About Barbara Harper

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Laudable Linkage

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good reads found this week:

Can Satan Put Thoughts Into Our Heads? “‘Can Satan himself put thoughts into our heads?’ Yes, he can and he does. And of course, the urgent questions then are, How do we recognize them? And how do we resist them and not get controlled by them?”

10 Things to Pray for Children Who Have Walked Away from Jesus, HT to Challies. “God is never too busy or preoccupied to receive you when you bring your burdens into his presence. God cares for your children. That is such an encouragement when we are struggling to persevere in prayer. But it’s hard to know what to pray sometimes; or we’ve been praying for so many years that we’ve run out of steam and lost momentum. So, to reinvigorate your prayers for your children, here are ten ways you can pray.”

Making Space for Others In Our Conversations. “I walk into church and spot a new person. I know I should go over and engage her, but such actions often end in stilted exchanges or awkward pauses. Making conversational space for people I don’t know well takes much more effort than the comfort of finding my seat or chatting easily with friends. Do I take the path of least resistance and avoid eye contact? Maybe I offer an acknowledging smile, but continue to my familiar chair? Or do I practice Christ-like hospitality and in love, make my way over to her?” The author includes ideas for conversation starters besides the usual “How are you?” and “What do you do?”

To My Almost-Adult Kids: Don’t Be Afraid of These Three Words, HT to Challies. “I try not to tell you about all my worries. But one fear that I want you to know about? I worry you will be afraid to say these three words.”

How to Provoke Your Children to Anger. “Apparently if you want to be a good parent, the thing that Paul is most concerned about is that you not provoke your children to anger. The somewhat frustrating part of this, though, is that he doesn’t stop to explain what he means by this phrase or explain how it should be done! So what does it look like to provoke your children to anger?”

The Cost of Slowing Down. “Recently a friend asked me when we start ‘locking in’ activities for our daughters. ‘When does it become their thing?’ he wondered, meaning when do we encourage them to commit to a single sport and dig in deep.”

How Can We Bless the Lord? “God’s blessings abound, but we can’t return these favors because He needs nothing from us. Yet, Scripture contains the concept of blessing the Lord.”

10 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor. “I’m sure a million requests could be added, but here is a brief post to offer at least 10 ways that you can pray for your pastor, compiled by a pastor.”

Time Is NOT Money: Redeeming the Hours God Gives Us. “While many modern translations have chosen to steer away from the financial metaphor, Paul’s Greek word choice for ‘making the most’ of time is actually a money word, used like our English word ransom or redeem. Thus, we can legitimately make the case that time and money have correlations. But let’s hit pause right there and consider the many contrasts between the two.”

The Art of Thankfulness. I enjoyed seeing a piece of art here that was discussed in Russ Ramsey’s Rembrandt Is In the Wind: Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Thankful Poor. This post ties in observations about the painting with Philippians 4: 6-8.

God uses people who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him.–Hudson Taylor

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts a weekly opportunity to record and share blessings. She started this over 16 years ago, and I’ve enjoyed participating for most of that time. Today, though, I almost didn’t join in. It’s not been a bad week, but I just couldn’t think of anything to share. I decided to spend a few minutes thinking, looking through family texts for reminders, and jotting down what came to mind. I ended up with way more than five blessings. That’s one reason this exercise is so valuable. We can let God’s gifts go by unnoticed because we don’t take time to ponder and be thankful for them. So today, I am thankful for Susanne and Friday’s Fave Five. In addition:

1. A fairly easy return. I needed to return an item I had ordered online from a company where I shop once or twice a year. In the past, they included an invoice with the purchase that had a section to fill out for returns and a prepaid label. This time, I was perturbed to see they had outsourced their return procedure. I had to go to a website to initiate the return, get a QR code, and find where to return the item. The closest place was 15 minutes away in an area that was off the beaten path for me. But it wasn’t a bad drive, and the process was relatively painless. There was a long line, but it moved quickly. I didn’t even have to repackage the return–they scanned my QR code, printed off a label, and gave me a receipt.

