Right Rumination

Audio:   https://youtu.be/V66A0jSOj60?si=iJIXYH_U3qSgjUh0 After a year in Harlan, Iowa, my husband Leo and I moved to New Jersey. We quickly got involved in a Bible-believing church, completed a two-year discipleship program, and did everything that looked right on the outside. But at home, behind closed doors, it was a different story. I struggled with anger. I had trust issues. I wanted to be the leader of the home. I fought hard against submitting to my husband. I was full of worry and had a desperate need to control everything around me. The Bible says,  “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”  (Proverbs 14:12). And another verse warns, “He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart”  (2 Chronicles 25:2). That was me, outwardly right, inwardly disconnected, mistaking busyness for true obedience. Then, in September 2010, tragedy struck. My husband Leo died suddenly in a motorcy...

https://youtu.be/gEwqST-yoGo?si=3YATjyiew7WmyPVZ .  I grew up in what you’d call a relatively “normal” home. My father was a judge, and my mom was a homemaker who also ran a small business. I am the youngest of four children, and like many parents, mine raised me the best way they knew how. But let’s just say, I didn’t exactly take the path they hoped for. In my late high school years and well into college, I chose a life of rebellion: drugs, smoking, drinking, fornication, abortion. It was a dark and reckless season. In the midst of all that chaos, I was still able to graduate with a degree in Occupational Therapy in the Philippines. I honestly cannot take the credit because it was clearly God’s grace. As the story unfolds, you’ll see why He made a way for me to finish college. There was a bigger purpose behind it all. At 24, without my parents’ consent, I married my high school sweetheart. That decision slowed down my wild living. I applied to work in the U.S. as an Occupational ...

Audio:  https://youtu.be/L8huRdy0fFA?si=eaQrhfFsk_vw3HU2 For months, I’ve been praying that the Lord would give me an opportunity to share what He’s been teaching me. That desire to encourage and exhort other women has  been growing quietly in my heart. I’ve experienced a joy in walking with God that I can’t keep to myself, and I long for others to taste it too.  “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34:8  I’ve also dreamed of writing. Not because I’m a natural writer (I’m really not), but because I’ve wanted to leave something behind for my children. Something that points them to Christ. Still, I often felt inadequate, unsure, and hesitant to begin. I also want others to see that the same God who led David through battles, gave Joshua boldness, sustained Job through suffering, and transformed Paul’s life is the very same God at work today. He’s not just the God of ancient stories. He’s the God of your...

Audio:  https://youtube.com/shorts/ZyQQb4cxaj8?si=GGdkZ_9hlAqeyVUh I believed this later in life than I would have liked, but I am so grateful I finally did because it is the truth that changed everything. The answer to every problem in life is not complicated. The path is not easy, but the steps are clear. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23 It is not a ten-step plan or a secret formula. It is this: The Word of God. Trust. Obedience. And prayer. That is it. This is not just the solution. It is the only solution that leads to real peace, real purpose, and real power. It brings a life that is not just surviving but thriving. A life that is prosperous in the ways that matter most. A life full of joy, clarity, and strength no matter what storms come. But even more than all that, when you read the Word, when you study it, meditate on it, and obey it, when you pray and trust and walk with God, you get to know Him. Not just know ab...