A Bible Verse When Life Shakes Us Up

Has life tried to shake you up? What if there’s a Bible verse containing the perfect antidote to help us?

Friend, there is.

Because life sure gives us plenty of things that shake us.

Maybe we lose a job. This has happened to me.

Or a dear loved one passes away. Yes, my dad, grandparents, a baby I miscarried, and a few friends are all in heaven with Jesus.

Perhaps our child turns wayward and it turns our world upside down.

Also, broken relationships or a hurting marriage rob our inner joy and peace.

Finally, a troubling medical diagnosis or crisis happens to us or a loved one. You know my hand’s raised on this one with my husband’s journey since his heart attack last November. I’m just thankful he’s still with us even though by all medical standards he should have never made it. Glory to God!

Each of these and others can leave us shaking in our boots or whatever our choice of footwear. Because they leave us shaking on the inside, too.

A Bible Verse

Yet, in twenty short words, a Bible verse in God’s Word shows us how to overcome in the shaken-up department. And it offers a two-fold plan to keep us stable and grounded.

“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8 (ESV)

With a closer look at the words of David, inspired by God, this Bible verse gives us the how-to for transforming from our shaken-mentality to God’s I-will-not-be-shaken mindset.

Read More…

12 Comforting Truths During Mike’s Hospital Stay

Journaling is therapy for me. And during certain seasons of life, it’s a lifeline to draw me closer to the Lord in the same stroke of the pen. So it made sense to journal and meditate on God’s comforting truths during Mike’s hospital stay.

As most of you know, Mike was in the hospital for 6 weeks, most of which he spent in ICU.

I describe it as hard, scary, exhausting, emotional, grueling, mentally challenging, prayerful, and more.

So, conveying my thoughts on paper became a lifeline for me once again.

Let’s look at 12 of these comforting truths.

Hospital Stay

(1.) When life’s disappointments attempt to become my unwelcome friend, I remember Jesus calls me friend (John 15:15). If I visualize Christ as my best friend, it comforts me that I am never alone, always have someone to talk to, and have a shoulder to lean on. Thank you, Jesus!

(2.) I must cling to the only sure hope in the darkness. Jesus. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:5 ESV.

(3.) Lord, place the cross and the blood of Jesus between me and the enemy, and between me and difficult circumstances. There’s nothing Your redemptive blood doesn’t cover. And there’s nothing it can’t redeem. 

This prayer has changed my life and perspective.

Prayers and Promises

(4.) I’m so thankful for the power of prayer: mountains still move, seas still part, manna still rains from heaven, and because God can raise the dead, ashes turn to beauty again. 

And oh how we experienced so many miracles and provision during Mike’s hospital stay.

Read More…

How Hope Makes Us Hallelujah Strong

Do life’s hurts, heartaches, and injustices leave you feeling hopeless? Me too. But there’s something I want you to know. You are never far from hope. And hope makes us Hallelujah strong. How?

In tragedy, it is there. During dark moments, it covers with light. Hope soars above despair.

Life brings disappointment. Hard places can dissolve every ounce of faith. 

But in an uncertain world, there is an undeniable hope, an unshakable anchor for your soul.

And the Bible tells us authentic hope is found in the God of hope. 

So let’s look at ways hope makes us Hallelujah strong. These are moments Hallelujah rises up in our souls.

Life's heartaches and disappointments leave us feeling hopeless. But we are never far from hope in Jesus. Hope makes us Hallelujah strong. Share on X

Life’s Drive-Thru Window Lacks Hope – Hallelujah Strong

Just as we often end up with the wrong order or a problem with our order at a drive-thru window, the world offers us hope that fizzles and fades away.

The only choices on the menu offer false promises. High hopes placed in people, programs, possessions, money, goals, careers, or religion. None of these serve us well.

People fail us. Programs unravel. Possessions leave us hollow. Money never satisfies. Unreached goals magnify our weaknesses. Aspiring careers crash. And religion commands our tireless effort.

God’s Word offers a hope established before drive-thru windows…before the world even existed.

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 ESV). The NIV states it, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”

The only hope worth waiting on comes straight from the ample, fully-stocked windows of heaven. No drive-thru service needed. This is a real and lasting hope found in the true Hope-Giver. Hallelujah!

Hope in True Love Makes us Hallelujah Strong

“He loves me, he loves me not.”

Read More…

God Promises His Goodness to Us

What if we went into a new year trusting that God promises His goodness to us? Then whatever happens, our hope lies in God’s goodness alone.

Because we never know what tomorrow holds, even after we’ve planned. None of us knew what last year would bring. So there’s not a sure-fire way to know what will transpire this year.

As most of you know, starting in November 2025, our world turned upside down when my husband Mike had a massive heart attack. But this I know, God promises His goodness to us—some way, somehow—every year.

And the Bible says God crowns our year with goodness.

Crowns. I imagine the three kings of Orient in a Christmas play. My mind’s eye pictures inauguration ceremonies of royal monarchs. Perhaps we envision crowning moments of beauty pageants. Or, iconic Disney princesses displayed in crowns that dazzle.

I even think of paper crowns from Burger King. And plastic versions adorned with jewels…the finishing touch to a little girl’s costume.

What if we went into a new year trusting that God promises His goodness to us? Then whatever happens, our hope lies in God’s goodness alone. Share on X

God Promises His Goodness

Read More…

God Deserves the Glory: Mike’s Home

God deserves the glory. All of it. And always.

I’m sharing wonderful news and updates about Mike since the last time I posted. 

Mike continued to do so well after open-heart surgery to place the LVAD heart pump, he soon moved to the step-down cardiac floor. 

Praise the Lord! He finally moved out of ICU after nearly 5 weeks.

Over the last week and a half, they have removed chest tubes, staples, and stitches. And we’re thankful his kidneys remarkably improved so much that they removed the dialysis line from his neck.

This is another praise how he avoided dialysis. Especially since the possibility of dialysis followed him on this journey after his heart attack when the kidneys first took a hit. 

Oh, but there’s more, so much more the Lord has done. And God deserves the glory.

Our family’s grateful Mike’s recovery has made leaps and bounds. So, to our excitement and joy, Mike went home this week. Yay!

After 6 weeks in the hospital and most of it in ICU, my husband's home. God deserves the glory. All of it. And always. Share on X

But before discharge we completed a 4-hour education on the heart pump care including dressing changes and equipment details. And we discovered what’s considered emergent when we need to call the clinic. 

Now, the journey for recovery continues with family caregiving, home and outpatient therapy, and traveling to clinic appointments 4 hours away. These will be once a week for at least 2 weeks and maybe for the first month. Then traveling to the clinic once a month until it spreads out a little more. 

But we couldn’t be happier to be home. We give God all the glory for:

Outpouring His love and mercy on us daily 

Whether life is going along without a hitch or the days and nights turn hard and weary. God continues to pour His love and mercy over us every single day. God deserves the glory. 

Read More…