Author Archive
One of those days…
Have you had one of those days recently? When everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong? Like Alexander and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day? From the moment he wakes up with gum in his hair, things just do not go Alexander’s way. At breakfast, Alexander’s brothers Nick and Anthony reach [...]
Christ-exalting traditions
Eggs, chocolates, baskets, bunnies, holiday…certainly we know that’s not what Easter is all about. There are many who spend a lot of time, money and effort celebrating Easter without even realizing its true meaning. Seeing all the materialism and worldly hype of special holidays, we can tend to react by going to the opposite extreme [...]
To speak or not to speak
Our tongue can have a profound impact for good or for evil. God’s Word gives us clear instruction as to what our tongues should and should not be used for. In talking about the younger widows, Paul states that “they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but [...]
Four years old!
This week marked a very special birthday for our little Emily, and I thought I’d take some time to recount God’s faithfulness and goodness to the Mock family these last four years. Looking at Emily today you would never know that she had such a rough start to her life. You see, Emily was born [...]
What Do I Know About My God?
When I was a teenager I attended a Christian camp and was challenged by Mrs. Mardi Collier to start reading in the Psalms and write down in a notebook all the verses I found that talked about God. This project has been a huge help to me throughout the years. In my notebook at the [...]
What are you doing in your quiet time?
I’d like to open up a bit of a discussion thread and hope you’ll take the time to join in. The last few years I’ve used the One Year Bible for my quiet time and while I do enjoy the format I found myself getting frustrated when I would get behind on my reading and [...]
The “Whys”
Have you been in a hard circumstance where you asked the Lord, “Why”? I doubt if there have been many of us who haven’t. When we go through those questioning times, it’s important for us to respond the right way. We can choose to become bitter and resentful towards God and our circumstances or we [...]
Cast down
There are times in our Christian lives that we are cast down. We are perplexed, in despair and distressed in soul. We are in need of restoration. Psalm 23:3 states, “He restores my soul.” Phillip Keller, in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, draws upon his experience as a shepherd to give us insight into [...]
If only…
Last week we looked at our “what ifs”. This week let’s talk about our “if onlys”. Our “what ifs” lead us to worry and our “if onlys” lead us to discontentment. If only I had that house. If only I had a better job. If only I lived there. If only I could get ahead. [...]
Winning over Worry
We recently celebrated our church’s 30th anniversary. It was a wonderful time remembering God’s goodness in bringing our church to the point it is today. But it was also sobering thinking of the changes that have happened, the people who have come and gone, the struggles and trials that so many have faced, the ones [...]
Which way?
Last week we talked about doing our work with delight. It is very hard to work with delight if we’re running in every direction trying to do everything all at once. Apo’s article earlier this week encouraged us to remember our purpose. And once we understand that purpose it helps us to establish the right [...]
Doldrums or Delight
It’s a new year, a new day, but my day is shaping up pretty much just like it did yesterday. In fact, as a mother of three young children, life often seems to be an unending sea of diapers, dishes and laundry. I recently overheard a conversation between a young mother and an older woman. [...]
