Nana Dolce
God Allowed the Greatest Disaster Ever—Because ...

The year 2026 came swinging hard. It hit my local church with three consecutive funerals. Our congregation began the year in mourning. And worry seems ready to follow my own little family into February. We live outside of Eden. Tragic stories on the news, trouble in our communities, and pain in our bodies remind us of this reality. We can feel the thorns and thistles of our wilderness journey. The threat is real—yet, we have good news that’s more certain than our troubles: God may allow a disaster, but He is always a Savior and He is always good. Here’s one example that might surprise you.

God Allowed the Greatest Disaster Ever—Because He’s Good
Nana Dolce
When God's Providence Orders Your Footsteps

My husband and I have often marveled at God’s providence in our “chance” train encounter. That moment ultimately led to our marriage, our four children, our partnership in local church ministry, and so much more. “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Our sovereign God is writing a big story, and He’s pleased to weave our individual tales into a narrative that displays His wisdom and glory. God orders our steps; and there’s a quiet verse in the book of Ruth that screams of His providence! 

Continue at The Daily Grace Co.

When God's Providence Orders Your Footsteps
Bible Study
Nana Dolce
Why We Remember Lot’s Wife

Lot’s wife belonged to a family with a great name and trust in God’s promises. She even had angels visit her home! God sent them to personally escort her from His coming wrath to His safety (Gen.19:1-22). Yet, she fell into eternal judgment because she looked back to her life in Sodom. She longed to preserve what she had and became a pillar of salt–a crystalline substance used for preservation (Gen. 19:26). Friends, Jesus is kind to warns us in Luke 17:32-33: “Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

Why We Remember Lot’s Wife

Confessions of a (Sinful) Overachiever

Confessions of a (Sinful) Overachiever

Grateful for the chance to write for Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics blog. Paragraphs from the piece are below and the full article is found here. Thank you for reading! 

My practice of faith, like most things in my life, is sustained by a propensity for difficult work. I’m a hard driver, often choosing the coarse road. As a mother, I give birth without epidural, nurse for fourteen-months, make my own baby food, homeschool my little ones—all the while working part-time and teaching small groups. It’s admirable—if not for the pesky tendency to pride myself by the praise of these efforts.

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Proverbs 31: What Does Context Say About the Woman Who Fears the Lord?

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Proverbs 31: What Does Context Say About the Woman Who Fears the Lord?

We tend to approach Proverbs 31:10-31 as a recipe to be tried and tested. And as done with most recipe books, we dog-ear and separate favorite pages from the rest. But Proverbs 31:10-31 is not a “formula” for biblical womanhood. The verses are God-breathed Scripture—profitable for our teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). For this reason, we do well to study the passage within its context. Proverbs 31:10-31 follows thirty chapters within the book of Proverbs: how do these preceding verses help us to understand this excellent wife? And how can a contextual view of the text shape our own desire for godly femininity?    

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The Shunammite Woman and Greatest of all Rewards

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The Shunammite Woman and Greatest of all Rewards

The woman who struggles to take hold of God’s promise now grips the feet of God’s prophet in thanksgiving. I’m reminded here of Abraham who, when given a son through the deadness of Sarah’s womb, believed that God could raise even the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Yes, God gives His children good gifts. Yet His blessings are always meant to offer more than mere provision--they are given to reveal more of Him to us. And that is by far the greatest reward of all!

‘The Cosby Show': Black Image and Respectable Idols

‘The Cosby Show': Black Image and Respectable Idols

At some point, The Cosby Show became more than a sitcom; it morphed into a barometer with which to measure success for blacks. But perhaps that was its intention from the beginning. When network executives Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner first pitched the idea of the sitcom to NBC, Cliff Huxtable was a limousine-driving father with a stay-at-home wife and four school-aged children. But before the pilot was shot, Cosby had painted a striking new mural for producers.