Then, my GPS took me a different route on the way back to my area, and I discovered the road I was on turned into one road and then another that I was familiar with. I’m directionally challenged, so it was a light bulb moment to realize those connections.

2. Settled plans. Our Connect Four group had planned to meet this weekend to make Christmas cards. But one lady had to go out of town and left it up to the rest of us whether we wanted to reschedule or go ahead. The other ladies had not responded to a series of texts asking what we wanted to do. Since we were supposed to meet at my house, I needed to know what we were doing so I would know how to prepare. Finally I got word this week that one lady was sick and not planning to come, and the other had out-of-town family coming in. So we decided to cancel and regroup when everyone was back together. I was partly relieved, partly disappointed, but mainly glad to know for sure what the plan was.

Also in this category, we got the dates my oldest son is planning to be here in December.

3. Yard and window cleaning. Jim cleared out the dead plants, cut back the roses, and even cleaned some of the outer windows that had a bunch of spider webs in them. It all looks so much better.

4. A successful shopping trip. I got several things accomplished one afternoon. I found everything I needed for my Operation Christmas Child box at the Dollar Tree and spent gift cards at Hobby Lobby and Crumbl cookies. 🙂

5. A light snowfall. I’m very glad it was just that–a light dusting of snow.

Bonuses: I’m thankful for those who serve our country and the opportunity to honor them on Veteran’s Day. The Northern Lights were in our area again this week. It was too cloudy to see them from our house, but I saw many beautiful pictures on Facebook. Timothy got his upper braces this week, and, though they’re uncomfortable, he weathered the experience well.

I hope you’ve had a good week!

Review: Drenched in Light

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Drenched in Light is the fourth novel in Lisa Wingate’s Tending Roses series.

Julia Costell trained all her life as a ballerina, but crashed soon after being accepted into the Kansas City ballet troupe. The emphasis on body line and thinness and the stress of competition led to an eating disorder, which led to a ruptured esophagus and near death.

Now she’s 27, living at home with worried helicopter parents, and working as a guidance counselor at the same performing arts magnet school she attended.

Julia feels lost and without purpose. But then one day a student named Dell Jordan is sent to her office with a troubling essay she had written for English.

Dell was the impoverished neighbor of Grandma Rose in the first book in this series. She started out as a side character, but now has moved to the forefront. The previous book, The Language of Sycamores, ended with Dell being adopted by Karen and James, Karen being Grandma Rose’s granddaughter. Dell is something of a musical prodigy–she has an a beautiful voice and an aptitude for piano even though she had no training.

Her adoptive parents thought the performing arts school would be the best for Dell. But the students there are from well-to-do and high-level families. Some of the administration, as well, as the students, don’t see Dell as the “right kind of student.” Though she excels in music, she’s behind in her other subjects. Furthermore, though she knows her new parents love her, she feels a need to keep everything “perfect” before them. So they don’t know she’s struggling.

Julia sees something of herself in Dell–their circumstances are different, but they both deal with pressure and expectations. So she offers to tutor Dell privately.

Meanwhile, Julia becomes aware of other problems within the student body. But the principal and school board members want to keep up the school’s reputation, so they want problems handled discreetly or swept under the rug. Julia is advised to “play the game.” Yet she sees the kids are hurting. If she pushes the issues, she might lose her job.

There’s a fun side story with Julia’s sister’s upcoming wedding and the wedding dress restorer Julia finds to repair their mother’s wedding dress.

Also, some of the characters from the previous books make appearances here.

I thought the book started a little slowly at first, but gained traction in the last third or so, becoming very exciting towards the end. I enjoyed Julia’s and Dell’s journeys.

I was dismayed by instances of taking God’s name in vain, using “Good God!” and such as expressions.

But otherwise, I thought this was a great story. I listened to the audiobook nicely read by Erin Spencer but also checked out the e-book from the library for the author’s notes.

Review: Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Imagine what your reaction would be if you gave birth to a child born without arms or legs. You would likely grieve and then wonder how in the world you would raise him to live any kind of normal life.

