Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to Real Life . Is jealousy ever a good thing? Only a year after we vowed lifelong love, something was terribly wrong in our marriage. My husband was spending more and more time away from home. At first, he made lame excuses. Later, he didn't even bother with that. Finally, he left. He moved in with another woman. The pain of his betrayal plunged like a knife, deep into my heart. I was jealous, of course. My husband was bedding another woman.  We divorced. Eventually, my heart healed. God has since blessed me with a faithful, loving husband of 30 years, Terry. However, the memory of my first husband's betrayal helps me understand this aspect of God: "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."   Deut. 4:24 NIV Jealousy. It’s usually considered a negative trait. We assign it to unhealthy relationships. One partner is insecure and, therefore, jealous of any other relationships in his lover’s life. From this perspective, attributing...

Photo by Rick Osentoski, USA Today Sports Welcome to Real Life . It’s autumn—footfall season in the Cleveland. Though I don’t know much about the game, I know this: as critical as defense is, it takes offense to win. You gotta score. To do that, you must move the football down the field, past your enemies, and into the end zone. Moses and the Children of Israel understood defense. For forty years, they focused on staying safe and alive while traversing the desert wilderness. Now, camped at Horeb on the border of the Promised Land, God calls them to shift focus.  “You've stayed long enough on this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites.” It’s time for some offense. “Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.” God wants them to move out, engage the enemy, and conquer the Promised Land.  It’s time for Israel to score some ...