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It’s Okay to Like Nice Things by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
I went shopping yesterday for my birthday. I had birthday cash from my husband and a gift card from my oldest son and daughter-in-law burning in my pocket, so I picked up a couple of new outfits. I did not feel guilty about it. Sometimes we give ourselves a hard time when we buy something for ourselves or purchase new decor for the house, but I was reminded this week that God loves beautiful things, and I believe He instilled that love of beauty in our hearts. When the LORD gave instructions for building the Tabernacle, there was ornate beauty…
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Are You Anxious? by Lane Jordan Burday
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24). I’m usually a happy and joyful person. I live in gratitude for all God has done for me and blessed me with, even with some of the hardships along the way. I’m usually not an anxious or fearful person. But for the last few weeks, the minute I lay down to sleep at night, anxious thoughts started bombarding my mind! I worried about my grandson. He…
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Light and Momentary Troubles by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min
This has been a week to remember. It was a joy to attend our youngest son’s engagement party on Saturday night. We barely escaped the bad weather in Dallas to make it to Washington D.C. for the festivities, but we arrived in time to celebrate the happy couple! However, we were supposed to return to DFW on Sunday, and after about ten plane cancellations, I am writing this devotion on Wednesday from a hotel room in Oxen Hill, Maryland. I am out of clothes, meds, and longing to sleep in my own bed. This has been a bittersweet week. While…
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No One Knows About Tomorrow by Lane Jordan Burday
Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. (James 4:13-14) Ten days ago, my husband and I left our home in North Texas and drove four hours south to our daughter’s house to babysit our precious grandson while she and her husband took a ski trip to celebrate their anniversary. I decided not to bring my heavy coat because South Texas is so much warmer and Texas has had weather in the…
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Riding the Storm Out by Onyx Conklin
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you (Isaiah 54:10). I still remember how hard I was shaking that afternoon. I remember the shaking as much as I can recall the pelting rain soaking through every inch of my clothing. Terror filled my emotions and there was only one thing left for me to do… My Papa Joe stands about 6’4″. His legs take up more than half his length. He’s a retired…
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The Beauty of Holiness by Lucy Wallace
Our guest blogger today is Lucy Wallace. Luch has served the last ten years in various ministries (Women’s, Freedom, Children’s, Jewish and Prophetic) but specifically has a heart for women, desiring to inspire them to walk in holiness in their multi-faceted roles at home and the workplace. Lucy spends her time homeschooling her children and loves to study the Bible through the Jewish lens and equip herself in Christian Apologetics. Lucy is wife to Dustin and together they have three girls with one on the way! Beauty. All of us are drawn to it in one form or another, but…
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Ostrich Insight by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
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…
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What is Your Firm Foundation? by Lane Jordan Burday
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,…
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Don’t Look Back by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.
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…
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New Years Resolutions. Do Less! By Lane Jordan Burday
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,…
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One Word for 2026 by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.
“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…
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Do You Not See It? By Lane Jordan Burday
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….
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Humble Hope by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
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…
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Where is Your Light? By Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
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…
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God Gives His Favor by Lane Jordan Burday
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…
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The Last Goodbye by Rosemary Legrand
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…
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Living in the Power of Christmas by Lane Jordan Burday
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…
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Is it Okay to Ask Questions? by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.
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…
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We Have So Much to Be Thankful For! By Lane Jordan Burday
“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…
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Thankful for His Faithfulness by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.
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…