I Want to Walk on the Water

Recently, I read the account of Sarai, the wife of Abram and destined mother of Isaac. Bless her. Her story is filled with some questionable choices, often at Abraham’s suggestion, but she is known for that laugh. You know the one I'm talking about. Sarai laughed at the promise God made—the promise to bear a son when she and Abram were so advanced in years—and denied it. Honestly, who could blame her? Abram laughed, too. The Weight of Questions Sarai’s laugh, though, carried every single question swirling in her mind: I will be 90 years old. Can I conceive? Can I carry a child to term? Can I endure labor? Can I nurse a child? Will I live long enough to raise the child, or will someone else? W...

As King David approached the end of his reign, the shadows of mortality loomed large. In this twilight, Adonijah (add-uh-NYE-juh), David’s fourth-born yet eldest living son, boldly declared himself the next king of Israel. Scripture recounts that Adonijah audaciously “exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king.’” He prepared chariots and horsemen, even gathering fifty men to run before him. In his quest for power, he secured the support of influential figures, including his cousin Joab and Abiathar the priest. In 1 Kings 1:6, we learn that Adonijah was a handsome man, yet he had not been disciplined by his father. This absence of correction sowed the seeds of pride and arrogance within him. The number four—Adonijah’s position among David’s sons—symbolizes divine order. Yet, he failed to grasp the lesson of his own family history: that familial position does not validate kingship. In the book of Samuel, chapter 16, we witness a pivotal moment when the Lord rejected Saul as king. When t...

To prepare for the GO BE SALTY™ October Challenge, which involves reading the book of Proverbs throughout the month, I started rereading the account of King Solomon in 1 Kings. In the wee hours this morning, the Lord gently dropped this resounding message in my spirit. 🎺 At the beginning of 1 Kings, our beloved King David is nearing the end of his 33-year reign in Jerusalem, the city of peace, and is described as feeble and close to death. Scripture tells us that his fourth born, but eldest living son, Adonijah (add-uh- NYE -juh), has unabashedly declared himself to be the next king of Israel. Upon hearing this, Nathan, the prophet, informed Bathsheba—queen consort and mother of Solomon—about Adonijah's actions and advised her on how to approach King David. Following Nathan’s guidance, Bathsheba entered the king’s chamber and respectfully bowed before him. She reminded King David of his oath to her that her son would succeed him and occupy his throne. Then, she told him all tha...

Kure Beach, North Carolina In July of 2020, my family and I gathered to celebrate the 4th of July at Kure Beach in North Carolina. The day was radiant! The sun gleamed upon the refreshingly cool ocean water, while pelicans and seagulls soared above us, chattering and occasionally swooping down to catch a mid-morning snack. We played in the water for hours, laughter mingling with the gentle sound of waves. The tide was out, and the water appeared deceptively low. As we drifted toward a sandbar near the newly renovated, 700-foot pier, the waves were mildly active, inviting us to explore. Suddenly, the waves began to rise higher and come more quickly. The tide rolled in without warning, violently separating me from my husband and children. Panic surged through me as I realized I could no longer touch the bottom. The waves, relentless and tumultuous, seemed determined to pull me under rather than push me to shore. I began to tire quickly, my breaths growing shallow as I struggled to kee...

How Big is our God?  On our last little getaway, Steven and I found ourselves deep in conversation about the ocean, its endless stretch and calming effects and how downright terrifying it can be when stirred up! This is how I see a holy, reverential fear of our God. He is all encompassing and steadies me. He is peace and His heart is for me! Yet, I tremble in His presence. My ears perked up and my spirit leapt within me when Steven whispered, “We are just a speck.” Just how BIG will we allow our great God be to us? When we look at nature, we see the almighty God. Romans 1:20 ESV states: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."  The Blue Whale The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth, reaching lengths over one hundred feet and weighing up to two hundred tons—about as much as 20–30 elephants or 2,500 people....

(pronounced TAH-lih-kwah) I woke up this morning thinking about the grieving mama orca, Tahlequah. You may remember her highly publicized “Tour of Grief” in 2018. Heartbroken, she carried her dead baby girl, Tali, more than 1,000 miles over seventeen days. This story of raw grief is not uncommon in wildlife. In the same year, I read about a mother chimpanzee who also carried her stillborn baby for three days (“ Stillborn ”, The Journey blog). Over the years, I have read of two other chimps who did the same – one for three months and the other for seven. The thought of Tahlequah this morning drew me into a self-reflective mood. What is God saying through this powerful, yet sensitive, grieving mother? Am I still mourning a loss, or perhaps I am still bearing the weight of dead things? Does the internal work ever end? When I researched the biblical numerology in these sorrowful accounts, I found some remarkable and even uplifting insights. 🎺For the seventeen  days of mourning, we ...

There is an old saying: “A fish always begins to stink at the head.”   In business, it is often used to mean leadership is the root of dysfunction and failure. Many times, that is true—not only in companies, but in nations, communities, churches, and homes. When the head is out of alignment, the rest of the body eventually follows. But let us go deeper. This truth does not only apply to organizations. It applies to each of us personally. If the head is not aligned with the Father, the whole life becomes disordered. Have you ever heard the phrase stink’n think’n ? That also begins at the head. If our thoughts are not aligned with the Lord’s thoughts, our emotions, decisions, habits, and relationships soon drift out of sync. Chaos in life often begins with disorder in the mind. Why It Matters What We Think King David wrote: “O Lord, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying...

T wice in the night I heard Him speak: "Hide My Word in your heart so that when these things come up that is what comes out of your mouth."  The words were soft, but the weight of them pierced my spirit like the blast of a trumpet. I could not wait to get out of bed that morning and dig into the scriptures because I knew I was stepping into a treasure hunt.  Psalm 119 came alive:   “I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Praise be to You, Lord; teach me Your decrees. With my lips, I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth.”    ( NIV ) The author says, “ I seek. I have hidden. I recount .”  Seek  – to pursue, to yearn for, to study...to not stop until you find Him "I seek." Not I sought yesterday. Not I will seek tomorrow. But right now. Continually. This is a present pursuit. A daily moment-by-moment reaching for Him. All –  Everything, the ...