Becky Harling

Our few days in Ireland were lovely. While there, one of our hosts took several of us to tour the lovely gardens of Powerscourt Estate. National Geographic has ranked the gardens the third most beautiful in all the world. They were exquisite in every sense of the word. The vibrant colors, beautiful paths, waterfalls and

The other day, I was cleaning my fridge. Knowing that Steve and I would be traveling soon, I wanted to dispose of all the outdated stuff and wipe down the shelves. Halfway through my project, I couldn’t find my sponge. I looked on the counter, in the sink and even in the garbage. I kept

I love taking long walks early in the morning to the Starbucks that’s a little way from my home. As I walk in the early-morning silence, I am able to enjoy God’s presence and the beauty that surrounds me. A few days ago, as I was walking, a deer stood just a few feet from

When Steve and I were first married, we thought it would be great fun to plant a garden. We rototilled a huge plot of land and eagerly planted lots of vegetables. But life got busy: I was teaching school, and Steve was pastoring a church and working towards his master’s in seminary. One day as

A few days ago, I had to mail some boxes of books from the post office. My grandson Charlie (9) came with me. He was a champ! He carried one of the heavy boxes and waited with me as I filled out custom forms (the boxes were headed out of the country) and stood by

Steve and I have just spent the last two weeks in Ecuador. While in the region of Loja, we sampled lots of flavored fruit juices. The Ecuadorians have mastered the art of juicing! All of the different fruit juices got me thinking about fruit. Not the kind that grows on trees, but the kind that

Renewable energy is all the buzz right now. Renewable energy creates and sustains electricity—which keeps the lights on—with less environmental impact. In the spiritual realm, what keeps the lights on in our relationship with Christ? What gives us sustaining energy for the long haul of serving Christ? The key is to establish regular rhythms of

Two of our little grandkids are in speech therapy. Honestly sometimes I feel like I need speech therapy too! What about you? Does your tongue ever get you in trouble? I know—mine too! The wise writer of Proverbs wrote, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21a). The apostle Paul wrote,

I learned a long time ago the value of a good self-management meeting, especially when I’m feeling overwhelmed or fearful. The only attendee (other than God) at my self-management meeting is me! In our times, there are lots of reasons to feel overwhelmed and fearful. We’ve had our fair share of natural disasters. We see

I have struggled from time to time with whether or not it’s right to pray, “Lord, bless me.” I mean, He has already blessed me with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3), right? But recently I’ve been struck with the times in Scripture where people dared to pray “Lord, bless me,” and God honored their prayer.

You know them: mayhem moments: The kids are fighting, dinner is burning, deadlines are pressuring and chaos is reigning. Maybe your mayhem is the trials surrounding you on every side—conflict, health issues or financial pressures. I’ve got good news for you. In those mayhem moments, God offers three promises. God reassures us through the prophet

God has a plan for your life. It’s a plan for you to live an abundant and significant life for His glory. Jesus said that He came so that we might have abundant life (John 10:10). We know that’s true, yet many of us settle for far less. Why? I believe our problem is that

Summer is my favorite time of the year. Schedules slow down, days are longer and it feels as though some of the pressures of life lift just a bit. For me, it’s a sacred season of rest, renewal and refreshment. As I’ve been meditating on this, I turned to Psalm 62. It has long been

This week, Steve and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. Recently, a young medical student asked me what the secret has been to keeping our marriage strong through the years. As I’ve mulled that question over in my mind, here are a few thoughts: We’ve shared a strong commitment to Jesus Christ. Through the years,

There are moments in our lives when our circumstances feel as though they’re going to drown us. The psalmist cries out “I have come into deep waters: the floods engulf me” (Psalm 69:2b, NIV). His prayer reminds me of Ezekiel 47, where God leads Ezekiel into the river. First Ezekiel is ankle-deep (Ezek. 47:3)—when we’re