By Beth Demme Over time, some Bible verses seem to take on new meaning for me. Maybe you’ve experienced this, too? I can read a verse and think it means one thing, but when I read it again later it has an additional meaning. Or, a verse that didn’t seem meaningful to me suddenly offers a profound insight into my …
Why We Try To Sell God
By Beth Demme God is not a product or commodity, but I have to admit I have, at times, treated him like one. A commodity is something people want that is available in limited supply. I do not believe God is limited, but I am guilty of sometimes acting like my way of being in a relationship with God is …
Three Words For When God Feels Absent
Three Words For When God Feels Absent: Psalms, Palms, and Perspective By Beth Demme Sometimes it feels like God is as real, and as close, as my breath. Other times, it feels like God is absent. It’s easy to have faith when I feel God’s presence, but what do I do the rest of the time? I have found three …
God Can Work With Anything, Even Nothing
By Beth Demme Guess what? You have a gift. Truly. You have a gift. Actually, you ARE a gift. You have been uniquely created by God to be … YOU. You are the VERY BEST you God has ever created. In fact, God is so pleased with how great you’ve turned out, that God will never again make another you. …
Praying Smaller
By Beth Demme You know how in the Lord’s Prayer we pray: thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. I wonder if, for me, this is too big. I wonder if I should pray smaller. It’s not that I don’t think God can accomplish big things. This isn’t an indictment on the power …
Can I Be Overwhelmed With Joy?
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 …
Why I Will Never Arrive
By Beth Demme I don’t know if you have experienced this, but one of the places I go regularly has a terrible parking lot. The asphalt is smooth, there aren’t any potholes, the lines are freshly striped, and the size of the parking spaces is adequate. Sounds nice enough, so what’s the problem? It’s the layout. The layout is all …
Back to the Future
By Beth Demme The day I have waited for since 1985 has finally arrived: October 21, 2015. Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) zoomed ahead to this day at the end of the first Back To The Future movie. Initially, Marty accidentally went to the past (1955), but at the close of the movie, Doc (Dr. Emmett Brown …
Rest Isn’t Earned, But It Is Created
By Beth Demme Did you know that the word “business” is actually derived from a word meaning “anxiety” and “busy-ness”? Google says so! I like to be busy. I might even have an unhealthy preoccupation with accomplishing enough tasks to feel like I am enough. If I can make a big enough impact, or live my life well enough, or …
The Hardest Lesson in Parenting is Perseverance
By Beth Demme Lean in close, I have a secret to tell you. I love football. It’s a secret because for twenty years I’ve made my husband think it was his idea to turn on the game. I’ve made it seem like I was doing him a favor by watching the game with him. For the first few years of …