The Privileged Life: Are You Insignificant? Or a Star?
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:3-4) Many days, I feel so insignificant. That’s because, in the eyes of the world, I am. I’m one little nobody on a planet of 8.1 billion people. Just a speck of sand on the seashore. A penny compared to the U.S. national debt, $37.4 trillion and counting.…
The Privileged Life: Marks of a Good Mentor, Part 3 (In Friendships)
“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17) All good mentoring relationships either start with friendships…or they turn into friendships. I’m blessed to have an abundance of Christian friends, from our church and community, from nearby and across the world. Within those overlapping circles are several special friends, however, who keep me accountable…friendships where we mentor each other as peers. Let me tell you about one of those extraordinary friends, Mary Ellen “Mel” Miller. Mel and I have…
The Privileged Life: Marks of a Good Mentor, Part 2 (At Work)
“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17) “Say, Nancy….” I must have heard those words hundreds of times, and they prefaced whatever Chuck Branch was getting ready to tell me—usually some job he wanted me to undertake. But I never dreaded hearing them. His job assignments for me…
The Privileged Life: Marks of a Good Mentor, Part 1 (Spiritual Leadership)
“The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5) I’d love to go hang gliding someday. You know…where you’re suspended from a wing-shaped airframe that lets you soar on lofty wind currents for a bird’s-eye view of the landscape. …
The Privileged Life: Looking for “Jesus Rays”
“His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, and there His power was hidden.” (Habakkuk 3:4) In our east Tennessee mountains, the solar eclipse this week was a wash…literally. Our skies were completely enveloped by dripping rainclouds, without a single opening to reveal God’s amazing planetary phenomenon. I had my eclipse-viewing glasses all ready (had saved them seven years since the last big eclipse), but no clearing, not even any options nearby for driving beyond the cloud cover. Rats. Missed the…
The Privileged Life: Make Your Bible Study Colorful!
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise….” (Ephesians 1:13) When I was growing up, handwriting in a Bible was an unwritten sin. The word “Holy” printed on the cover of Scripture was taken very seriously. No one would ever dare put pen and ink to the margins inside. The only exceptions would be on the dedication page or in the…
The Privileged Life: Finding Hope in an Empty Easter Egg
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.” (Romans 6:8-9) For Christians, Easter Sunday is a noisy holiday. As it should be. We gather together in crowded churches, blasting out the trumpets, singing hallelujahs, and loudly proclaiming that “Christ the Lord is risen today!” Children shriek and giggle at Easter egg hunts. Families and friends gather for…
The Privileged Life: Desperation vs. Abundance? Choose an Anxiety-Alleviating Attitude!
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8) Friends, allow me to introduce you to my blogging comrade, Mama Lava. Her posts are filled with an admiration for God’s beautiful creation, a reverence for Scripture, and a whole lotta love for Jesus and you. Come with me to her Back Porch! Mama Lava lives across the country from me, and through the…
The Privileged Life: Are You Ready for Spiritual Growth?
“You therefore, beloved…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:17-18) Frothy-white serviceberry trees are blooming here in our Tennessee mountains, along with golden jonquils and forsythia bushes. Folks are already itching to get the ground turned up for homegrown tomatoes…even though we all know better than to plant anything before Mother’s Day. The weather is just too fickle, with summery sunshine in March and snow flurries in April. Still, we yearn to…
The Privileged Life: Share Your Good News with the World!
“Sing to the Lord, all the earth; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.” 1 Chronicles 16:23 You know what it’s like to run into friends bubbling over with some bit of wonderful news…. “The university is giving me a full-ride scholarship!” “I’m going to be a grandma!” “I just got a new job offer!” “My doctor told me the biopsy was benign!” “Our team won the game!” Whatever the excitement, your friends can’t wait to tell you. It just…
The Privileged Life: God’s Eyes Are Upon You!
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) When I cruised down ski slopes in Colorado earlier this month, I got some curious looks…from the trees. They have eyes! Seriously, aspens have odd bark formations where lower branches have fallen off over the years, leaving dark markings exactly like eyeballs staring back. While meditating on the Lord’s beautiful creation and the fascinating eyes, I…
The Privileged Life: The Measure of Success
“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.” (John 3:34) Here in the 21st century, everything is measured. The exponential growth of internet data and pressures of social media have catapulted us into an age of numbers and reviews. Word of mouth has been replaced by five stars on websites. We count calories, rate restaurants, “like” activities, vote for best of show, monitor our steps, review books, weigh ourselves, rate physicians or…
The Privileged Life: The “Real” Meaning of Love
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) Ah, Valentine’s Day—what a truly sweet day for all who are head-over-heels in love. Bring on the chocolate! I’m actually one of those people still madly in love with my beloved after more than 35 years with him. God blessed me with a terrific fellow, and my respect for him has grown stronger over time.…
The Privileged Life: Make Your Bed…and Pray
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40) Did you make your bed this morning? If so, good! Give yourself a little happy pat on the back. If you didn’t…oh well, there’s always tomorrow. What’s so important about this, and why would I devote a full blog to it? Simple. Starting your day with a made-up bed propels you into a positive trajectory. It’s an ordinary little habit but one that can affect the rest of…
The Privileged Life: Standing Before a Holy God
“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:8) I was an angel once…sort of…. During our church’s Vacation Bible School one year, my task was to dress up as an angelic messenger and tell the story of the announcement to Mary about her miraculous motherhood. I dutifully donned a white robe, perched a gold…
The Privileged Life: The Power of Perseverance in Prayer
“I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day…” (2 Timothy 1:3) My cellphone rang just as I sat down to write this week’s devotional. It was our son, excited to share his good news about a job offer. Wow! What an unexpected joy…and a bit of a shock. After we hung up, I praised God for His abundant provision. The shock was in His timing. This news…
The Privileged Life: Prepare for Bad News…with the Good News
“He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” (Psalm 112:7) It’s snowing in Tennessee! The first beautiful snowfall in our area is happening right now, and I’m loving it! Of course, I’m indoors and warm, watching sledders go down a hill nearby. My husband is baking chocolate chip cookies while we play a game of Scrabble. All is right with the world…until my beloved wins by putting the J, Q, and Z on triple-point…
The Privileged Life: Is God Directing Your Work for 2024?
“…Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us….” (Psalm 90:17) As 2024 gets rolling, I’ve noticed lots of folks have chosen their inspirational “word for the year”—impressive mantras like perseverance, imagination, or explore. I didn’t have any great ideas for myself until I ran back across Psalm 90:17 (see above). In this “Prayer of Moses,” the psalmist asks God to show us His beauty, which would be a good word. And the second half of that verse…
The Privileged Life: Light Up Your Home and Heart for Winter
“Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.” (Psalm 4:6-7) January is here, and the party’s over.1 Christmas decorations have come down, sweets are gone (especially if you’re starting a diet), and retail shelves are bare. It’s back to school, back to work, back to normal drudgery. If winter blues are settling in on you, it’s a battle to keep up your spirits in…
The Privileged Life: How You Can Pray for 2024
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6) Whew—2023 has evaporated! Twelve months have gone by, and it seems like we just had black-eyed peas and ham on New Year’s Day. The tipping point between years gives us pause to look back and look ahead. What was good? What went wrong? How did we grow? What do we want to do better? What are our new resolutions? Evaluation…
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Nancy C. Williams 