The key to calm in the storm

October 6, 2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

By Erika Rizkallah As I wrote this post, a storm raged outside. It’s name was Joaquin. Isn’t naming storms strange? I’m not sure why we do this. Why do we try to “humanize” a havoc wreaking force of nature? It’s not as if Joaquin is a friendly visitor popping in for coffee. No . . […]

Quiet Time Musings: The Difficulty of the Christian Life

July 7, 2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

Last night a friend and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning discussing the Christian life. We lamented the fact that being obedient to God’s calling and will for believers is challenging. Here are some of the questions we asked: Why is it so hard to be obedient? Why does God allow […]

Cry out to God & He’ll stand by you

July 2, 2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

Something amazing happened yesterday. Before I go into it, I have to backtrack a little. In my morning quiet time as I studied a section in the book of Acts, I stumbled upon this verse: The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, […]

Struggling with prayer: 5 Tips to jumpstart your prayer life

June 15, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

Is regular prayer a struggle for you? If so, don’t worry. Like everything new and unfamiliar, becoming a prayer warrior takes time and practice. I’ll never forget the first time I went into Starbucks. For months I heard people talking about the delicious coffee drinks and I desperately wanted to experience what all the buzz […]

Putting on the new self: Are you dressed with new life?

June 1, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

This weekend I went on a women’s retreat in the gorgeous countryside of Middleburg, Virginia. Seventy women from the church I used to attend gathered together for a time of worship and discipleship under the guidance of a seasoned speaker. I went because I felt “called” to go. Although I had to give up a […]

5 Ways to be a great friend!

May 13, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

For women, friendships are the most important relationships we have. But too often I meet women who have very few (if any) strong female relationships. The reasons are many and varied. Have you heard any of these? “I don’t get along with most women.” “I’ve been stabbed in the back way too many times.” “I […]

Bloom: living and thriving in God’s great garden

May 4, 2015.Reading time 2 minutes.

Pressure. We all feel it at one time or another. It’s the feeling of being squeezed, suffocated and ultimately stagnating. Stagnating is a fancy word for being stuck. I almost wrote that I’m not sure why I’ve felt this way lately but that’s a lie. As women we can inadvertently become potbound. Being potbound looks […]

Walking the walk: 3 ways to follow Jesus

March 31, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

The other day I bought myself a spiffy new pair of walking shoes. There were many styles of shoes to choose from but walking is all I can do these days. I suffer from a chronic illness that (for now) prevents me from running, cross training and anything else that requires me to jump around. […]

Mary and Elizabeth: Bearing fruit for the kingdom

January 30, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

In case my header for this post didn’t clue you in, I’m still thinking about fruit . . . the spiritual kind of course. Jesus’s mother, Mary, had a cousin named Elizabeth who lived about 60 miles away in the hill country of Judea. Elizabeth was married to Zechariah, a priest. The Bible says they […]

Offering the gift of Christ at Christmas

December 22, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed […]