The relentless and violent lashing of Jesus’ body tore at his skin and bared his flesh to the very bone.

Holy Week encompasses the days that the Christian church sets aside to mourn the death of Jesus and to celebrate His resurrection.

It is a week of wretched betrayal, of loud hosannas, of good-bye meals, and of desperate prayer.

I have 14 children. 14 literary children that is … This week, on March 29, my 14th book was released!

Excuse me while I celebrate for a minute … Woo-Hoo! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Thank You, Jesus!!

My heart’s desire for your one, amazing life is that you are planting a glorious crop of faithfulness … of singing in the dark … and of generosity.

Do you know your calling?

Are you acquainted with your “just one thing”?

Decisions … decisions … decisions!

Sometimes decisions can get the best of me!

One thing that I have learned over the 6 decades of living with which I have been blessed is that to make wise determinations in life … I must first identify my core values.

We receive hundreds of desperate prayer requests every month asking for prayer for finances … for health … for purpose … and for children.

Many of the prayer requests are heart-breaking as people from around the world beg me to pray for release from depression … from suicidal thoughts … from loneliness … from fear and worry.

The end of February and the first days of March have always seemed like a bittersweet and silent "between" time in the calendar year.

My soul doesn’t know whether to anticipate … or to linger.

I don’t know whether to nestle in … or to prepare.

I have been hosting a lot of company lately … and I have loved every minute of it!

I have deeply enjoyed the pre-company cleaning while anticipating rich conversations, sweet times of fellowship sure to be sprinkled with both laughter and tears.

It’s the little things in life that build a big life, isn’t it?

It’s the seemingly unimportant stuff in an ordinary existence that have the capacity to create an important and significant life story.

I “get” it … it seems like Valentine’s Day is for a select few folks who are head over heels in love with a wonderful human being.

But that’s not exactly true …

The love of God is likely one of those mysteries this side of heaven that we will wrestle with until we are in the presence of Him who is Love Himself.

There is absolutely no human way to comprehend the enormous … eternal … all-encompassing … never-wavering … unconditional … love of God.

And yet … it is vital to spend our earthly existence trying to do just that.

I have always dealt with a conundrum of the soul …

Perhaps this battle of mine is more philosophical than theological … but honestly … I am not sure.

This Civil War that has waged conflict in the deepest part of me for decades has become too obnoxious to ignore and at this stage of life … I must somehow bring peace to the volatility.

If you deeply desire life at its finest, a shelter in the time of stormy weather, and a home that will be the treasure chest of lovely memories, you must use the blueprint that your Master Builder has provided for you. The building code established in the Word of God will guarantee that your heart will become the home of your dreams. However, you will never establish such a home without studying the blueprints.

It seems to me that life is often a series of tests.

Some tests are huge … they cause anxiety … and require intense focus … not to mention the role that gut-wrenching prayer plays in helping me to pass these gigantic tests!

Other tests are mere quizzes and can be breezed through easily and successfully.

We foolishly think that no more overspending … no more overeating … no more gossiping … no more wasting time playing games on one’s phone … will solve every reason why we are only living half a life.