• Ostrich Insight by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley

    Bylbworley

    When I was a child, I used to draw ostriches when doodling. I don’t know why, but I drew ostriches all the time, and in art class, I even built an ostrich with toothpicks. This week in Bible study, the ostrich came up more than once, so I dug deeper into what the ostrich represents spiritually. In Job 39, the LORD is reminding Job about the magnificent world that He created when he describes the ostrich: The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot comparewith the wings and feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the ground…

  • What is Your Firm Foundation? by Lane Jordan Burday

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    Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock (Matthew 7:24). At church service this past Sunday, our new pastor, Daniel Floyd, spoke about building our lives on God’s true foundation. And yes, I have heard this preached before, and I have heard the above verse all my life. But I never realized how important it is to build our lives on the firm foundation of God’s Word, His Truth, and His principles for a life that works. Did you know that before a skyscraper can be built,…

  • Don’t Look Back by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    A new year represents looking forward with anticipation about what is to come. It can represent a new start, new ideas, and the hope of new blessings from God. However, sometimes we slip back into the past, don’t we? We start thinking about past hurts, dysfunction, and past injustice, and that can move us into a depressed state. This week, I was reading in Genesis 19 about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to the area’s grievous sin. God graciously saved Lot’s wife and his family, but told them as they were about to escape the raining sulfur and…

  • New Years Resolutions. Do Less! By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    Probably the first thing that comes to our minds on January 1 is planning our resolutions. And that’s not a bad thing! We all need to improve our lives in every area: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. But usually, it’s a list of unattainable ambitions that fall flat. In fact, 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions are already abandoned by mid-February, says author Amy Wilson. She suggests a better idea—instead of adding commitments, we can see the new year as an opportunity to do less, to “start saying no” to some of our obligations that don’t give all that much,…

  • One Word for 2026 by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    “Have you chosen your word for the year?” a friend asked. “I actually had not thought about it,” I responded, “but I will pray about it.” So I began praying for a word to live by in 2026, and this morning it came. “Your word is ‘prepare,’” the Holy Spirit said. This word has many implications. Preparing for a Wedding My youngest son is getting married this year, and I have started the preparation for the engagement party this month and the wedding later in the year. My first training appointment was this week so I have committed to getting…

  • Do You Not See It? By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland  (Isaiah 43:19). It is so easy to ignore the importance of starting a new year by making the same resolutions, eating turnip greens and black-eyed peas, and watching football games and parades. But a new year represents a new day dawning, proclaiming a fresh start! The God who created the universe, created the earth, and created you is ready to do a new thing in you….

  • Humble Hope by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley

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    Jesus came into this world humbly, and he left humbly. He allowed himself to be born in a livestock feeding trough, and he departed this world after being crucified on a cross. But through his humble existence on this Earth and through his teachings, he gave us something that we cannot quantify—hope. Hope is a gift from God. We often take it for granted, but what if we did not have hope? What if we could not even use the word in conversation? I hope you feel better. I hope you get that job. I hope your situation improves. Where…

  • Where is Your Light? By Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley

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    God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5, NIV). We just celebrated the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, at our church. Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem around the 2nd century BCE. It followed the Jewish people’s victory over the Seleucid Greek rulers who had suppressed Jewish religious practices. According to tradition, there was only enough consecrated oil to light the menorah for one day, but it miraculously burned for eight days. That’s why the menorah is lit for eight nights each year. What I find…

  • God Gives His Favor by Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30) I think we all want to be liked. We want to have plenty of friends, as well as plenty of people at our workplace, in our neighborhood, or at our church who like us. Another word for being ‘liked’ is ‘favor’—we have their favor, and it is a wonderful gift to have from others. Doesn’t it make us feel special and even loved? What I have come to know and believe in my Christian walk over these many years is…

  • The Last Goodbye by Rosemary Legrand

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    You never know when your last goodbye will be: Christmas is a great time to appreciate the special people in your life and let them know how grateful you are for their presence. We never know when we will have to say goodbye to a loved one, whether it is a parent, spouse, child, sibling, or friend.  So, cherish the time you have together— love, laugh, travel, and enjoy each other. Live life with no regret When we express our love and appreciation through heartfelt words, we create a lasting impact on our loved ones’ hearts.  Remember, love is not…