Boris and Dushka Vujicic experienced those reactions when their son, Nick, was born. “We were burdened not by Nick but by our doubts and our fear that we were not capable of giving him all he needed to succeed (p. 163).

Nick grew up to become an internally known evangelist and motivational speaker, telling his story in Life Without Limits. But there were many hurdles and trials before that happened.

Boris shares their experience in Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child: Facing Challenges with Strength, Courage, and Hope. The book is part memoir, part encouragement to other parents.

After the Vujicics got over their initial shock at Nick’s condition, they found that, in many ways, he was a baby like any other. He needed love, cuddling, food, and diaper changing. The rest they had to figure out along the way. There weren’t many resources available to help.

Their faith was shaken. As Christians, they wondered why God would allow such a seemingly cruel thing to happen.

With our limited vision, Dushka and I could foresee only struggle and anguish for Nick and for us. We were so wrong, of course. Our son and our experiences with him have enriched our lives beyond measure and taught us many lessons at the heart of this book. Nick gave us a new definition of the ideal child and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of our Father’s divine vision.

Nick taught us to find new meaning in the psalm that says we are “wonderfully made.” We came to see Nick as God’s beautiful creation, lovingly formed in His image. We lacked the wisdom, initially, to understand that. We saw Nick as disabled rather than enabled. We could not grasp that his missing arms and legs were part of God’s unique plan for our son.

Chapters cover accepting and loving your child, giving yourself permission to grieve, allowing friends and family to help, advocating for your child’s medical care, meeting the needs of siblings, education, preparing your child for adulthood, keeping marriage bonds strong, and building a spiritual foundation. Boris encourages taking cues from your unique child as to what he needs and the best way to help him.

It would be easy with a child like Nick to swoop in and do everything for him. But his parents raised him to do as much for himself as possible.

My favorite aspect of his book is that Boris writes humbly and practically. Nowhere does he hint that readers should do everything just like he and his wife did. He just shares insights gleaned along the way.

Some of the quotes that stood out to me:

Nick is proof that none of us are limited by our circumstances and that all of us can create meaningful, fulfilling, and joyful lives if we choose to focus on our gifts rather than on what we may lack. All of us are imperfect. All of us are perfect (p. 10).

All children have strengths and weaknesses, and they can surprise you in so many ways. Our duty is to nurture, encourage, and motivate them, and help them build upon their strengths (p. 11).

Perhaps the greatest gifts we can give our children toward their success in adulthood are a foundation of unconditional love, a sense that they have a purpose in this world, a value system to guide them, and a spiritual base as a perpetual source of hope (p. 157).

Our imperfections have a purpose. We often can’t discover that purpose without first accepting that it exists and then searching to find it (p. 187).

God makes no promises that our lives will be pain free; He promises only that He will always be with us if we believe. We realized that we had to trust in His wisdom and good purposes, in His Word rather than in our feelings, and in His grace, which is sufficient for any trial (p. 191).

I might not be the target audience for this book since my children are grown now, and none of them had physical disabilities. But I enjoyed reading it and learned from it all the same.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Inconvenient Holiness

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Barbara Harper

It’s one thing to minister to people when you’ve got the occasion on the calendar and have time to prepare, spiritually, mentally, and physically: working in the nursery, sharing a testimony, hosting a family or group in your home, helping someone after surgery, etc.

It’s another thing when a need arises totally unexpectedly. It doesn’t usually happen when life is peaceful and we’re all caught up with our to-do list.

I think of the man Jesus spoke of called the Good Samaritan. He was traveling for business one day when he found a man on the roadside, beaten and left for dead. He could have gone on his way and not gotten involved. Two other men in the story did. Plus, the Samaritans and Jews were enemies. But he went out of his way to help. With a great expenditure of time, effort, and money, the Samaritan put the injured man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, cared for him, and paid the innkeeper for the man’s expenses, promising to reimburse him for any additional costs.

Or Abraham’s three unusual and unexpected visitors in Genesis 18. He encouraged them to rest, brought water for them to wash their feet, picked out one of his calves, and had one of his men butcher and cook it. That must have taken hours. Yet he was glad to do it.

