Restoring Hearts Blog

“For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfill our own destiny, according to God’s will, to be what God wants us to be.” Thomas Merton Our Promised Lands don’t just drop into our lap. We need to take possession of them. At times we have to fight for our destinies, just as the Israelites did in order to possess the land God had promised them. “So Joshua said to the people of Israel, ‘How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which t

“Destiny waits in the hand of God, not in the hands of statesmen.” T.S. Eliot God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as king to replace King Saul. One by one each of Jesse’s son’s passed in front of Samuel. He listened to God’s voice to discern which one God chose. “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7b). We also need to listen to God’s g

“Discipleship is more than getting to know what the teacher knows. It is getting to be what He is.” Juan Carlos Ortiz Last week I began a two-part series on what discipleship looks like based on Luke 5:1-11. Being a follower of Jesus means we obey Him and do what He asks us to do because we trust Him, not because it makes sense. We experience His abundance as a result of our obedience. A disciple’s response to the presence of God and the abundant blessing from obedience is hu

“Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives.” Francis Chan Years ago, a friend spoke I Corinthians 2:9 over me. “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” Prepared means to “make ready beforehand for some purpose, use or activity.” This reminds me of the preparations I make prior to h

“We are made for larger ends than Earth can encompass. Oh, let us be true to our exalted destiny.” Catherine Booth “You’re ready to launch!” My leadership coach spoke those words to me during my last session with her. Since those appointments, I’ve reflected on all that God taught me and worked within me during the months I was coached. A handyman takes a tool box with him on his job, so he has what he needs when he needs it. Likewise, I’ve come up with tools from my coaching

“We must know our history, our destiny and our purpose in order to live a fulfilled life in Christ.” T. L. Lowery For many years our family celebrated Thanksgiving with dear friends. After we stuffed ourselves silly with a delicious meal, we would retire to the den with a jigsaw puzzle. It was my joy each year to bring the puzzle and I purposely chose a difficult one! Some people are born with the innate ability to see where the puzzle pieces best fit. I am not one of those p

“The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance.” Oswald Chambers My friend, Mindy, says “God is in the details,” and how right she is. I have seen God take the puzzle pieces of trials and blessings and perfectly fit them together to make a beautiful destiny. I don’t like waiting rooms in life, whether it’s when a loved one is having a surgery, or when it seems God has hidden me from ministry. Waiting rooms, th

“You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Rick Warren If I were allowed to write on only two subjects, I would write on knowing who God is and knowing who God created us to be. Knowing the character of God is a lifetime pursuit. I will be learning and experiencing the wonders of my Creator, the rest of my life and never fully exhaust all that He is. When we know who God is, then we discover who we are, our identity in Christ.

“He wants us to know Him so intimately that we recognize Him with our spirits, even when He doesn’t make sense – and even offends our natural minds.” Kristen M. Smeltzer Last week I wrote about my struggle with God not meeting my expectations. To my natural mind, it didn’t make sense for us to move us to Wichita and start all over in our early sixties. Even when you are obeying God, life doesn’t always turn out like we expect. Herod imprisoned John the Baptist and in Matthew

“The destiny of every human being depends on his relationship to Jesus Christ.” Oswald Chambers When asked to give a report on the exploration of Canaan, God’s promise land, ten out of the twelve spies focused on the negative and hooked into their fears. Their response influenced the rest of the Israelites to weep, grumble, and rebel, even to the point of wanting to return to slavery in Egypt. But Joshua and Caleb responded differently. “The land we passed through and explore

“Fear is faith for the things you don’t want.” Unknown Fear plagued me as a little girl. Being shy I was too afraid to talk to the telephone operator. My anxious feelings led to biting my finger nails. I was motivated to stop chewing on them for two weeks by the promise of a pair of white go-go boots. The nibbling restarted though, when my anxiety returned. My dad used to say, “Fear is the most powerful emotion.” I can testify to its power to immobilize me, to the point of di

“Everyone has problems. It’s how we choose to deal with our problems that matters. Some people choose to be whiners-some choose to be winners. Some choose to be victims-some choose to be victors.” Richard Paul Evans You are not a victim. An insidious disease disguised as a victim mentality has crept into our culture. Its sister viruses are self-pity and rejection thinking with pride at its foundation. When we mainly have our focus on ourselves, becoming a victim is a blink aw

“Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.” Mother Teresa The famous line, “You’re killing me Smalls,” from the 1993 movie, “The Sandlot,” accurately depicts what happens when unkind words are spoken to one another. Scripture very clearly states in Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” The words we speak will either produce life and vitality or they will produce death and destruction. Our tongue can articulate words which may c

“We know what we are, but not what we may be.” William Shakespeare When I was a little girl, I watched the t.v. show, “What’s My Line?” Three contestants all claimed to be the same person and the audience was supposed to guess who the real person was. At the end of the show the announcer would always say, “Will the real _________ please stand up.” Then their true identity was revealed. Throughout my adult life I wanted the “real” Norma Donovan to please stand up. I wasn’t qui