Tonia Woolever 
The situation was serious. One of those where, if the Lord didn’t do what only He could do, the enemy would win. I couldn’t stand that thought, and so I was hunkered down, praying as hard as I could. I pleaded with the Lord for what I believed needed to happen. I reminded Him of … Read more
A few years ago I spent our short South Texas winter of two months updating our scrapbooks. I struggled at first with figuring how whether to separate out the professional and the personal, because Ron and I have been in Christian ministry together since we married in 1982. The lines between personal and professional are … Read more
My life, I realize, is marked by grasping for one thing after another. Reaching for things I want. Trying to hold onto what I have. And a great deal of that ends in futility. I cannot have so many things. I cannot hold onto them, reach far enough to possess them, or work hard enough … Read more
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Psalms 139:2-4, NIV A Christian in whom the Holy Spirit dwells … Read more
When I came to the Lord as a raw recruit, I knew nothing of Him, and zilch of the Bible. As soon as I began to read it, I realized I had to choose how to respond to it. Was it all really true? Or mostly true, with some not true thrown in by fallible … Read more
Psalm 107 is one of those places in Scripture that feels much like a freeway mixmaster to me, where three or four highways crisscross in layers, each loaded with humanity in motion, hurrying somewhere. In a relatively short span of Scripture we witness the intersection of: People being driven by circumstances beyond their control People … Read more
The words anointed and ordinary seem kind of odd together, right? After all, the anointing — the grace, ability, power of the Holy Spirit — is what enabled Jesus and His apostles to do wonders of every kind. But don’t assume the anointing is something only given to such extraordinary ones and those in “ministry.” … Read more
People often fear trying to hear God in their spirit for fear of the presumption of hearing God speak. But hearing God is a relational, personal thing. It is not meant to be weighed and examined as if it has to pass for Scripture. Your hearing will not be perfect, because you have filters, as … Read more
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them … Read more
I loved the beach, and I loved all of its variations. In an almost totally still wind, the waves were little and lapped gently at the shore. On windy days, especially at high tide, it seemed the waves would just keep coming in ever more powerful advances, with nothing to stop them. On the average … Read more
