I once heard a pastor give a talk entitled, "The Death of a Dream." He suggested that sometimes God has to shatter our dreams so that He can rebuild them in a way that's best for us. When I heard that about thirty years ago, I thought it was somewhat silly. It wasn't the image of God I wanted to have. Then I experienced the death of some dreams. I learned an important lesson: When you don't have anywhere else to run, you can always run to God, and He will be enough. I never

Someone asked me today what I tell myself when I'm going through trials. Here are some thoughts that came to mind: 1) Live today, today. Don't live tomorrow, today. As Jesus said, "Tomorrow will have it's own set of troubles." (Mt. 6:34). The best way to deal with trials is a day at a time. Sometimes a moment at a time. The future is too much to swallow at once, any way you slice it. 2) Remember that every problem has both a beginning and an end. I think of trials as a tunnel

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed (1 Peter 3:14 NIV). Peter wrote to encourage believers who were being persecuted, yet their only “crime” was following Jesus! Life’s not always fair, nor is suffering. It seems like an oxymoron to say the words "suffering" and "blessing" in the same breath, but those who’ve suffered and persevered understand. Adversity introduces us to ourselves, and we usually learn life’s most important lessons in the Universi

A friend of mine lost her baby recently...in the womb. The devastation was indescribable. Her anguish, palpable. She asked me to share some thoughts at a private burial. Nothing is more difficult than standing in the presence of that kind of pain and struggling to say something, anything... that might comfort. When we deal with things we don’t understand, the best question to ask is not “Why?” but rather “How?” How can I cope with this? How can I get through this? How can I g