I’m afraid I am not always so gracious when a need arises out of the blue. I try to remember to ask for God’s guidance and direction at the beginning of the day. So I like to think the plans I make are directed by Him. Then when those plans are overturned or something unexpected comes up, it’s easy for me to get frustrated at the interruption. Yet He is in charge even of the interruptions. He knew what would be coming that day. I often wish He’d let me know. 🙂 But He wants me to trust Him with all circumstances.

Recently I was arrested by the phrase “Holy Inconvenience” in a spoken-word poem titled “a blessing.” It often is an inconvenience to serve in any way, isn’t it?

Even when a ministry is planned, it often takes more time and thought and energy than anticipated. Or someone gets sick or the roof starts leaking or some ingredient is missing.

But think how greatly Jesus was inconvenienced for us. He “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He left heaven’s glory to be born in a manger, live on a sinful earth, to teach people who didn’t understand Him, to share truth with those who opposed Him, to work whole days healing and ministering, going without food, having to get up early or stay up late to spend time with His Father. He touched those who were considered unclean. Then He suffered betrayal, ridicule, persecution, beating, and finally death . . . for us.

That makes an afternoon of cooking for company or a few hours studying to share a lesson seem paltry by comparison.

He doesn’t count it as paltry, though. He rewards giving a cup of water in His name (Mark 9:41). He won’t “overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do” (Hebrews 6:10).

This doesn’t mean we can never say no to an opportunity. Jesus did sometimes.

But it does mean going out of our way to minister to others should be a normal event, not a rare occasion.

In fact, Jesus didn’t consider that He was going “out of His way” for us. In John 4:4, He “had to pass through Samaria” specifically to talk to the woman at the well. In Luke 9:51, He “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” His way was planned before the world began. He traveled the path He did on purpose.

He has a path and a ministry for us as well. He doesn’t always show us what they are ahead of time. But we’re to be ready “in season and out of season,” whether it’s convenient or not, to share the gifts He’s given us, to share Him and show His love to others. He has done so much for us. By His grace, let’s seek His help to minister to each other no matter the obstacles.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the posts that spoke to my heart this week:

Trust and Delight. “Trusting God doesn’t mean we stop working; it means we stop worrying about outcomes beyond our control. When you trust God, you trade anxious striving for patient obedience.”

Noisy World, Quiet Heart. “It can be hard to have a moment’s peace amidst the noise of the world. Constantly bombarded with notifications, updates, emails, texts, podcasts, and videos, we often allow all the ‘noise’ to take over our thoughts and hearts. As a result, we’re anxious, sleep-deprived, nervous, and sinfully angry. God is not the author of noisome, disquieted hearts. He is the God of peace.”

Comfort for the Heart that Can’t Pray. “I knew I needed to pray, but the only words I could muster were, ‘Jesus, help!’—followed by a crushing silence. My heart was numb, my head was swimming, and, on top of it all, I was frustrated with my own inability. Why couldn’t I figure out how to pray in such a dire situation? What was wrong with me?“

Praying for Help When You Are Helpless. “When Jehoshaphat was told that a “great multitude” was at Engedi (only about 25 miles from Jerusalem), he was afraid. What did Jehoshaphat do in his fear? He prayed.”

Don’t Wait for Tragedy Before You Talk to Your Kids About Death, HT to Challies. “Our children know that our world is broken. And if we want to teach the whole witness of Scripture and speak precisely about the gospel, we’re going to have to talk about death with the children in our homes and churches. Talking to kids about death gives them an opportunity to worship God in light of Christ’s sacrifice and to seek comfort in him as they live in our broken world.”

Losing Our Words: The Decline of Reading and the Rise of Reels, HT to Challies. “It’s not just that people don’t read books anymore; it’s that we don’t know how to read deeply. We skim, we scroll, we glance. Our minds, constantly fed on instant content, become restless and impatient with slow thought. The result is a generation that finds reading effortful—and reflection uncomfortable..”

