The Illusion of Greener Pastures

Have you ever driven by a sheep farm and seen those silly sheep with their heads stuck through the fence, munching away at the grass on the other side? I see it all the time here in Wales, and it always makes me chuckle. I mean, come on, sheep! The grass is the same on your side of the fence. But for some reason, the stuff just out of reach always seems greener, doesn't it?

As humans, we're not that different from those woolly creatures, are we? We've got this bad habit of ignoring the blessings right in front of us and instead reaching for things that are out of our grasp. We're never quite satisfied with what we have.

Dana Rongione 16/11/2023 Dana Rongione 16/11/2023

How Good Is Good Enough? (A Repost)

Today, I want to do something a little different. While this devotion applies to anyone in any stage or area of life, I want to specifically talk to those who suffer from chronic illness. Perhaps, like me, it's a joint disorder, arthritis, bursitis, or other pain-related situations. Or maybe you suffer from an autoimmune disease like lupus, celiac disease, or type 1 diabetes. It could even be you're many months into cancer and the various treatments related to that. Whatever the disease or illness, I want to speak to your hurting hearts.

Dana Rongione 11/04/2023 Dana Rongione 11/04/2023

What Were You Thinking?

During my devotion time this morning, I had an “aha” moment while reading another familiar passage. I’ve been making it a practice to stop and think about every word in each verse instead of just getting the gist of the verse. This has opened my eyes to many things, and this morning was no different.

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: - Philippians 2:14

In the past, when I read this verse, I summed it up like this: do everything without complaining—a command which is far more difficult to obey than it appears at first glance. However, as I broke the verse down into individual words this morning, I had to ask, What’s the difference between murmuring and disputing?

Dana Rongione 28/02/2023 Dana Rongione 28/02/2023

Battling Discontentment

Last week, Jason and I were in Manchester, England, for a missionary retreat. It’s a time for several missionary families to get together and encourage one another in the Lord. There’s food, services, and of course, fellowship. All in all, it’s a wonderful event.

Before leaving, Jason and I cleaned out the refrigerator to make sure we didn’t come home to any surprises. One of the things we needed to toss out was a partial loaf of bread already showing signs of molding. (In this damp environment, bread products do NOT last long.).

Dana Rongione 04/01/2023 Dana Rongione 04/01/2023

Be Careful What You Ask For

One of the things I love about where we live is that it’s a very safe place. We live in a small community where there is little crime. Wales, as a whole, has very few dangerous animals, so I don’t have to worry about being attacked by a bear or bitten by a snake while out on my daily walks. In short, I feel very comfortable being out and about or even staying home alone.

The only danger I have discovered is living only 45 minutes from the book town of Hay-on-Wye. Yes, a book town is precisely as its name suggests—an entire town dedicated to books.

Dana Rongione 07/12/2022 Dana Rongione 07/12/2022

Praying Through Discontentment

Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, it can also be a breeding ground for greed, commercialism, and discontentment. Yes, there’s something about the Christmas season that can cause us to look at our surroundings or circumstances and feel lacking. We find ourselves thinking, If only I had ______, I’d be happy.

This morning, in my devotion time, I read a rather convicting statement about how we often attempt to deal with discontentment. The author questioned our methods for coming to grips with our dissatisfaction and remarked that we often don’t ask God to help us with our attitude but rather to “fix” the situation so we’ll be more content. Ouch!

20/07/2020 20/07/2020