Ask someone for a list of favorite romantic stories and Gone with the Wind may be near the top. Ever since Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh immortalized Margaret Mitchell’s epic tale, millions of moviegoers have wondered how Scarlett O’Hara could have resisted Rhett Butler’s charm so long, then trampled on his heart so cruelly. And yet she did. For most of the story, Scarlett rebuffs Rhett’s attempts to win her love. Then, when necessity compels her to accept his marriage proposal, she still remains blind to the depth of his love. Not until he reaches the breaking point and walks…

How much can one person endure? That thought may have crossed Horatio Spafford’s mind when he crossed the Atlantic on his way to reunite with his wife in England and passed the very spot where his four precious daughters had drowned. If he did ponder that question, he must have prayed and found solace, for it was on that voyage that he wrote the famous hymn titled “It Is Well with My Soul.” When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it…

If you feel heaviness, pressure, aching, and/or burning in your chest, you’d better get to the doctor, because you could have coronary artery disease, which can be deadly. If the disease is advanced, bypass surgery could be required. That surgery will unblock clogged arteries, allowing blood to flow freely again that would over burden the heart. Perhaps you don’t need a physical heart bypass, but a spiritual heart bypass instead to help with the burden(s) you carry. This procedure requires that you bring your aching, burning, heavy heart full of troubles to God, the Great Healer, who can easily perform…

The mother’s heart grieved as the son God had created and blessed her with walked deeper into the gay (original text is GID) lifestyle. Six long years she watched him pursue this deception and turn his back on all who loved him. As Joseph was taken from his homeland to be sold to an Egyptian slave master, did he wonder why God wasn’t helping him? Back home, his father, Jacob, grieved, believing Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. No waiting by Jacob for returning so; just life long grief. But God had a plan to save all people,…

Denise and the Staff and Board of Living Stones Ministries wish to send a Merry Christmas to you. As Christmas approaches, know you are in my prayers. May you be filled with joy and laughter as you celebrate our Lord’s birth. You are treasured by God and by us, and we are thankful for the opportunity to walk with you on your life’s journey. Thank you for being our precious family and honoring us with your prayers and gifts that enable us to continue in ministry! May the Eternal God, who hears every prayer, bless you and your family this…

Dear Friend, As family and friends begin to make plans for Thanksgiving, the observance is expected to be filled with food and laughter, celebrating the holiday that started with the pilgrim’s grateful hearts, way back in 1621. As this year’s celebration draws closer, plans to celebrate with a big and fabulous meal go into motion. Turkeys, fresh and frozen, fill grocery store refrigerators and freezers, and soon find their way into homes, as families await the big day. Consumers purchase loads of pumpkin pie filling and whipped cream. Thanksgiving decorations are hung on doors or arranged on shelves above the…

Healing and restoration is a process. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t happen as quickly as many of us wish. I had to first begin to painfully expose my secrets to trustworthy brothers and sisters in the Church. While I fully expected their rejection, I experienced instead their love and care, acceptance and compassion. This simple act of exposing my true thoughts and struggles took the fuse out of the interior bomb of my wounded soul. I began implementing the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, slightly adapting the principles to fit my own situation. I took my journals, opening up my “dark…

We come to God’s Altar and we make our marriage vows. I said, “I choose you, _________ to be my beloved husband. You said, “I choose you, _________, to be my beloved wife. Together we said. “From this day forward, to become one with you and to share all that is to come, and I promise to love you, to care for you, and to be faithful to you until death parts us.” We get into the car, the Marriage Car. You are in the driver seat and I am on the passenger side. Later there are children are in…

Like so many others have done, do now, and will do when they search for their identity, I was looking for my core sense of who I was. Is one’s identity tied inexorably to his or her genetics and genealogy? Are we destined to be the product of our ancestors’ genetics and parenting styles? Can we rise above bad parental examples? I come from Polish and Indian roots. My family was deeply broken and full of pain. And, had I not met and married Mark Shick, who introduced me to my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, I suspect I would…

Job seemed to have an established, solid identity: blameless, upright, God-fearing, wealthy man. For a time, Satan stole that identity from him. But Job’s identity—and his wealth—was restored when he came to fully understand God’s identity as the sovereign creator and judge. But something much bigger was going on in Satan’s attack on Job. Satan was actually attacking God. Essentially, Satan accused God of bribing people to obey and follow Him Satan often still does the same thing when he attacks us—he attacks God through us. When we think of an enemy, we often look at another person. But remember,…