Restoring Hearts Blog

This is the last in my series of reposts from seven years ago.  Next week’s post will be new. “Revival is merely a visitation-a much lower form of spirituality than the Father intends.” Graham Cooke Recently our son’s friend paid us a visit on his way to Colorado.  His stay was brief, barely 24 hours.  I enjoy hosting visitors, trying to make them feel valued and comfortable during their short stay.  The day after Jesse left, I heard the Lord say, “I’m looking for a few good

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” Shauna Niequist Life is bittersweet. It’s full of bitter moments and sweet ones. The bitter instances make the sweet ones sweeter. Harsh experiences in life give us greater appreciation for the blessings we receive. If our lives were always easy, where everything seems to go the way we want it to go, then we’d most likely take it for granted and be less grateful. Proverbs 30:8-

“Spending time with God is the key to our strength and success in all areas of life. Be sure that you never try to work God into your schedule, but always work your schedule around Him.” Joyce Meyers I’m going to cut to the chase today and give you the punch line early on. I know I’m risking you not reading the whole blog post, but hey, I’ll trust you to read on. So the secret to success is….How would you fill in the blank? What has caused you to succeed? I Samuel 18:14 descr

“Faith is reason at rest in God.” Charles H. Spurgeon I felt totally overwhelmed last week by what I believe God is asking me to do this year. Anxiety began to rule my heart and stress built as God’s “mission impossible” assignment consumed my thoughts. The very next day as I was reading Genesis chapter 18, I came face-to-face with liberating truth. Let me set the scene. God promised Abraham a son through Sarah, his barren, ninety-year-old wife. She overheard God’s comment to

“God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.” Jim Elliot One of my favorite TV shows growing up was “Father Knows Best.” The story line was centered around a father named Jim Anderson and his family. Whenever his children needed advice on anything at all, they could always turn to their father, because father knows best. Periodically, when my kids were young, they would ask for things that may not have been beneficial, such as having cookies right before

“It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things.” Donald Miller Over forty years ago, my sister wrote on the back of her high school senior photo, “Your time will come.” She was encouraging me, the one who didn’t date much in high school, to hang in there, for one da

“Revival is merely a visitation-a much lower form of spirituality than the Father intends.” Graham Cooke Recently our son’s friend paid us a visit on his way to Colorado. His stay was brief, barely 24 hours. I enjoy hosting visitors, trying to make them feel valued and comfortable during their short stay. The day after Jesse left, I heard the Lord say, “I’m looking for a few good men and women whom I find trustworthy to host My Presence.” A visit is a short stay, a brief resi