Blogs

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The word submission causes most women to bristle. Misconceptions about wives submitting to their husbands conjure images of men as superior and of women wearing a muzzle over their mouths, forced to keep their opinions to themselves because only his matters. In Scripture, the word for submitting comes from a Greek word meaning to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Paul emphasizes that the role is not about dominance but about

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Depending on where you get your knowledge, the lines can get blurry. Those of us who are uncomfortable with an imperfect world can easily find ourselves under a mountain of false burdens and responsibilities. Here is a lens of clarity. We should not be doing what others can and should do for themselves. It Is Written GALATIANS 6:2, 5 Bear one another's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ". 5 For each one should ca

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The human paradigm is an endless staircase and a hamster wheel. The worldview pushes us to achieve and accomplish. I once held thirteen jobs in a church. That’s crazy! The truth is, people who don't know how to say “no” get used and taken advantage of. When we view the Bible as an endless set of rules to follow rather than the Holy Spirit’s leading, life becomes hard and often fruitless. It Is Written MATTHEW 11:30 “For my yoke is easy an

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Taking care of oneself is not selfish. When flying, the stewardess tells passengers to put on their oxygen masks first in case of emergency. You cannot take care of others without good self-care. You cannot give others what you do not have. A wise counselor once told me, “You can’t pour from an empty pitcher.” It Is Written MARK 12:30-31 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all

Paula Williamson, guest writer Abuse is rampant in our world today. Hollywood, video games, and social media have played a major role in desensitizing us to say and do things we would never say or do to a real human being standing in front of us. Growing up in a dysfunctional home normalizes verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, making behavior that is not okay seem acceptable. Even Christians misinterpret scripture to tolerate abuse. It Is Written MATTHEW 5:39 But I tel

By Paula Williamson, guest writer I have seen too many lives destroyed by alcohol. It is a deceiver and a life-destroyer, a god in a bottle that controls one’s life like a cruel puppeteer. It not only destroys the life of the one held hostage by its influence but also devastates the onlookers who love the person under its cruel control. It causes beautiful women to slobber, slur their speech, and behave in unbecoming ways. It drives people to say and do things they would neve

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The greatest thing we will ever do begins at home. Living a public life that does not reflect the life we lead at home is hypocrisy. The battle for integrity begins within the four walls of our homes. What kind of steward are we of the things God has entrusted to us? How do we treat the members of our household? Do we handle conflict at home as respectfully as we do at work? Do we have more patience with other people’s children than with our

By Paula Williamson, guest writer As a child, I heard song lyrics: Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. There’s a Father up above, looking down in tender love. Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say. Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say. There’s a Father up above, looking down in tender love. Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say. That’s a lot of wisdom for today.

By Paula Williamson, guest writer I wish parents would teach their children from a young age how important sexual purity is and how it affects future generations. Hollywood’s lust-filled images reduce the beautiful relationship between two people to sex. Sexual intimacy unites two people in ways that affect family lines for generations. Unless we forgive and break those bonds, they pass on things from other people's families that we never imagined. It Is Written EPHESIAN

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Rare is the family without some form of dysfunction. I once heard Charles Stanley say, “We get our view of God from the authority figures in our lives.” That stopped me in my tracks because I thought that if it is true, we all have a skewed view of God. Angel Studios produced a series called “The Chosen.” While it is a movie, it certainly provokes one to think about who Jesus was and is, a perfect role model. It Is Written EPHESIANS 5:1

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Bitterness should be on the list of fatal toxins. When we hold on to the offense others have done to us, it is like drinking poison and expecting them to die. Bitterness eats away at us, the person we were created to be. It robs us of our God-given destiny and sours every part of our lives and relationships. It is like toxic gas that everyone around us can smell. The beginning of freedom is forgiving others, ourselves, and God. It Is Writte

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The book of James says our mouths are like a ship's rudder. The direction of our lips controls our ships. That’s a shocker! In a fear-driven society where bad news travels around the world in a blink, it would do us well to recognize the power of our words. If we had a GPS on our mouths that rerouted us every time we slid into the abyss of speaking words that do not bless us or others, how many times a day would we hear, "Proceed to the rou

By Paula Williamson, guest writer I hear so many people blame how they feel on others. He makes me so #*$! … She makes me so #*$! The truth is, we are in charge of our emotions. My nannie used to say, “You can get mad or glad in the same britches!” She meant we are not victims of others’ behaviors or circumstances. We control how we respond to life. What a powerless life it is to be a victim, and what a powerful day it is when we grasp that we are NOT! It Is Written ROMAN

By Paula Williamson, guest writer I have lived long enough to examine the fruit of my life spent doing my own thing. It’s pretty fruitless in the grand scheme of things. When I am brave enough to step out of myself and act on a prompting of the Holy Spirit, life becomes an adventure filled with eternal fruitfulness for which I can take no credit. Life becomes full of wow moments, to whom only God gets credit. It Is Written EPHESIANS 4:1 -24 If in fact you have [really] he

By Paula Williamson, guest writer Have you ever been convicted of something that exposed your nakedness and cut you to the core? I have. When the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to you, it may pierce your inmost being, yet it is done with such love that it produces repentance and humility. We humans sometimes have different motives for speaking the truth. Without love, truth can cut like a sword or feel like a rock hurled, leaving wounds. It Is Written EPHESIANS 4:15 But sp

By Paula Williamson, guest writer World events, the news, social media, and personal experience can leave us wondering what truth is. What we hear can divide families and political parties and create conflict in our personal beliefs. Many of the things I thought were true as a child I later found were not. One place we can turn has remained for over 3,000 years and has not been proven false. The Bible contains God's promise that it will never pass away. It Is Written EPH

By Paula Williamson, guest writer What’s inside you? God put a little of Himself into each of us. Scripture says we were made in His image. No one is like us. We are completely unique and created for a purpose. We are not good at everything, but we all have strengths. The world benefits when everyone does what they do best. It Is Written EPHESIANS 4:11-13 And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representativ

By Paula Williamson, guest writer On my way to the car this week, my friend and I saw a couple, and something in their faces stirred my compassion. I asked if they were okay. They had just gotten out of detox and were homeless. They had walked with their belongings in a garbage bag to the nearest church, only to arrive after it had closed. We asked if we could pray for them, and they burst into tears. We shared a small meal at McDonald's, and they told their heartbreaking s

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The enemy of our souls makes it easy to believe we do not fit in. Everyone looks for a place to belong. We are like a puzzle piece meant for a big picture, but where is it? Scripture teaches that when we surrender our lives to Christ, we become part of the body of Christ. Before King James changed the name of that body to church, that word was not even in the Bible. The word for the body of Christ was ekklesia, meaning the called-out ones, th

By Paula Williamson, guest writer The enemy of our soul often diminishes our worth. If we truly knew what was in God’s heart when He knit us in our mother’s womb, the world would be changed. The constant erosion of our worth and demeaning self-talk steal our purpose and our lives. It Is Written EPHESIANS 2:10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for g