The wicked witch was only seeking what seems to elude us all - beauty, and she was willing to kill to get it. What I find ironic is that she was beautiful, but because the mirror spoke another name, she was determined to destroy her perceived threat. Many times we stand before mirrors and ask,…
Embrace Grace
Grace. It's hard for us to fathom... Something for nothing? There is always a catch. We look for the catch - surely I must do something to gain this great reward? So we involve ourselves with works, to be better, to be acceptable, to be worthy of a gift we are completely unworthy to receive.…
Forgive me, God, I’m depressed.
I hate it. I really do. I am a positive and hopeful person most of the time, but then like a thief in the night it sneaks up on me, stealing whatever positive thoughts and hopeful expectations my heart had settled on but not fully embraced. I feel guilty. How could one so loved and so…
October Rain
“The rain falls on the just and the unjust.” This is true. Only, when the rain falls on the unjust, we don’t feel it as much. It perhaps doesn’t look or feel like rain as much as karma. But, when the rain falls on the just, the delightful, beautiful souls that flavor life with salt and illuminate…
The Flip Side of Poverty
We see them - vagrants living on the streets, asking for handouts, and bumming rides. We judge them as runaways, addicts, alcoholics, or panhandlers. We rarely see little more than dirty clothes, mussed hair or the cardboard signs they carry. We might be bothered if we are stopped to hand them a crumpled up dollar…
Alleyway Jesus – Greg Milwee writes about “dirty” redemption
I just finished reading a book, “Alleyway Preacher,” by Greg Milwee, and it impressed me. Not that I am any expert, but I do read a lot of books and have written a couple of my own. With that, I know that there is an interesting balance that Christian writers are forced to make –…
Enormous Stakes
Enormous stakes. That's what we are facing. Anyone who is in youth ministry realizes this, and too often it seems the pendulum is swinging the wrong way. Those that will are trying to help, to direct, to mentor, to lead, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to feel as if your efforts have staying power.…
If the shoe fits…
Dreams. They hold so much meaning, and God-given dreams have the power to impart knowledge, wisdom, and determination where you might otherwise be lacking. There are a few dreams I have had in my life that have in seasons sustained me, but the most remarkable one, the loudest speaking, the most powerfully compelling one I…
School Daze
Like most parents in The South, last week my kids went back to school. My youngest began her last year of elementary school (I cannot truly be this old!) and my oldest began her seventh grade year. It seems like yesterday I held her in my arms for the first time in relief that the…
What women need men to know about pornography…
1. It hurts us. More than you will ever know. More than we can articulate. 2. It IS about us. I'm not sure what twisted part of your male psyche allows you to think it isn't about us, and maybe for you that's true, but we won't be convinced. You looking in lust at another…
Sifted Wheat Podcast | Where It All Began 