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Prayer and the Fellowship of Believers- Lessons from a Widow and Her Oil

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Prayer and the Fellowship of Believers- Lessons from a Widow and Her Oil

The widow had nothing but a single jar of oil. Elisha tells her to borrow many vessels from her neighbors. Her jar of oil would miraculously multiply as she poured it into each vessel. God’s means of provision for this woman sends her to many doors on that day—the more she knocked on, the more vessels she would receive. The more vessels she borrowed, the more oil she would have for her son’s freedom and for their livelihood (2 Kings 4: 2-7).

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The Widow of Zarephath: Chosen by Glorious Grace

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The Widow of Zarephath: Chosen by Glorious Grace

Why is Elijah sent to this widow? She was not among the people of Israel and she herself testifies of her sins. Clearly, she doesn’t choose God but He chooses her (John 15:16). He saves her just as He has and will redeem all those He has predestined for adoption as children through Jesus Christ; this is according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His own glorious grace (Ephesians 1:5-11)! Salvation is of the LORD.

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Why I Love My Husband

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Why I Love My Husband

On August 2, 2008, I stood before God and witnesses and made a vow of love, honor and fidelity to Eric J. Dolce. I was certain of the LORD’s hand in the union. My husband and I marveled as a rainbow appeared over our reception. Indeed, God's promises for us in Christ have been “Yes and Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20)!

Today marks seven years since that day. The years have passed quickly but my love for my husband has not.  In truth, I adore him now more than ever…and here’s why:

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Jezebel’s Deadly Deceit and the Pilgrim’s Progress

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Jezebel’s Deadly Deceit and the Pilgrim’s Progress

Jezebel’s hatred of God’s covenant people is one example of the larger cosmic battle between the offspring of the woman and the offspring of the serpent. God put enmity between the serpent and the woman in Genesis 3:15. From here onward, Scripture unfolds the pattern of two communities: those who belong to the promised Seed of the Woman and those who are hostile to that Seed and his people.

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Abortion: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Speak

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Abortion: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Speak

As a member of the Black church, it seems we have passed by to the other side of the road too often on this issue. Where is the outrage? And where is our heartbreak for the little faces missing from our own congregations? I’m sorry to say that, before today, I had never cried for the children aborted in my church. Who is missing today who may have stood next to my own daughter to declare: “God made me!”

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Job’s Wife: God’s Forbearance ought to lead us to Repentance

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Job’s Wife: God’s Forbearance ought to lead us to Repentance

Job’s wife reminds me of myself in some ways. I am certainly not above sounding like a foolish woman when faced with frustrations, disappointments and pain. My prayer is that God’s demonstrated kindness to me—above all, the atoning death and imputed righteousness of His Son—would continuously guard me to a faith that reveals itself in perseverance and joy in trial (James 1:2-5). I want to found clinging to Christ when weighed!

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Rizpah: We Look to a Greater King on a Higher Throne

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Rizpah: We Look to a Greater King on a Higher Throne

Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, is mentioned within a larger drama involving powerful kings, a broken oath, famine, execution by hanging, and propitiatory justice. In short, the plotline is intense. The story is found near the end of the book of 2 Samuel and it’s darker than any fictional folklore the Grimm brothers could have produced. Rizpah held a lengthy vigil over the dead bodies of her sons and her actions moved the mercy of the king of Israel—and the King of Heaven.

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Parental Failures and the Gospel

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Parental Failures and the Gospel

I'm thankful to the Reformed African American Network for their re-post of my 2014 article, Parental Failures and the Gospel. The beginning paragraphs follow and the full post can be found here. Always grateful for your read!

I could begin this post with countless descriptions of my parental failures. Moments when anger got the best of me; times when a little patience would have made all the difference; or just plain insecurities in making the right decisions for my children at every moment and at every stage of their development.

You might agree that feelings of inadequacy are common to parents; whether relatively new like me or seasoned with experience, we feel the weight of the responsibility and the immensity of the task. But in some ways, feelings of inadequacy can be a blessing!

The Boiling Frog - A Look at Marriage and the Black Church

The Boiling Frog - A Look at Marriage and the Black Church

Grateful for my article this week at the Reformed African American Network. It reflects on the Black Church and her response to the same-sex marriage debate. The first few paragraphs follow. I hope that you will take a look at the full post. Thank you as always!

