• Holy Frustration by Onyx Conklin

    Bylbworley

    “But if I say, “I will not mention his wordor speak anymore in his name,”his word is in my heart like a fire,a fire shut up in my bones.I am weary of holding it in;indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:9) AAAAAAAHHHH!!!! I bet you didn’t think this blog was going to start out with a markedly loud sound of frustration but hey, you likely have your moments too. One thing I always want to bring to the table is authenticity. If you meet me in person, you’ll notice right away that I am extroverted, excited all the time, I love people,…

  • What a Creator We Have! By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s mind…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) I just got home from a two-week vacation to Alaska. It is so beautiful; there are no words to fully describe it. I have lived in Colorado, so I already know how fabulous mountains are. But in Alaska, there are so many mountains and so much space! It goes on and on, beauty upon beauty. There also aren’t very many towns, and the ones we visited are very small. A good part of the summer workforce is just seasonal, but I talked…

  • What To Do When You Need an Answer? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    What should we do when we don’t know what to do? There have been many times in my life—current day included—where I am perplexed about the correct way to handle a situation. I can feel confused, not knowing what decision to make or which way to turn. But we can learn from biblical history. We should remember the Israelites, who, when being pursued by the Egyptian army, faced a Red Sea roadblock. Yet, they escaped the approaching army when God supernaturally parted the Red Sea. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by…

  • Filled With His Love by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    What would we do without love? The Earth would be a sour place full of grumpy people who could never say anything nice about anyone. Aren’t you glad that God invented love and the wonderful feelings that come with it? There are many people in my life whom I love, but my heart bursts when I spend time with my grandson. He is so much fun, and I love watching him learn and grow. His hugs are more precious than the finest piece of jewelry. What or who makes your heart overflow? But our spouse, our children, and our grandchildren…

  • Do You Need Directions? By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    He leads in wisdom. He leads on straight paths (Proverbs 4:11). Do you remember in the ‘olden days’ when we had large, paper maps to show us how to drive to a new destination? And if you could fold it back the way you received it from the gas station, that was a miracle? Now we have the great invention of GPS! I don’t know how I survived without it, but I did have mounds of directions printed on paper that I would save to use again. What I love about the Lord is that He is our guide for…

  • His Truth Marches On by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    I am one of those people who is honest to a fault. I think it’s because God desires that we be truthful, so I want to please Him by being an honest person. Proverbs 18:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” In Proverbs 6, lying is one of the six things the LORD hates. What does this have to do with July 4th and the 250th anniversary of our nation? It’s because this country was founded on truth. The Declaration of Independence, drafted in 1776, says, “We hold these truths…

  • Pray For Our Nation! By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and see My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). This is one of my very favorite verses in the Bible. It is an Old Testament covenant promise delivered by God to King Solomon, son of King David. It offers ancient Israel a way to stay in God’s favor: if the nation abandons its pride and repents, God will forgive them and restore their land. In the previous…

  • Instrumental to the Band by Onyx Conklin

    Bylbworley

    Sometimes I still get chills! I close my eyes, slide my headphones over my ears, and press play. Then at 3 minutes and 41 seconds into the song, the most marvelous sound washes over me like a tidal wave. If you grew up a child of the 80’s that epic moment belongs to the great Phil Collins as he masterfully beats the drums, and single-handedly makes the song “In The Air Tonight” one of the era’s greatest hits. For me it’s just that drum solo—the sound of it at just the right moment. I get that same feeling when I…

  • Soul Sisters by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Do you have friends whom you can trust? Has the LORD provided godly friends who pray with you, who are honest, and whose counsel you seek? It’s important to have friends with whom we can be transparent. It is also my conclusion that there is wisdom in keeping an inner circle small. Otherwise, we cannot be a good friend if we are spread too thin. However, even with inner circle pals, we have to remember that they are…

  • Cease Striving by Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10, NASB). I have had one of those weeks where everything frustrates me, and it doesn’t seem like I’m doing anything productive. You know what I mean, I’m sure: switching out the heavy blankets for summer-weight ones on my bed; lots of washing; workmen coming to the house, but then what they try to fix does not work, etc… Today, I read the verse above and wanted to share it with you. Most people know the NIV…

