Work as to the Lord
Our work is a gift from God and an opportunity to serve our neighbors and glorify God. I admit that I’ve never given much thought to Labor Day. In the North, Labor Day was merely a marker indicating that the school year was about to begin. Down here in Nashville, it marks the time when my children are beginning their second month of school. (I know, I know!!!) When I was still an editor at HarperCollins, Labor Day marked the end of “summer hours,” and we’d revert to working full days on Fridays. The four-day week was a [...]
Prayer Is About Presence, Not Perfection
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will [...]
For the Lord’s Sake
Our Christian freedom compels us to submit to authorities but to obey God above all. Our government and people in positions of authority often make decisions and take actions that we disagree with, whether as citizens, Christians, or both. As Christians, we must use our God-given discernment to determine when we should obey the authorities and resist them, for the Lord’s sake. In today’s piece from my book, One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women, the Apostle Peter and other early church fathers serve as examples as how we can navigate these kinds of situations. Thanks [...]
Happy First Anniversary to The Word Steward Blog!
Also with the lute I will praise You— And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed. —Psalm 71:22–23 In typical fashion, I completely overlooked the fact that last Friday, August 7, 2026, was the one-year anniversary of my first Word Steward blog post. But better a belated celebration is better than none, right? As I mentioned in that first post, my initial attempt at blogging was about two decades ago. [...]
Keeping the Record While Honoring the Redemption
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:13–14 Sunday, December 24, 1989 Dear Diary, Today is Christmas Eve, and it is about 2:31 a.m. I’m so excited! I got a Nintendo Power Pad and Glove! Isn’t that unbelievable?! That was all I wanted. I also got a bracelet with my name on it, chocolate, slippers, a shirt, Kissing [...]
He Who Has Created These Things
Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. —Isaiah 40:26 On Sunday, my family and I returned from a multiweek sojourn to and from Phoenix, Arizona, where my church was having its convention. We decided to use the event as an opportunity to a take a long road trip out west. For this week’s blog post, I planned to write a lengthy, photo-filled travelogue [...]
The Power of Intercessory Prayer
We should never underestimate the potential of one person’s prayer to impact a nation. On the day I was doomscrolling and crying out to God, asking Him what to do about the chaos in the United States, I received a one-word response: pray. Could it really be that simple? Yes, it can. One Biblical figure who knew this truth and lived it every single day was Daniel. When I was reading through the Bible and collecting verses to use in One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women, I easily could have relied solely on the Book [...]
Misadventures with My Rebellious Pelvis
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” —Job 19:25–27 Sometimes I joke that if I ever write a book about my various health issues over the years, I’m going to title it Misadventures with My Rebellious Pelvis. For starters, I’ve had many struggles with my reproductive system. Sixteen years ago, the first [...]
Family Vacations Matter: Rest, Gratitude, and God’s Gift of Renewal
What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? —Ecclesiastes 1:3 Did you know that almost 25 percent of Americans don’t take any paid time off (PTO) in any given year? I wasn’t surprised to learn this statistic. Leisure is severely underappreciated in our modern hustle culture. It made me think back to all my seasons in life when I worked for other people. Whether it was as a graveyard shift Waffle House waitress, an administrative assistant at a hotel, an adjunct instructor at a state college, or an editor at [...]
Happy 250th Anniversary, America!
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” —Acts 17:26–27 Dearest America, There are many things I could say to you, but I’ll try to keep this short and sweet. I was blessed to be born and raised within your vast borders and have called [...]