There Must be Something I Can Do

“For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 I like being in control even though I realize it is only an illusion. When I truly know I am not in control, I can feel helpless and hopeless. Before I can accept the truth, however, that I really can’t...

Pruned for Fruit

“My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” John 15:1-2, NLT When I drove past a nearby apple orchard in late winter after it had just been...

What Sucked the Life Out of Me

Two years ago, when I pruned a twenty-year-old Queen Elizabeth rose in March, I didn’t notice little sucker canes growing on the bush. I was busy with traveling and speaking, so it wasn’t until June I realized I had several long rose canes growing on the back of my...

Fallow Fields

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31a TLB I rarely see a field lie fallow anymore. Some of the fields around my home even have two crops a year—winter wheat and soybeans. Most farmers use the latest fertilizers to quickly replenish...