There are about a bizillion books on leadership.

You’ve probably read most of them if you’re striving to be a better leader, although some of you are reading this and wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to lead anything.

I get it. Being a leader is not always fun, but it certainly has its share of blessings. Continue Reading…

What satan uses to defeat you, God uses to transform you.

Joseph was one of the good guys.

He was the son of Rachel, Jacob’s true love, after years of barrenness and waiting.

So he may have been a little cocky. He should have known his brothers wouldn’t appreciate his dream about personal greatness. But he wasn’t lying. He really did have some weird dreams.

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When the nurse warns me about a patient I’m about to go see, I know I’m in for a treat.

This one was no exception.

The 10 year old boy presented with abdominal pain for over a year. As soon as I walked in the room I realized I knew the kid. I’d seen him myself just over a month ago.

The mother proceeded to fill me in on the details.

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Despair often comes from looking at the facts and making wrong conclusions.

In Genesis 42:36 Jacob says this:

“You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.”

Here were the facts from Jacob’s perspective:  The famine was life threatening. All the money in the world couldn’t feed Jacob and his family. Joseph had been missing for years. And Simeon was now gone too.

But here was the truth from God’s angle: Joseph was safe and sound in Egypt storing up food for the family. Simeon was being treated like royalty in a minimum security prison under the protection of his brother Joseph.  Food was well on the way since God was a few steps ahead of Jacob.

Are you tempted to make wrong conclusions about the facts in your life?

Don’t.

Jacob despaired but he was wrong. And so are you if you’ve giving in to despair.

Same facts, but entirely different conclusions.

Maybe it’s time to leave the conclusions to God.

What a big week we’ve had!

Valentine’s day is behind us now. The next big event on the calendar is my 40th birthday in April.

Do you even dare think what I’ll be blogging about leading up to that?!

Meanwhile, it’s Friday. Let’s do our usual give away. If you’re signed up on my subscriber list, I draw a random name to give away a $25 gift card. This week’s winner is: The Pry Family! Email me at lina@livingwithpower.org to claim the gift!

If you want to subscribe to the blog, simply click here!

If I were you, I’d tell my friends about this blog and have them subscribe. Why, you ask?  Continue Reading…

It’s the fourth largest church in the United States.

It’s been around for almost 180 years.

Yet most of us have never really paid too much attention to it until this year.

If you’re a Christian and have been watching the political scene, a question that may have crossed your mind is this: should a Christian vote for a mormon for president?

And while that is a great question to ask, I do not intend to address it today.

Instead, I’d like to give you 5 things you should know about mormonism in an effort to help you tackle the bigger elephant in the room. Continue Reading…

Twice a month since September 15 we’ve been memorizing scripture on the blog.

If you haven’t participated before it’s easy.

Simply pick a verse, write it down in the comments section and on a 3×5 card and work on it for 2 weeks.

We will finish up mid may and have a party for those who have memorized 15 of 17 verses!

Look – it hasn’t always been easy to keep up, but it’s been good. I hope you’re enjoying this discipline!

Here’s a random valentine’s day thought: I can’t think of one person in the New Testament who got a divorce.

Can you?

I mean, I know Jesus talked about it a bit. And I realize the Old Testament is full of broken relationships and crazy kind of loves.

But for the life of me, I can’t think of one New Testament divorce.

It certainly could have happened and never been mentioned, although God doesn’t strike me as one who tries to shove things underneath the carpet. He tells us a whole lot about a bunch of other awkward scenarios…

Look – I know it’s valentine’s day, a day meant to celebrate love and stuff. It’s not a day to mention the D word. Yet some of you reading today’s post find yourselves stuck in the midst of a difficult marriage or relationship.

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Some of you – I’m sure it’s only a couple of you – still have not figured out exactly what to get your special someone for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s day as in tomorrow.

Maybe it’s because you’ve been on a tighter budget this year.

Maybe it’s because you haven’t had much time to shop.

Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve run out of great ideas for Valentine’s Day.

Don’t worry. I’m here to help. In an effort to help rejuvenate your love life, here are 5 great gift ideas for Valentine’s Day for under $1!!

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Sometimes love simply doesn’t go as planned.

If you’re like me and you’ve watched enough movies and every romantic comedy known to mankind, at some point you probably subliminally acquired the notion that love is your right, and that without it you won’t be happy.

Unfortunately, most people’s love lives don’t follow a hollywood script. Continue Reading…