If It Please the King

We live in an age where the main focus is pleasing oneself. Slogans abound, encouraging people everywhere to do what makes them feel good, follow their hearts, and live on their own terms. Most people live this life looking out for number one, and as a result, many are miserable.

What if, instead, we lived our lives to please the Lord? What if we followed His leading and searched out His desires? What if we sought His will in each situation? Nehemiah, one of my favorite Bible characters, could help answer these questions.

Dana Rongione 19/04/2023 Dana Rongione 19/04/2023

How Do You Deal With Life’s Interruptions?

I stared at the question on my computer screen and laughed out loud. Since I sat down to prepare for my Bible study lesson, I have had numerous phone calls, text messages, and other disturbances. How do I deal with interruptions? If my growing annoyance and frustration with others are any indication, not very well, it would seem.

How about you? How do you handle rained-out picnics, canceled vacations due to family illness, or guests showing up on your one quiet night, surprising you with their impromptu visit and expectations of dinner? How do you react when the dog doesn’t quit barking, the kids won’t quit fighting, the boss won’t quit complaining, and the world around you won’t stop asking for more of you?

Dana Rongione 01/02/2023 Dana Rongione 01/02/2023

How Do I Know I Can Trust God?

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. - James 1:8

To be double-minded essentially means we’re wishy-washy. In our Christian walk, it manifests itself in not knowing whether God can be trusted. At times, we think He can, but when circumstances go crazy, we begin to doubt. We believe God is good, but then we question whether that’s true. Double-minded. Wishy-washy. Unstable.

But what if we could know, without a doubt, that God can be trusted? What if we could prove it to ourselves every time we started to question God’s goodness? Fortunately, we can do it by meditating upon one single chapter of the Bible.

Dana Rongione 21/09/2022 Dana Rongione 21/09/2022

Trailblazing Through Life

I recently heard a comment that made me laugh out loud. A woman exclaimed, "I've never understood what people see in hiking. It's just walking where the ground doesn't cooperate." Take it from an experienced hiker; she's not far off. As someone who has had my fair share of tumbles on the trail, I can testify the ground isn't particularly cooperative.

So often, we refer to our spiritual journey as a Christian walk, but after examining this woman's statement, I think it would better be described as a Christian hike. After all, seldom does the ground cooperate.

Dana Rongione 17/08/2022 Dana Rongione 17/08/2022

Mismatched Pieces

A few days ago, Jason pulled a pair of socks out of his drawer. As he unrolled the socks, he immediately noticed an issue—they weren’t the same. I know we’ve all mismatched a blue and black sock or two socks of the same color, but that was not the case here. No, these two socks were as different as could be. One was a medium-weight black crew sock; the other was a heavy-weight tan, tall sock. They weren’t the same color, length, style, or weight. Yet, somehow, I had paired the two together and placed them in his drawer. Wow! Just wow!

Dana Rongione 08/08/2022 Dana Rongione 08/08/2022

Camping Out With the Giant

Picture the scene, if you will. Two great armies. Israel on one hill; the Philistines on the other. In the valley between stands a giant. Mean. Tough. And, ugly, I would assume, but the Bible doesn’t say one way or another. What the Scriptures do make evident, however, is that Goliath was a bully. He was bigger than everyone else, and he knew it. So, acting on behalf of his nation, he sets forth a challenge: Israel could send out their best champion to fight Goliath. If Israel’s champion won, they would be the victors and vice versa. Challenge extended.

22/03/2022 22/03/2022

Tales of Moo and Poo

Since moving to Wales in mid-January, we’ve learned a lot of interesting facts about farm life in this country. For example, lambing season generally takes place in March and April, which means we’re privileged to watch little lambs scamper around the fields. So cute! Also, because of the long, wet winters, the cows are usually kept in the barns until spring. The main reason for this is that the ground becomes so wet and soggy that it is easy for the cows to break their legs. Not good! So, until recently, the cows on the farm here were heard but not seen as they were locked away in the barn.

07/03/2022 07/03/2022

Bees on the Brain

For the past few weeks, I’ve been busy co-planning a mother/daughter luncheon. We decided on a bee theme and set about finding decorations, paper goods, and gifts centered around the theme. It’s been a lot of fun, but I can officially say I have bees on the brain. I dream in yellow and black. Every time I use the word “be,” I turn it into some form of “bee” pun. Everywhere I look, I see things that would fit the theme, though not necessarily the budget. My mind is abuzz with bees! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)