enLIVEn Devotionals

Abiding in Jesus - Overflowing His Spirit

The Day After

  I look forward to the Christmas season like a snowman looks forward to the winter – I just can’t wait until it arrives! I love watching old Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music on the radio, dressing up in red and green and going to Christmas parties and, most of all, I love Christmas traditions – baking cookies, sending Christmas cards, decorating the Christmas tree and opening presents. I also enjoy driving around the city and looking at all of the Christmas decorations and lights on everyone’s homes. It is so fun to connect the Christmas decorations with the people ... Read the Post

Those Kids

My kids have such a rich Christian heritage. They are blessed to have both my grandfathers that are ministers, a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins serving the Lord in their churches, and the privilege of being educated in Christian schools. They have always been good kids that love the Lord and have felt secure in their “sheltered” world. A couple of years ago my husband and I knew that God was telling us that our kids were to be moved to public school. Although I did not struggle on the outside with the act of being obedient, I did internally struggle, praying that God might change His ... Read the Post

Thought Bazooka

I have discovered the hard way how powerful our thoughts can be. I realized that I needed to stop my every thought in micro-second speed and check it out and interrogate it before it made its way further into my mind and set up residence. If it was able to forge a home in my mind, it would be free to return at will holding me prisoner to its influences. I had occasions where my husband would say something that I would take the wrong way, and I would be reduced to tears. My mind would be flooded with all kinds of thoughts ranging from “I deserve better than this,” to “He doesn’t love me ... Read the Post

The Treasure of our Heart

Sometimes my life gets so hectic I lose focus of what matters most to me – the treasures of my heart: spending time with my family and friends, quiet time for study and prayer, taking long drives on the Harley with my husband, or strumming my guitar. Have you ever read the story about Mary and Martha in Luke Chapter 10? Mary and her sister, Martha, have an unexpected visit from Jesus and His followers. Martha quickly dons her party hat and begins tending the details for an unplanned feast, while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, listening. I think God included this passage in the Bible to ... Read the Post

Limiting Fears

As an introvert, I love the quiet. There’s little I love more than a quiet Saturday at home with my family. Home is where I’m that most at peace. It’s where I scrapbook, read, and create homemade meals for my family. Just the same, I have to get out. I have to have friends to turn to, to invest in, and to share with. Even my introverted nature longs for companionship, for friendship. As a woman, my soul still needs to share my hopes, dreams, worries, and fears. Especially those last two. More often than not, I share my worries and fears with those closest to me. I tell them all about my ... Read the Post