in professionalism.

We spent hours, days, and even weeks communicating as a team to come up with a list of the…

The other morning before school, I was talking to my younger daughter about how I can see the Spirit of God working in her heart and life. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior when she was six years old. She’s ten now.

“You used to be such an angry little thing, even when you were a baby,” I told her. “You got mad and threw a little temper tantrum over everything, and it only got worse as you got older … until you met Jesus. Since then, I can see a real change in your attitude. …

Scripture

I’ll never forget the conversation

I was in a Bible study with two older ladies several years ago. It was one of those studies that focused on health in all different realms — emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual.

At one point, the study mentioned prayer, and about how we need to be open and honest in our prayers … even if we’re upset with God about something.

One of the ladies said, “I don’t think I could tell God if I was mad at Him.”

I blurted out (because it’s hard for me to keep my thoughts inside my head sometimes), “Why not? …

That Sunday started out just like any other

Every Sunday morning, I drink coffee and eat breakfast, and then I take a shower as part of my getting-ready-for-church routine.

That Sunday, as the water poured down on me, I started talking to God. It’s not uncommon for me to talk to God while I’m in the shower. It’s one of the few moments of “alone time” I have. So, it’s a good time to focus on uninterrupted prayer with Him.

This particular prayer time was different, though. He said something directly to me, and it stopped me in my tracks.

It wasn’t really a command, more of a suggestion

The way He phrased it, it wasn’t like…

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1, NIV)

In the beginning,
God …
But,
what if …
not?

What if I had never seen “Jesus” gazing out at me from the cover of the family Bible on my grandmother’s coffee table?
“Hi, Jesus,” I said, as I toddled around and around.
Not my first words, but probably my first words to Him.
I knew then who He was, and I knew He knew me.

What if I had never heard Jesus calling out to me through the kids’ Bible stories on the cassette tape I…

Scripture Prompt

The world is a scary place

For a couple of decades now, I’ve joked that George Orwell’s 1984 was meant to be a work of fiction, not an instruction manual. Now, I’m even more convinced that the humor inside the statement lies in the fact that it’s absolutely true.

Except … it’s not very funny. It’s slightly terrifying.

And we know that things are only going to get worse as the day of Jesus’ second coming approaches (and, of course, we’re closer to that than ever before! )

Consider what Jesus said about the signs that show He is returning soon:

Watch out that no one…

Lord,

Teach us to pray,
“God’s kingdom come,
Your will be done,”
for forgiveness for us to extend to others.

Teach us to pray,
to keep asking,
to not give up
until You answer.

Teach us to pray,
to look for open doors,
to knock them down if need be,
to get to Your heart.

Teach us to pray for what we need,
for what we want,
for what You want to give us.
Because You want to give us more than we could ever ask.

Teach us to pray for unity,
unity with You and with others. …

My daughter’s confession

Not long ago, my younger daughter confessed to me that she felt lonely. How do you help someone else who feels that way? What do you do when you’re feeling lonely yourself? What is the best loneliness solution?

This is something Pastor Jack Eason, husband of bestselling fiction author Lynette Eason, explores in The Loneliness Solution. When presented with the opportunity to review this book, I was immediately drawn to the title because of my daughter’s recent confession.

Would I find anything inside these pages I could use to help her?

I didn’t really know what to expect from ‘The Loneliness Solution’

When I first opened the package for this book…