Occasionally, I have a day when I wake up and I feel strong enough to handle whatever the day throws at me. But then there are the other days when I open my eyes and I’m not sure I have what it takes just to get out of bed. I’m guessing I’m not alone… Sometimes…
The first week in August is Simplify Your Life Week. Simplify Your Life Week is observed during [the first week of] August each year. This holiday encourages those who need to refocus their lives and declutter – that doesn’t just mean objects. The idea is to eliminate anything that causes stress or anxiety. Most of us…
The #1 post here at Counting My Blessings by far is – 5 Verses to Pray When You Need God to Do the Impossible. The truth is people are facing seemingly impossible circumstances every day. Here are just some of the comments I’ve received on that post from the past year… ♥ My dear cousin…
So, I have a question for you… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you describe your current level of peace if 1 is “I am completely stressed out and overwhelmed with worry and anxiety” and 10 is “I’m so completely peaceful ….
Do you ever feel like the world is drowning in frustration and anger? Just turn on the news or spend a little time on social media and you’d start to believe that frustrated and angry appears to be the mood of the day. Add to that moms and dads being confined at home with their…
The truth is . . . everyone talks to themselves. Some of us talk out loud—because well, it can feel like no one else is listening! Am I right? But even if you don’t actually say the words aloud, everyone has an inner voice that is rarely if ever silent. So, stop with me for…
On the list of things most of us wish Jesus hadn’t said … this would be at the top! But it’s right there in Matthew… “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Matthew 5:43–44 Love your enemies! Really?!…
I have always struggled with the idea of loving myself. As someone who was at church every time the doors were open … I was taught a lot about the importance of loving others but not so much about loving myself. But if you look around today … talk about “self-love” is everywhere. For example,…
I found several definitions for gossip: Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. A rumor or report of an intimate nature. Conversations or reports about other people’s private lives that might be unkind, disapproving, or not true. And it’s everywhere, isn’t it? We…
There’s a saying out there that the average person has about 50,000 thoughts per day. Some say that number is too high. But many neuroscientists who have investigated the issue believe that most people have about 35 thoughts per minute, or one thought every other second. So assuming you take time for sleep … most…
I tend to think of praise and worship as synonyms … which can too often mean that I hear the sounds of music when I imagine doing either one. But… Praise is simply defined as: an expression of warm approval or admiration. Worship is defined as: the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for…
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. James 1:2 This is how Jesus’ half brother, James, began his letter to Christian Jews who had scattered to other parts of the Mediterranean world because of persecution. Can you imagine? Other translations say… Consider it nothing…
Even if you are not personally suffering at the moment … you can’t turn on the news or scroll through social media without seeing it all around you. So many of us are feeling the heaviness of suffering … either our own or the empathetic burden we carry for one another. But God… Oh, how…
The other night, I realized how badly I need some good news … whisperings of hope. My heart is heavy from all the sadness and the constant drip drip drip of gloom and doom forecasts of the future. Martin Luther wrote.. “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” It’s funny. I…
I have to admit, I’m confused and nothing makes sense! Almost every news report, ad, tweet, and post seems to have an agenda. It’s hard to know what to believe when contradicting points of view all claim to be “fact-based” truth. One thing I know for sure is that nothing feels normal and no one…
15 years ago today, I was curled up at the foot of our bed … I cried until my tears ran dry. I pleaded and prayed … asking God to change hearts and change the situation. I hoped with faith that it would be days, weeks, even months, but not years. I longed for the…
If you feel like something is missing right now, you’re not alone. I think most of us feel like we’re experiencing an unending cycle of missing out. We’re missing… time with loved ones. going to school. going to work and having a steady income. weddings, graduations, birthdays, and group celebrations. coffee and visiting with friends….
Are you satisfied? Especially right now, when we’re not doing so many of the things we’re used to doing. No matter how hard we try … we just can’t seem to find satisfaction. So, I wonder… Are you satisfied? The dictionary defines being satisfied as being content or having peace. Does that help? Are you…
I sometimes try to picture how it must have looked… The Philistines camped on one side and the Israelites on the other. The enemy army had a giant—Goliath … the Bible describes him like this: He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds…
It only took one terrifyingly turbulent flight to convince me that staying on the ground was better than being in the air. So much better that it took years before I was willing to go anywhere that required air travel. But flying was just one of my many fears. As a child, I was afraid of…
I’m a good student … someone who has always believed that information helps me achieve my goals and helps my relationships. So, whenever we faced a challenge in our marriage or family, I went searching for information that would “fix” the problem. I’ve read countless self-help books … books on personality types and love languages…
