Restoring Hearts Blog

“If we didn’t have obstacles to overcome and never faced impossible situations, we wouldn’t see the greatness of God’s power.” Joel Osteen Obstacles. We all have them from time to time. Some are large to hurdle, while others help redirect our paths for the better. One of the biggest obstacles John and I have faced happened several years ago when John’s patient load began to decline. Initially we sought the Lord to see if we had sinned and if this was the Father’s love shown t

“God doesn’t seek for golden vessels, and does not ask for silver ones, but He must have clean ones.” Dwight L. Moody This past week has been difficult for me, like it has for many people. I function better when I have commitments on my calendar. They serve as silent external motivators helping me get things done. The first few days of social distancing and staying home wreaked havoc with my emotions. I felt like I was in a fog, struggling to stay focused and upbeat. Informat

“In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God.” Elisabeth Elliott My family is aware that I usually cry at good-byes. This last time, after our kids visited us, proved to be no different. I wept as I hugged each of them good-bye. Through tears, I told them how having them visit, made me realize how much I missed them. After they drove away, I laid down on the rug and sobbed

“The enemy knows that without surrender, we will never experience the freedom that God offers us.” Katherine J. Walden I almost ran up to the altar call at my one hundred-year-old mentor’s memorial service. Germaine loved to intercede and release God’s spiritual gifts to those she met, so it was fitting the remembrance and honor of her life included an opportunity to receive prayer. I don’t remember the words prayed over me, but I do remember falling back onto the floor. I li

“Spiritually, addiction is a deep-seated form of idolatry. Addiction displaces and supplants God’s love as the source and object of our deepest true desire.” Gerald G. May Sugar. I’ve devoured more than my fair share of it this holiday season! The past few years I’ve been fairly committed to the Paleo Diet, eating mainly meat, fruit and vegetables. I had forgotten though how easy it is to become addicted to sugar. Now I crave sweets and chips and have less energy and focus. A

“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” St. Augustine of Hippo “You want to do WHAT?” Those words raced through my head when my husband came home during his medical fellowship in Chicago announcing the prospect of not returning to our family and friends back home in Tucson, Arizona. Instead, he considered applying for a job in Omaha, Nebraska. Anger, grief, fear and tears were present as I wrestled with God for a co

“There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him.” Oswald Chambers I’m a planner. It must be one of the “teacher” chromosomes in me. The downfall of this trait is it’s hard for me to let go of original plans and switch gears. I like to stick to plan A and not go on to plans B or C. My family knows if they come up with a different idea, I will need time to surrender plan A fr