Nothing better illustrates the nature of life than the seasons of nature: seasons for growth, seasons for harvest, seasons for work, and seasons for rest. To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 In May we announced a season of rest (at least from The Valley) for us as Emily got […]
Last week I shared the first half(ish) of a sermon our pastor preached a couple of months ago, titled “Humbly Ministering for His Glory.” The text is II Corinthians 4:7-18 and offers so much encouragement to those of us in chronic illness. Here are the main points so far: God identifies you as precious vessels. […]
About a year ago I wrote a series of posts called Lessons From Job, sharing things God taught me from my devotional reading of the book of Job. I’m following the same Bible reading schedule this year and recently came through Job again. This time God spoke some new truths to my soul that encouraged […]
Scripture tells us that, under the control of the Holy Spirit, we should be “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). So once a month we’ll share a hymn or spiritual song whose words offer special encouragement for those of us […]
Thank you, Oksana, for sharing more of your story with us! (Click here to read Part 1.) What did God teach you in your valley of chronic illness? That time was very hard for me. I call it my wandering in the wilderness, because I truly loved God, and I truly wanted to serve Him, […]
I recently read Genesis 18 in my devotions: Then [the Lord and His messengers] said to [Abraham], “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was […]
The word kept appearing throughout the week: in my morning devotions, in my notes from Sunday School, in that little sermon reminder I’d sketched for myself at least a year ago, still lying on my desk. PERSPECTIVE In Hebrews 10:34, the writer commends his brothers for suffering the loss of their goods with joy. I […]
We study the life of Job with the gift of perspective: we know how his story ends. We know what goes on behind the scenes. We know, as readers, what he as the main character never learns in his lifetime, a biblical study of dramatic irony. We watch and learn from his life like […]
The Valley