  • Living in the Power of Christmas by Lane Jordan Burday

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    The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. (Luke 1:35) Is it possible to celebrate Christmas as a wonderful event with the fully decorated trees, the sparkling lights, the overflow of food, and all the fun parties and events, and yet miss the transforming power of the One who came to us? The same Holy Spirit who came to Mary and conceived the miracle within her is the same Spirit who can fill you, changing your life to the glory of God! Christmas teaches us that the impossible can happen. What impossible…

  • Is it Okay to Ask Questions? by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3) I am an inquisitive person, and don’t always accept things at face value. So, I ask questions. Sometimes my husband will say, “Too many questions!”  However, I know that many of the Bible’s influencers also asked questions, and for the most part, God allowed it. When the angel Gabriel told Mary she would become pregnant and give birth to a son named Jesus (Yeshua), she asked, “How can this be, since I am not intimate with a man?” (Luke…

  • We Have So Much to Be Thankful For! By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    “O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.  For the Lord is a great God.”  Psalm 95:1-3 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Perhaps because it’s all about good food, good fellowship, and the realization that, because of the sacrifices of so many people, we live in such a free and wonderful country. And I love that it’s about people and gratefulness for all we have, rather than focusing on material items. In…

  • Thankful for His Faithfulness by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    Kaboom! On Monday morning, the crack of thunder woke me up before 5:00 a.m. Should I just get up or try to sleep a little longer? I dozed off, only to be woken by my husband’s alarm at 7:15 a.m. Oh no! This was late for me. We had a cleaning service scheduled for 8:00 a.m., and I had not had my coffee. What? The coffee pot was broken. I knew it was on its last leg, but it is never convenient when the coffee pot takes its last breath. Emails and text messages were already coming in. I tried…

  • Don’t Grow Weary by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    The panic is starting to set in. Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday, and I am hosting the family at our house. That means cleaning clutter, taking the time to organize my messy closet, and sprucing up the outside of the house. At the same time, ministry work still needs to get done, and this morning I asked myself, Why am I working so hard? The LORD responded immediately through the words of Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12 carries so much encouragement like: “Let us run with endurance the race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV). ”For consider Him who has…

  • God’s Plan Prevails by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    It never fails. Whenever there is a significant “God project” to accomplish, such as giving a message at an event or organizing a women’s conference, something tries to throw me off track—a roadblock. I don’t always pinpoint the source right away, but then I realize the enemy of my soul wants to take me down, so I will be discouraged. That is when I rebuke the attack and ask for the LORD’s strength to overcome any setback—emotionally or physically. God’s plan always prevails. In the book of Ezra, the Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple after seventy years…

  • God is Always With You by Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    The LORD is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed (Deuteronomy 31:8 NASB) When I had my first child, she was very colicky and sick the first year of her life. So much so that I had decided on no more children. However, when she was about three, she came into the kitchen, and I knew at that moment God wanted me to have another child. I had an easy second pregnancy but toward the end I became…

  • Mini-Milestones by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    I am on one of the busiest speaking stretches I have ever experienced—speaking eight times in two weeks, and officiating a wedding. Most were booked months ago, and at the time, I thought I could handle the load. However, I am tired, and although I still have a couple more sessions to teach from my original Bible study, Knowing the Father, I have allowed myself to take a break. This morning, I woke up at my usual 5:00 a.m. but prayed to sleep some more—and I did. When my eyes opened closer to 7:00 a.m., my husband proclaimed, “You’re sleeping…

  • A Detailed Plan by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    Need direction? Over the years, I have found that God will provide specific direction on how to proceed in life if we ask Him. The past two weeks have been busier than I would like. I have had eight speaking engagements, plus church and Pearls ministry work to do. When I finish writing one message, I move to the next without a break. How is this possible? I lay it all at God’s feet and ask for His wisdom and words. He always provides a blueprint for the messages. From the beginning of time, God has been all about the…

  • Happy or Joyful? by Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. (Psalm 21:6) When someone asks about your child or grandchildren, we usually say, “He’s fine! I just want him to be happy!” And who doesn’t want our loved ones as well as ourselves to be happy? But the problem with happiness is that it is so fleeting. You may want that new dress in the window, a new car, or new furniture. And these things are all right to have. But have you noticed that after you get them, your happiness doesn’t last?…