  • Should We Defend Ourselves? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    When we encounter false accusations, should we speak up for ourselves? It is my tendency to do that, but if the accuser is convinced that they are right, there is very little one can say or do to change the scenario. From experience, I believe there are several ways to handle false claims. Option #3 is always the best plan because favor originates with God (1 Chronicles 29:11-14), and He can work supernaturally behind the scenes to correct any inaccurate impressions. Psalm 121:1-8 assures us that the LORD is our help in these scenarios: I lift up my eyes to…

  • Fountain of Life by Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light (Psalm 36:9). A few years ago, my husband and I took a trip to St. Augustine, Florida. Did you know it’s the nation’s oldest successful European settlement in the United States? Colonial America began in St. Augustine, 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and 42 years before Jamestown was founded! The area was first explored by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 (and later settled by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565). Legend claims he sailed to the New World partly to locate…

  • Change in a Split-Second by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    How fast can change happen? Immediately. I spent the past few days on a rendezvous with God. It’s something I do at least once a year, and I lay all activities at His feet. The LORD took me to a passage in which I had missed a detail before. It’s found in John 6:16-21. The disciples had gotten into their boat without Jesus and set out across the Sea of Galilee. The water was rough, and they were about three to four miles away from the shoreline when they saw Jesus walking on the water. Of course, they were frightened,…

  • Who Do You Follow? By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him (Deuteronomy 13:4) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 Is there an Influencer you follow? I have heard that it is the current fad. You find someone on TikTok who is buying, showing, or doing something that you think is ‘really cool’ and you ‘follow them.’ I must be…

  • How to Finish Strong by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    An Old Testament professor of mine once said, that the Old Testament boils down to one thought. “You do good, you get good. You do bad, you get bad.” And that seems to be the case with the Kings of Judah and Israel. If they honored God and tore down the altars to idols, they remained in the lead for many years. If they were bad kings, their reigns were cut short. For me, the most troubling is to see a king do good most of his life, then falter at the end. King Asa of Judah is an example….

  • Are You Supposed to Do It? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    We can occasionally take on projects for the wrong reasons. Maybe it’s a prestigious opportunity, or it’s an outreach that can help a lot of people. But did God tell you to do it? While reading about the end of King David’s life, David summoned all the officials of Israel to share some final words and admitted that he wanted to build a house for God where the ark of the covenant would rest, but God said “no” because David was a man of war and had shed blood. Instead, David’s son, Solomon, would become king and would build the…

  • The Media—Can We Believe it? By Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps (Proverbs 14:15). I went to college for a Journalism/Broadcasting/Public Relations degree. I was taught to write the truth, and the truth must be documented with more than one person’s verification. I wrote and edited for newspapers, and I would never have thought to publish a biased or untrue article. However, in today’s world, I believe the media is biased and, at times, very untruthful, to the point where I cannot believe every word I read or hear in the news. Which is so sad because we need to…

  • Who Do You Believe? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

    Bylbworley

    Even though we are Christians, we will always face problems and will have to ask ourselves: “Who do we believe?” Do we believe the promises in God’s word, or do we fall into a state of fear because of the problems? 2 Kings 18 tells the story of King Hezekiah, one of the good kings of Judah. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and he “removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.” He also broke the bronze snake Moses had made into pieces because the Israelites had been…

  • How to Live to Be 103 by Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul (3 John 1:2, ESV). I just read an article about Dr. Howard Tucker, a neurologist from Cleveland, Ohio, who was named the “Oldest Doctor Ever” by Guinness World Records at age 103. Needless to say, this article caught my eye! I am getting older and would like to stay healthy and useful until the Lord takes me home. So, what was his secret? He said that he didn’t believe there was one magic answer. Good…

  • Mothers are Precious by Lane Jordan Burday

    Bylbworley

    Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” (Proverbs 31: 28-29, NLT) Mother’s Day is probably one of the most loved celebrations because a mother is so important to her family’s foundation. When we see famous people or athletes interviewed, they almost always say, “Hi Mom!” to the camera. Moms are so important to most of us. Because it’s the mother who stays when the father leaves. It’s the mother who makes sure her children are fed, clothed, clean, and taught. It’s the…