Uncompromised

Do the Next Thing As I wrapped up Easter promos for a couple of churches last week, this part of an old Saxon poem came to mind - the one Elisabeth Elliot made famous: "Do the next thing." She didn't mean being busy for the sake of busy. She meant faithfulness. Trust Christ and do the good work in front of you. Active faith, not passive waiting. Just like Psalm 37 teaches. Scripture reminds us: "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 Elisabeth Elliot learned those words from an old Saxon poem found scratched on a wall. Do the next thing. Not the grand thing. Not the perfect thing. Just the next one. She lived that out in some of the hardest circumstances a person can face and came out the other side not bitter but faithful. Because faithfulness isn't a feeling. It's a decision you make before the feeling ever shows up. Nobody feels faithful every day. That's actua...

We’ve had a couple of snow days here in southeastern Oklahoma, and let me tell you, snow in the South is a whole different experience than what we were used to in Massachusetts! Every time it snows, I remind my husband: “Snow days in the South are the best snow days.” Here’s why: the snow comes just long enough to sprinkle some joy into our lives. It accumulates just enough to play in, snap some beautiful pictures, make snow cream, and soak in the peaceful stillness that only a blanket of white can bring. And then, poof! A couple of days later, it’s gone. No mushy, slushy, muddy mess sticking around for weeks, no grimy ice piles hanging on for dear life. We can just enjoy it for what it is and move on with our lives, snow-free and stress-free. This week, as I watched the snow, the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” kept running through my mind:  "Morning by morning new mercies I see;  All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,  Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me." It’...