Many of us have heard of the “boiling frog” anecdote. The idea is this: put a frog in blistering hot water and it will instinctively jump out. However, place it in cool water with gradual temperature increases and the frog will remain in its place, absolutely unaware of the danger until it’s too late.

This metaphor illustrates people’s general tendency to challenge abrupt change while nonchalantly adjusting to slow moving drifts. In some ways, the image brings to mind the Black Church and its reaction to the cultural redefinition of marriage.

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Bathsheba and One Greater than David

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Bathsheba and One Greater than David

The Mosaic Law declared a woman unclean for seven days during her menstrual cycle. After this period, she was to cleanse herself by washing (Lev. 15:19-28). Scripture tells us that the bathing woman, Bathsheba, “had been purifying herself from her uncleanness” (2 Sam. 11:4). Perhaps the same spring weather that sent David to the roof also led Bathsheba to conduct her ritual cleansing in some airy corner of her courtyard. We can only speculate since the passage doesn’t specify her exact location. But we do know this: the king of Israel stood atop watching a ceremony intended for the LORD alone.

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A Mother's High Calling

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My church selected three women to answer three questions this past Mother's Day. The questions follow below and my answers are heard in the video above. Motherhood is a high and blessed calling. May the LORD give you the grace to glorify Him in that role!

1) What do you love most about being a mother?

2) In what ways has your own mother influenced your mothering?

3) Why is the role of a mother so important?

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Abigail: Seek Wisdom from Above

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Abigail: Seek Wisdom from Above

Abigail enters the scene of this narrative like a busy triage nurse, assessing damage and treating wounds. It’s immediately clear that Nabal’s household rested on Abigail’s wisdom. A servant came to inform her of the impending disaster and looked to her for their salvation (1 Sam. 25:14-17). Abigail made haste and gathered large portions of food and drink—displaying generosity where Nabal had shown greediness. She laid these provisions on donkeys and set out to meet David (1 Sam. 25:14-20). One unarmed woman charged toward four hundred swordsmen.

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Hannah, God Works Sovereignly Through Prayer

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Hannah, God Works Sovereignly Through Prayer

Hannah addressed God as “the LORD of Hosts” (Yahweh Sabaoth) in her prayer. The name translates as “the LORD Almighty,” the one who rides before legions of armies. We might imagine this victorious title declared at the parting of the Red Sea or the conquest of Jericho, but Hannah’s narrative is the first time the name appears in the Old Testament. The woman who was thundered against by a persistent adversary, needed the LORD Almighty to remember and defend her.

Al-Shabbab, Christian Persecution and Psalm 23

Al-Shabbab, Christian Persecution and Psalm 23

Persecution of African (and Middle-Eastern) Christians continues to increase, as does the gradual cultural degradation of historic Christianity in the west. This post, shared through the Reformed African American Network, is my prayer to the LORD, our Great Shepherd. May He raise His rod and staff high and bring comfort to His persecuted flock around the world. He is the God of both our green pastures and our shadowy valleys. 

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Naomi and the Sovereignty of God in Human Suffering

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Naomi and the Sovereignty of God in Human Suffering

I’ve often considered Naomi “the female Job” of the Bible. She and Job could have been understanding friends. They both knew pain and loss (Job 1:13-21). And they both attributed their suffering to God’s sovereign hand (Job 6:4). Like Job, Naomi’s narrative inspires an old question: can a loving and all-powerful God ordain human suffering and remain wholly consistent with his character? Our passage answers “yes” as we continue.

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Ruth, God’s Gracious Providence in Redemption

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Ruth, God’s Gracious Providence in Redemption

In the days of the judges when everyone did what was right in his own eyes, a Moabite woman does what is right in God’s eyes (Ruth 1:1; Judges 21:25). Ruth reflects God’s own covenant love for his people in choosing to leave her familial home for the saving of another. She turned from father, mother, and country for a people she didn’t know and found refuge under the wings of Israel’s God (Ruth 2:11-12).