The Antidote to Unmet Expectations this Thanksgiving. “It isn’t always easy to go from what our minds thought it would or should be like to what God has in mind instead. Unmet expectations (even ones we didn’t realize we created!) can be crushing and draining.”

Give Your Best Away, HT to Challies. “Quality matters, especially when giving to others. Surprisingly, I have been critiqued for this.”

Announcing the 2026 Bible Reading Challenge. “The challenge is to read the entire Bible within 90 days. If you wish, you may begin today. Regardless of when you begin, your 90-day period must end no later than March 31, 2026. Once you complete your reading, you may submit an entry form (see post) to enter a prize drawing.”

The best way of increasing our knowledge of God s infinite nature, is by the reverent study of His Word. It is a flimsy religion which discounts doctrine. What the bones are to the body, doctrine is to our moral and spiritual life. F. B. Meyer, from the August 4 reading in Our Daily Walk

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Barbara Harper

As we end the first week of November, I’m stopping for a moment to count the blessings of the week and sharing them with you all and Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Family costume party. Back during the pandemic, when all the regular avenues of dressing up and getting candy were closed, Jason and Mittu proposed having our own family costume party on Halloween. We’ve done so ever since. It’s always fun to see what everyone comes up with.

Jesse’s is some kind of medieval outfit–I told him he looked like a blacksmith. Jim’s is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I’m Rosie the Riveter. 🙂 Mittu is Hot Sauce. (Jason bought the costume. 🙂 ) And Jason is a Starbucks drink.

Timothy is kind of hidden in that picture–he dressed as Granddad!

Jim usually wears a polo shirt with a pen in the pocket, and he usually has his glasses on. So this is spot on. They even sprayed Timothy’s hair with grey highlights. 🙂

I was supposed to bring dessert but didn’t want to do ghosts or mummies or that kind of thing. So I made the easiest-ever peanut butter cookies (one cup of sugar, one cup of peanut butter, and one egg) and tried to decorate them as owls.

You see why I usually leave the food decorating to Mittu. 🙂

We had a really fun time with dinner, dessert, and games.

2. An extra hour Saturday night. It takes me a while to get adjusted to the time change, but I do love the extra hour that day. I really wouldn’t mind if they left Daylight Savings Time in place, except that school kids end up waiting for the bus in the dark around this time of year if we don’t change back to regular time.

3. A change of doctor but not of time. I got a call from the doctor’s office that the person I was supposed to see for back-to-back appointments in February (yearly physical and yearly Medicare wellness visit) was not going to be in the office that day. But, thankfully, someone else was free for both appointments.

4. Yard clean-up. Our wildflowers have been past their prime for a while now, and Jim was able to cut them down and clean out the flower beds this week. He didn’t plant tomatoes this year, but he found some unripe ones growing among the flowers. It’s odd they didn’t ripen over the summer–I guess the tall wildflowers blocked the sunlight from them. The yard looks immensely better.

5. New game. My oldest son told me about an online word game called Raddle that has been fun.

Bonus: When my husband says, “Do you want me to pick up some dinner, or do you have plans?” Even if I have plans, I won’t turn down take-out. 🙂

And that wraps up another week. How was yours?

Review: Bloom In Your Winter Season

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Bloom In Your Winter Season was written by Deborah Malone “with twenty-three contributing writers” for older women as a reminder that God can both minister to them and use them in their later years.

They don’t really define what constitutes a “winter season.” One of the authors is in her fifties, which I would say is more autumnal than wintry. Still, we’re all facing that time of life and getting closer every day, so we can tuck the lessons away for future reference if we don’t need them immediately.

The book is divided up into six chapters, each featuring a couple, or sometimes three, women in the Bible: Miriam and Anna; Mary and Martha; Mary and Elizabeth; Lois and Eunice; Lydia, Joanna, and Susanna; and Naomi and the widow with two coins. (I’m surprised there wasn’t a chapter on Sarah, maybe couple with Rebekah.) All of the women focused on are not “older,” but there are things about their lives we can learn from whatever season we’re in.

