Have you ever been caught talking about someone behind their back? I have, and it's not a pleasant experience. There's that moment when you realize the person you've been discussing has been standing just around the corner, hearing every word. Your face flushes, your stomach drops, and you desperately wish for a convenient sinkhole to appear beneath your feet.

In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron experienced something far worse than being caught by another person. They were caught by God Himself.

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it." (Numbers 12:1-2)

Did you catch that last part? "And the Lord heard it." Those four simple words should send shivers down our spines.

The road to success is rarely a straight line. More often, it resembles the winding paths Jason and I hike through the Welsh countryside. They are full of unexpected turns, occasional dead ends, and moments where you question if we're heading in the right direction at all. I've discovered that the difference between reaching our destination or turning back often comes down to one simple choice: will we keep going when obstacles appear? This lesson was beautifully illustrated in the life of Isaac.

In Genesis 26, Isaac found himself in the midst of a severe famine. Despite God's instruction to stay put in Gerar rather than flee to Egypt, Isaac soon faced a new challenge, and water became the center of conflict.

I had big plans for this week. This was the week I was going to catch up on a bit of rest, reset my house from the previous events, and focus a bit on my writing projects. Yep, it was going to be a glorious, productive week.

But, now the week is halfway through, and I'm confused about my lack of accomplishments. Sure, I've done a bit of housework and spent a bit of time on a single writing project. But where did the rest of the time go? Why hasn't more been done? What have I been doing all week?  Good grief!

We've all had those days (or weeks) when our best intentions seem to crumble like a poorly constructed house of cards. We tell ourselves we'll do better, be better, but then life happens, and we find ourselves falling short…again.

I recently watched a fascinating video about the complexities of the human brain and how selective our attention can be. The presenter gave specific instructions: "Count how many times the team in white passes the ball." Simple enough, right?

The video began, showing players in white uniforms and others in black, all passing basketballs to their teammates. Having seen similar psychological experiments before, I thought I was one step ahead. "Aha!" I mused smugly. "I know this trick. They'll ask about the black team's passes when it's over, trying to catch me unaware."

So rather than counting the white team's passes as instructed, I cleverly (or so I thought) tracked the black-clad team instead. I was feeling quite pleased with myself as the video concluded.

Then came the question that knocked me off my high horse: "Did you see the big bear moonwalking across the court?"

I marvel at the mental picture in Exodus 15 after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Moses leads the people in a song of praise to God for their miraculous deliverance, and then we see something extraordinary:

"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances." (Exodus 15:20)

Wait a minute. Timbrels? You mean tambourines?

Let's consider the context. The Israelites had fled Egypt in haste. Pharaoh's army was bearing down on them. They were escaping slavery with only what they could carry, presumably just the bare necessities for survival in the wilderness.

Yet somehow, these women had packed tambourines. All of them?

Can you imagine the packing decisions? "Let's see... bread, water, extra sandals... and definitely my tambourine!" It makes me smile to think about it.

Last week, a friend from our home church in South Carolina sent me a message. Her text spoke of a show about a couple renovating a French chateau, uncovering secret passages, and searching for hidden treasure. Then she told me how she thought of me every time she watched a new episode.

From the moment I sat down to watch the first episode of the show, I understood why it would cause her to think of me. The dusty corridors of the ancient chateau. The excitement of discovering forgotten rooms behind paneled walls. The historical research to track down clues about potential treasures. It was exactly the sort of thing that makes my heart race with delight.

As I watched the couple navigate their renovation adventure, something unexpected settled over me like a Welsh mist.

 Sometimes the most powerful messages come from the simplest places, like the children's song we chose for our Holiday Bible Club: "Our God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there's nothing that He cannot do!"

I believe those words with my whole heart. I truly do! I can recite countless Bible verses about God's unlimited power. I've taught lessons about His omnipotence. I've written devotions about it. But then our three-day Holiday Bible Club happened.

After weeks of glorious Welsh sunshine (a rare treat indeed!), the forecast suddenly changed. The very week we'd planned to host children in our not-so-waterproof tent, the heavens opened. Wind whipped at the tent sides while rain drummed relentlessly overhead. Oh, bother!

"Of all the weeks for the weather to turn," I cried, watching water drip from the tent poles overhead. "We've had beautiful weather for a month, and now this?"

I thumbed through my Bible again, looking for some verse to leap off the page and shout, "This is the way—walk in it!" Silence.

I prayed until my knees ached. "Lord, just tell me what to do. Should I continue in this particular area of the ministry, or should I spend more time in this other area? Should we continue in our current "game plan" or pursue a new approach? A simple yes or no would be lovely!"

But heaven remained quiet. No burning bush. No writing on the wall. Just the persistent, foggy grey of uncertainty.

Have you been there? That spiritual twilight zone where you've done everything "right"—prayed fervently, studied Scripture diligently, sought godly counsel—and still find yourself standing at a crossroads without a traffic light in sight?

It's maddening, isn't it? Especially for those of us who like plans, clarity, and knowing exactly which box to tick.

Have you ever felt like you were fighting the same battle over and over again? I certainly have! Whether it's my physical limitations from fibromyalgia or the spiritual heaviness that sometimes settles over Wales, there are days when I wonder if I'll ever see victory.

David knew that feeling all too well. In 2 Samuel 5, we find him facing a familiar foe in a familiar place. The Bible tells us, "But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David" (2 Samuel 5:17). The Philistines—again! And where did they set up camp? In the Valley of Rephaim, otherwise known as the Valley of Giants.

This wasn't David's first rodeo in this valley. The Philistines had a nasty habit of gathering there to attack Israel. Same enemy. Same battlefield. Different day.

I love a good underdog story, don't you? The Bible is filled with them, but few capture my heart quite like the account in 2 Chronicles 20. Picture this: King Jehoshaphat of Judah receives the terrifying news that a vast army is marching toward Jerusalem. Not just one nation, but three allied forces coming to destroy God's people! Talk about overwhelming odds.

The Bible tells us Jehoshaphat "feared," which seems entirely reasonable given the circumstances. Yet, what he did next provides us with a masterclass in faith. Instead of panicking or immediately strategizing military defense, he "set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah" (2 Chronicles 20:3).

As the people gathered, Jehoshaphat prayed one of the most vulnerable and powerful prayers in Scripture. Then God's Spirit fell on a prophet named Jahaziel with this message: "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15).