In this sinful and broken world, God pours out His goodness. He invites us to bring our pain, fear, failures, and confusion to Him, and by His grace through Jesus and the power of the Spirit, He pours patience, mercy, kindness, and love into us. Then He uses us to pour His goodness into the…
What if I told you it’s time to stop hiding? My “Gram” used to call it “putting her face on.”. Concealer, foundation, blush, shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. Makeup. I refuse to leave the house without it. I even wore mascara into surgery once because I couldn’t face anyone, even my surgeons, barefaced. I know,…
As you might imagine, I spend a lot of time thinking about words. And I’ve been thinking about the importance of having strong and healthy conversations if we want to have strong and healthy relationships. The words we choose can too often erode the edges of our friendships and families … until there’s little to nothing…
We live together, work together, study together, play together, and worship together. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all get along easily? If people were always pleasant, helpful, and encouraging, appreciative, forgiving, and fun. Sounds like heaven! However, relationships are complicated, and even the people we love the most can drive us crazy at…
Living with the right attitudes is essential for anyone wanting to enjoy a peaceful life. How often do you get to the end of the day, realizing that it would have gone much better if only you or your children, spouse, boss, friend, neighbor, or parent had not been so grumpy, ungrateful, angry, or annoying?…
Yesterday, Rev and I would have celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary. Over the decades we spent together, we learned that… Having a love story that lasts takes intentional effort; it doesn’t happen by accident. Years ago, I asked him to help me compile a list of things that we believed would bless every marriage, and…
Are you an encourager or someone quick to express criticism? Rev was one of the best encouragers I’ve ever known. He loved to build people up with verbal pats on the back, always generous with words of appreciation and praise. I recently shared Rev’s message about the mentor who had a profound impact on his…
Based on conversations with some of her friends, my daughter asked me to feature this post of tips for parents of adult children. As we approach the time of year when families will gather to celebrate the holidays, we thought this might be the perfect time. The Most Important Ways toLove Your Adult Children I’m…
Everyone has one. Most of us have more than one. Difficult people! Knowing how to deal with them is an important life skill. Here are 5 wise things to do that will help you enjoy the peace you want.
Everyone has them. These are the hard questions that are difficult to answer. Inquiries that most people answer easily but that you find personally painful. Questions like… The Christmas season is called the most wonderful time of the year, but many find that these inquiring conversation starters are painful reminders of someone or something they lost or long…
Everyone has at least one relative who makes the holidays difficult for everyone else. Jesus told us, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” That includes “love your family.” Sometimes the most difficult people to love are the ones to whom we’re related. Most Americans will gather with their families later today or tomorrow to…
Happy World Kindness Day! Did you know if you want to be happy it’s good to be kind? I love watching videos of Random Acts of Kindness. Have you ever noticed they always end with a smile? The participants in the video are smiling and they make us smile too. If we only watch the…
I don’t believe it was the way I was raised … it just seemed to evolve with time. I knew God and that my eternal salvation was secure through Jesus’ sacrifice and the gift of faith in His amazing grace… But for some reason, I thought my here and now was influenced by God’s favor…
How much is enough? What do you need to be satisfied? Are you satisfied with your relationships? Your finances? Your car? House? Wardrobe? Vacations? Are you satisfied or do you believe the old saying… Enough is always just a little bit more. How many times have you thought… I hate to admit it but I…
Self-love can be defined as anything from the proper regard for and attention to one’s own well-being to inflated love or pride a.k.a. narcissism. Wikipedia says it can be considered a basic human necessity or a moral flaw. Psych Central focuses on the positive saying… “Self-love means that you accept yourself fully, treat yourself with…
It’s not easy to trust God’s love when He says “no” to our wants and desires. I can remember how frustrated I would get as a child when… I just wanted to lay on the couch and watch TV but my dad insisted I cut the grass or wash the car. Of course, practicing the…
How often do you feel like your words are falling on deaf ears? How would you like to be a better listener? I learned a long time ago if I want to pay attention to the people I’m with I need to turn away from all competing distracters. I don’t know if I have ADD…
I looked up what it means to be united in faith and found the following at GotQuestions. “Unity is a state of oneness and harmony. All believers in Christ are united in Christ. We are in a relationship that unites us with Him and with every other believer.“ Being united doesn’t mean we’re the same…
Have you seen the videos of people rewarding people for showing kindness to a stranger? I had a surprise moment several years ago. I stopped by a local store to buy a screen saver for my iPad. I don’t remember doing or saying anything special, although I typically try to remember to smile and say…
It’s nothing new. People have disagreed since Adam and Eve left the Garden and that has always included people of faith. Even though we want to have peace … disagreements happen. But that doesn’t mean we have to get used to them nor does mean we should accept them. Paul was inspired to challenge a…
How would you like to learn a quick and easy way to bless your prayer life? Just imagine All day long you listen to requests. “Please help me. Please give me. Please. Please. Please.” Oh, there is the occasional thank-you but it seems they’re always in a hurry. There’s never any time for real conversations….
