Did you make any goals for 2023? Statistically, the answer to that question is probably no. According to statista.com, less than 25% of Americans made resolutions in 2022.1And even if you did make a goal for 2023, statistics (and experience) tell us about 9 out of 10 people will fail anyway2. No wonder so many … Continue reading Don’t Settle for Change That’s Only Skin-Deep
Author: Cindy Matson
Favorite Books of the Second Half of 2022
Heaven Rules by Nancy DeMoss WolgemuthWhat I appreciated about this book is how much heart was behind it. Wolgemuth did not write this book because a publisher asked her to or because it was time to pump out another one. She wrote it out of the overflow what God did in her own heart. We … Continue reading Favorite Books of the Second Half of 2022
The Baby Who Turned the World Upside-Down
April 29, 2019. Tell me you remember that day. I will never forget it as long as I live. It’s tattooed on my memory. After all, it was the day the world turned upside-down. Or, to be more specific, it was the day my world turned upside-down: the day I gave birth to my first … Continue reading The Baby Who Turned the World Upside-Down
Feet That Don’t Slip
They had to be helped up to the platform to speak, could not stand for long periods of time, suffered from debilitating illness and injury; from all outward appearances, these women are unsteady on their feet, generally infirmed, and near the end of their lives. However, as I listened to Joni Eareckson Tada, Kay Arthur, … Continue reading Feet That Don’t Slip
Zeal Doomed to Fail
James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne have got nothing on him. He had a license to kill, and he most certainly knew how to use it. He connived to assassinate two kings, the queen mum, the royal family, and an entire religion. And he managed rule as king himself for nearly three decades. His … Continue reading Zeal Doomed to Fail
How Am I Supposed to Pray When I Don’t Feel Grateful?
Feelings of ingratitude are bound to trap us at some point during this holiday season. An unpleasant memory, another snow storm, the stress of holiday shopping, the pressure of preparing the perfect holiday meal, tensions between family members, bickering between siblings, an undercooked or overcooked turkey, pies eaten by a mischievous puppy, or any other … Continue reading How Am I Supposed to Pray When I Don’t Feel Grateful?
The Refuge of Repentance
You are my hiding placeYou always fill my heartWith songs of deliveranceWhenever I am afraid I will trust in YouI will trust in YouLet the weak sayI am strongIn the strength of the Lord1 These lyrics, made famous by the group Selah, are based on Psalm 32:7: You are my hiding place; You preserve me … Continue reading The Refuge of Repentance
To the One Thinking of Quitting Church
Dear Friend, I wish that we could have this conversation over a cup of coffee at Starbucks. I firmly believe that all the best counseling sessions involve caffeine. But, alas, the written word will have to do. So, you’re thinking about quitting church. On one hand, I understand that. I assume that you have been … Continue reading To the One Thinking of Quitting Church
Watching Out for Unmarked Paths
“Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”1 As Screwtape, the veteran tempter, counsels his young apprentice and nephew Wormwood, Christians are most easily led astray when they don’t notice it happening—when they walk blissfully along a smooth path with no warning … Continue reading Watching Out for Unmarked Paths
How Does Your Mind Instruct You at Night?
You turn off the light, close your eyes, and wait for sleep to take you. Instead, your mind takes off, thinking about the events of the day behind you, your to-do list for the day in front of you, and all your fears for the future. Your body aches with exhaustion, yet you don’t sleep … Continue reading How Does Your Mind Instruct You at Night?