Jesus said the Kingdom of heaven would be like 10 virgins in Matthew 25: 1-13. Five ladies were prepared and sadly, five weren’t. In this parable He tells us how to prepare for His return, his 2nd coming. Are you ready? A Parable Please read Marette’s article to understand parableshttps://mustardtrees.com/2025/05/19/parables/ better: The parable tells us there …
Have you ever been robbed and left for dead on the side of the road? You might be surprised to know—I never have either. Growing up in Sunday School and hearing the parables of Jesus, I remember thinking people were robbed and left for dead all the time. I believed it was only a matter …
My uncle was a storyteller. I remember after a holiday dinner, we would sit at his feet in the living room while he told war stories. Years later, in the book Spearhead, my uncle’s stories came to life as the Sherman tank and the crew, including Clarence the gunner, led the fight for Cologne, and …
A tiny, yet mighty cry greeted me each time my three children came into this world. Their first cries are ingrained in my memory as the most beautiful sounds on earth. Becoming a mother is indescribable. The nurses place this tiny, helpless baby on your chest and suddenly absolutely NOTHING else matters. When we brought …
Read more “Strength Under Control: A Toddler and a Newborn Baby”
Today, we often confuse kindness with being nice (in Latin, nice means ignorant) or being highly tolerant toward all sorts of things. Before we engage in casual or formal conversation, we should be kind with our words. Sadly, this behavior has led us to be fake and cowardly. The way our culture defines kindness differs …
Joy during trials A calm delight, gladness, and a great pleasure that is within your innermost soul, that’s the Joy of the Lord. This joy is from the Holy Spirit, and please don’t confuse it with happiness. James 1 tells us to consider it pure joy when we encounter various trials. ”Are you crazy! Have …
Goodness: the 6th of the lineup of Fruits of the Spirit. I like good. Good food, good friends, good times, and a good cold drink of lemonade on a hot summer day. Western culture, perhaps, tends to look at good just as it is defined: something that is to be desired. It pleases us and …
It was one of those days. My husband said something that set me off, and I teetered on the edge of insanity—as many moms do—trying to balance too much. Kids, home, ministry… the stress of holding it all together felt like a constant struggle. His words tipped me over the edge, sending me into a …
“Mommy is breakfast ready yet?” “Mommy are we there yet?” “Mommy when is it going to be time to….” Patience. A word we hear from the time we’re old enough to understand it, until our dying day. We learn about it in cute songs like “Have Patience.” We memorize the fruit of the spirit passage …
Read more “Patience: Strength Will Rise As We Wait Upon the Lord”
As we journey through this spring season, noticing the newness and growth brought by God in our surroundings, I reflect on the Spirit’s fruit—faithfulness from Galatians 5:22-23. Paul’s use of the term “fruit” here illustrates what naturally flows from our lives when the Spirit is at work. Like a tree produces an apple packed with …
