Perspective

Dear Readers: Throughout my years in ministry, there have been words and phrases the Spirit of the Lord has laid on my heart. In this season, perspective seems to be the operative word. For many of us, seeing the glass as half-full or half-empty is our go-to reference for perspective....

Hebrew Idioms – White and Ready for Harvest

“… Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields! They are white and ready for harvest” (John 4:35 - TLV). One of the most colorful—and perhaps confusing aspects of Scripture is the frequent use of idioms. Expressions with a deeper meaning that are not meant...

Take Care of Your People

Take Care of Your People - The Enlightened CEO’s Guide to Business Success by Paul Sarvadi Dear Reader, it’s an honor to announce that my husband has written his first book! Published by Forbes Books and available at bookstores and online, Paul’s exceptional insight and decades of hands-on experience has...

Is it Okay to Hold Back The Tithe

QUESTION: “Dear Victoria, is it okay to hold back and accumulate my tithe to give at a later time for a bigger need my church or my favorite ministry may have?”  H.M. ANSWER: Dear H.M., I can appreciate your desire to help ministries in times when something “bigger” is needed....

Harvest Time

Dear Readers: As the Texas bluebonnets begin to punctuate the landscape with glorious exclamations of color, I find myself filled with expectation and wonder—knowing that once again the Lord is faithful in His promises of provision. Once again, we have entered a season of growth. A time when seeds are...

The Almond Tree

SHOKED – a watch or performance Jeremiah 1:12 11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. 12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching (shoked) to see that my word is fulfilled.” Shoked means to be on a watch or awake as...

Passover

Dear Readers:  Few of us have reached adulthood without hearing the age-old adage of how quickly life can change—how we must never take anyone or anything for granted. It was around this time last year that I fell about eight feet from my grandchildren’s elaborate tree house in my backyard,...

The Cup After Supper

“What a lovely building,” I said, as my husband and I drove by the cute little Victorian-era church in our new neighborhood of Kingwood, Texas. “I wonder what it looks like inside, maybe we could visit on Sunday?” We were actively looking for another church home where we could worship...

Were Disciples Paid to Preach?

QUESTION: Is it true that Jesus and his disciples were not paid when they preached? HM ANSWER: Dear HM, The ways and economy of Judea was very different at the time of Yeshua. The communities normally took care of the itinerant rabbis providing food and shelter. As was their culture,...