Each chapter is designed to be read over five days. The first four days’ reading contains short essays written by different women, each ending with application questions and a prayer. Day 5 is a Bible study on the focus women written by Deborah with passages to read, questions to answer, and blank lines to jot down notes .

The overall theme of the book is that God can still use you whatever age you are, and that’s brought out in most of the chapters. Some of the writers discuss specific situations like adjusting to the empty nest, widowhood, aging, sharing faith with our grandchildren, and living in a nursing home (one woman wrote over 70 books while in a nursing home!) But other chapters are more general.

One problem with five writers contributing to each chapter is that there’s a bit of overlap. But perhaps repetition reinforces the details. On the other hand, the chapter on Naomi only mentioned her once in passing in the essays.

The chapter that stood out the most to me was the one on Lydia, Joanna, and Susanna–I think partly because we don’t usually hear much about these women, especially the last two. They are mentioned in Luke 8:1-3 with “some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities” who traveled with Jesus and the disciples and “who provided for them out of their means.” Joanna is mentioned again at the cross with other women in Luke 24. Writer Sherye Green points out that these women served Jesus out of “pure, unbridled gratitude” (p. 123).

I only knew of a couple of the authors here before reading this book. There are a few with whom I might not agree in every point, judging from their biography information. But I didn’t find anything objectionable in this volume.

Some of the quotes that stood out to me:

Anna worshiped in the waiting (p. 29).

Is there a mother or grandmother in your life who prays, encourages, and supports the younger generation in the faith? Godly women invest in a heavenly treasury of prayers and a heritage of faith for their loved ones. Praying mamas deposit a foundation of wisdom and understanding into their children’s lives, building up their character and committing their future to God (p. 91).

I used to pray for my daughter’s strength and personality–stating what I wanted God to place in her. I failed to realize that the parenting challenge is knowing God already has a plan and purpose for our little people. Our prayer should ask God to show us their developing talents so that we cultivate His gifts in them (p. 96).

When my focus was on me, I felt my broken heart intensely. I began noticing those around me with their own trials and doing small things I could to help ease their burdens: visiting a young friend dying of breast cancer, training as a hospice volunteer, taking food to new widows, and generally loving on people. It was different from the lay ministry my husband and I shared as a team, but just as important in God’s economy (p. 143).

The essays are designed to read one a day. I usually read two or three, because they were so short. If I ever read this book again, though, I think I’ll stick to one a day and ponder it more before moving on.

Still, the book did its job in encouraging me that God has something for me to do and has promised to be with me in every season.

Review: The Language of Sycamores

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Barbara Harper

The Language of Sycamores is the third novel in Lisa Wingate’s Tending Roses series.

Karen Sommerfield received two blows in one day. A routine test at the doctor’s office indicates her cancer may have returned. And her whole department, of which she was the head, has just been eliminated at her firm in their downsizing efforts. “I sat back in my chair, looked around my office, and for the first time in my life, felt completely worthless. What do you do when the thing you’ve put your time and effort, your heart and soul, into, the thing that is the biggest part of who you are, is gone? Where do you go from there?”

When her sister, Kate, calls with an invitation to come to Missouri, Karen agrees. Normally, she avoids Missouri. Her lifelong rivalry with her seemingly perfect sister, their different lifestyles, the difficulties with their father, all contribute to keeping her distance. But, learning that her pilot husband, James, is going to MO for the weekend as well, Karen decides the trip will take her mind off her troubles. She doesn’t tell anyone about her double dose of bad news at first. She’s still processing it, and she doesn’t want to seem any more imperfect.

Kate has made contact with some long lost cousins who have some old letters between their grandmother and Kate and Karen’s Grandma Rose. They discover the two grandmothers had a sister they never spoke of.

Meanwhile, Dell, an young girl from an impoverished neighbor of Grandma Rose’s, spends much of her time at Kate’s. Dell’s grandmother isn’t well, and Uncle Bobby, who lives with them, is an unsavory character.

As Karen makes discoveries about her family and tries to help Dell, her eyes are opened to her own misconceptions and to the needs of others. She’s reawakened to old interests she had closed the door to. And Grandma Rose’s advice comes back to her.

