The Old Testament is the Story of My Life

Beth Demme Blog 3 Comments

By Beth Demme Plenty of people today dismiss the Old Testament as a collection of ancient writings with unknown provenance. I think that’s a mistake. I don’t think we should idolize the Bible, but there’s a lot of room between dismissal and idolatry. I fall somewhere in between, where reverence and belief intersect faith and hope. One of the reasons …

Does God Want Me to be Happy?

Beth Demme Blog 2 Comments

By Beth Demme My focus for 2016 is to let my heart prepare Him room. This is my prayer: I was inspired by the song, Joy to the World. It starts out, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room…” Do you know the last verse of that song? He rules the world …

Can I Be Overwhelmed With Joy?

Beth Demme Blog, Experiencing God, Finding Joy Leave a Comment

I’ve had an epiphany! Actually, we’re all having another Epiphany. It’s more than a sudden inspiration; it’s a season on the church calendar. It’s the time of year we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men. The Wise Men were astrologers. They were star and sky readers. A star led the Wise Men to Jesus, but if you read the …

The Thanksgiving Everything Changed

Beth Demme Adoption, Blog, Experiencing God Leave a Comment

By Beth Demme It was just before Thanksgiving 2002. My husband and I followed the pediatrician down the hall, our footsteps echoing off the undecorated walls and hard floors. We were inside a maternity/pediatric hospital in a small coal-mining town in southwest Russia. The doctor led us to a bright room, with a big window, three cribs and one precious …

Living Loved Is Like Being Adopted

Beth Demme Adoption, Blog Leave a Comment

By Beth Demme When I talk with my children about adoption, I ground everything in that precious four-letter word, L‑O‑V‑E. I think #NationalAdoptionMonth is a great time to explore what it means to Live Loved. When my children were toddlers, they learned their adoption story as part of their bedtime routine. I would tell them: