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….
When it comes to truth-telling where would you fall on a scale of 1 to 10? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 If someone…
It’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S. and I want to take this opportunity to say that you, my beautiful friends, are near the top of my list of things for which I’m thankful. You faithfully bless me with your friendship and your encouragement. But most of all you bless me by the many ways you…
Generalizing is the belief that all members of a group are alike. It assumes that a few individuals in the group represent the whole group. Therefore every individual believes, thinks, and acts exactly like all the others. Generalizing believe that… Women are _________. Men are _________. White people are _________. Black people are _________. Democrats…
Let’s talk about our Joy, Junk, & Jesus. I picked up my old Bible the other day. The one I used when our children were growing up. I’ve always kept it in a cute fabric case so the cover still looks clean and undamaged. But the pages are a different story. They’re covered with notes…
A family counselor once shared the following with me… I met with the (Smith) family because four-year-old (Brittany) was having trouble getting along with the other children at her pre-school. As mom and dad took their seats, Brittany wandered the room picking up puppets and books. After a few moments of chit-chat, I asked, ”…