A couple of the quotes that stood out to me:

Grandma saw the poetry in ordinary things. She mused on the meaning of life while her hands were busy with everyday chores. Anything else would have been far too impractical to suit her.

It’s those little nicks and dents and imperfections of spirit that allow us to flow out into a thirsty world. It’s our scars that allow us to relate to the scars of others, our suffering that connects us to others who suffer.

The first two books, Tending Roses and Good Hope Road, didn’t seem to be connected. But this book ties them together with the cousins finding out about each other.

The title comes from something Grandma Rose used to say: when some surprise was coming or something was brewing, she’d say she heard it in the sycamores.

I did have a couple of problems with the book: the use of minced oaths and Dell’s supposedly somehow getting messages from the deceased Grandma Rose.

But otherwise, I enjoyed Karen’s journey from being self-absorbed and defensive to seeing people for who they are, not who she thought they were.

Why Do We Need Wisdom?

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Our pastor recently spent several weeks teaching from the book of Proverbs in the Bible. In the same time frame, several blogs I follow also had a series of posts from Proverbs: Michele at Living Our Days, Proclaim and Defend, and Knowable Word.

Even my Typeshift word game app brought up Proverbs.

The main thrust of Proverbs is wisdom. It occurred to me that about the only time I hear people asking for wisdom is when they have to make a decision. “I need prayer for wisdom about whether to take this job” or “I need wisdom for dealing with a difficult situation at work,” etc.

We do need wisdom for those needs. But we also need God’s wisdom for everyday life. The ESV Study Bible notes define wisdom in James 1:5 as “a God-given and God-centered discernment regarding the practical issues in life” (p. 2391).

I decided to look through the first few chapters of Proverbs, as well as a few other passages, to see why the Bible says we need wisdom. I ended up with six typed pages in Microsoft Word, too much to share here. No wonder other blogs ran whole series on Proverbs.

But, just to hit some highlights, here are some results of my study:

Why do we need wisdom?

It’s commanded: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:5-6).

To walk worthy of the Lord: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:9-11).

To avoid naivete and foolishness: “Wisdom cries aloud in the street . . .: ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?’ (Proverbs 1:20-22) “Leave your simple (folly, foolishness in other versions) ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Proverbs 9:6).

To understand the fear of the Lord: “If you seek [wisdom] like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:4-5).

To develop discretion: “For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you” (Proverbs 2:11-12).

For protection from evil people and from being led astray: “Delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words” (Proverbs 2:12-16). (See also Proverbs 1:12-19; 7:4-5.)

To be blessed: “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding” (Proverbs 3:13). “She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed” (Proverbs 3:18). “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors” (Proverbs 8:32-34).

Her gain is valuable: “For the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her” (Proverbs 3:14-15). “My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver” (Proverbs 8:19).

Long life: “Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor” (Proverbs 3:16). “For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life” (Proverbs 9:11). “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:34-35). (I don’t think this is a guarantee that a wise person won’t die young. However, wisdom will act in ways that prolong life. And these verses also say God favors a wise person.)

Pleasantness and peace: “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace” (Proverbs 3:17). “For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Proverbs 2:10).

Confidence: “Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble” (Proverbs 3:23).

To teach others: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

To edify others: “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches” (Proverbs 24:3-4). “The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down” (Proverbs 14:1).

What is the character of wisdom?

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).

“Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.” (Proverbs 8:6-8).

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion” (Proverbs 8:12).

“I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice” (Proverbs 8:20).

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

Where do we get wisdom?

God: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity (Proverbs 2:6-7). “He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21).

Jesus: “Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3). “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

Fear of the Lord: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10).

The Bible: “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

Prayer: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5-6). “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:16-17). “If you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding” (Proverbs 2:3).

Intentional listening: “Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding” (Proverbs 2:2).

Active searching: “If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:4-5).

Obeying God’s Word: “See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples” (Deuteronomy 4:5-6).

Wise people: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

When we become wise

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Did any of these reasons to seek wisdom or sources of wisdom surprise you? Did any resonate with you?