And they lived happily ever after. You read the stories as a little girl. The ones that ended with the beautiful wedding and those six words that stuck in our hearts and filled our dreams. Walk down the aisle and your good to go. Right?! Maybe. Maybe not. Marriage is full of blessings but it also…
What do you do on those exhausted days when the last thing you want to do is deal with anyone? Nope, you just can’t people today! Most days are full of people. You have your family, they’re your HAVE TO people. Your coworkers. The people with whom you do ministry and the random people you…
Guilt. Everyone has it. We all have something, maybe multiple somethings, that makes us cringe and want to hide. I thought about putting a list of examples here but that then I decided it would be a distraction because all that really matters is … what’s on your list. I know what’s on my list….
I should have known it would happen. It happens almost every time. And when I anticipate it, I seem to handle it better. But this time, I wasn’t paying attention. I wasn’t prepared. What’s “it?” A spiritual battle! I’ve been in a battle ever since I published the post — This is for You –…
Family! Marriage. Parenting. It seems the closer the relationship the more complicated the living. From the moment we walk down the aisle and say our “I dos” the challenges of balancing expectations and reality put stressors on the love we’ve just declared to our families and friends. That’s why I’m thrilled to share this post…
I’ve wrestled with this post for a while. It’s so much easier to write those feel-good grace-filled posts that remind us of God’s abundant goodness and mercy. And we’ll get to that, too … because that’s where we must land after we’ve come face to face with who we are without Him. But after…
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29–31 On…
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30 What does it mean to love God with, “all your heart, all your soul, all…
How can you and I know God’s will? I mean, what is His will exactly? Even when you and I want to follow God’s will for us … the world gives us mixed messages. Goodness, I think even the different church denominations and non-denominations send out mixed messages when it comes to God’s will. So,…
I’m guessing you’re like me and that you share my struggle. You have the voice in your head that remembers and repeats every hurt-filled accusation. And a mirror that faithfully points out every little imperfection. You know the whispers of lost friendships that want you to believe you’re just not worth it. And you count every…
Who would have thought that a 17th Century monk, faithfully working in the kitchen in a small monastery with an unwavering attitude of devotion could touch the hearts and minds of countless believers for generations? The next time you question whether or not anything you’re doing matters … stop and remember Brother Lawrence. After spending…
It’s hard to surrender! One of the hardest things to do in life is to be able to say… “Lord, not my will but Yours be done.” In fact, I’ve had more than a few times when I’ve gone into and through circumstances both kicking and screaming! Surrender is a word that used to terrify…
Can you imagine what it will be like when you and I finally get a glimpse of the glory of God in person? I often wonder what it must have been like for Moses on his second journey to the top of Mt. Sinai. Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and…
If you’d known me growing up you would have seen a girl who could comfortably play the piano and organ in front of large groups of people, who could stand in front of groups and give presentations with little or no fear, and who thrived on memorizing lines and performing in plays and musicals. If…
I started reading Exodus this week. Wow, those people make me uncomfortable! I think it’s because I so often see myself in their less than cooperative words and behaviors. After I ask God to forgive me for being so much like them … I can settle in to learn from them. Here are just a…
I always believed God blessed good behavior and in many ways, He does, but the truth is you and I are not perfect … our behavior will never be good enough. So, most of us would probably admit — life is hard! Add to any personal problems you and I experience, our lives are also…
I thought about sharing all my favorites from the week first but decided I’m too excited … so, I’m just going to spill my exciting news right away! It’s been on my heart the last several months to try to find a way to help bloggers connect and make friends. I hear from so many…
It was the end of our workday when Rev and I sat down to decompress and catch up. I started the conversation pretty wound up over something that had been discussed on a news show I’d recently watched. Rev patiently listened and “wisely” agreed! He knows that’s a good place to start when I’m venting. But…
Happy 2018! I typically start praying and thinking about my blogging plans for the coming year in early September. This year was no exception. The difference this year is that my theme for the year seemed to choose me rather than the other way around. I loved digging deep into faith through The Faith Project…
Jesus – Hope of the World. For just a moment, join me as I focus on God’s amazing gift whom we celebrate. Then, as you finish errand running, wrapping, baking, cooking, traveling, etc… Turn on some music and praise God for His indescribable gift. 20 Quotes that Celebrate Jesus, the Gift of Hope Thanks be…
This post was not part of the plan! I wanted to write this warm fuzzy word of encouragement to walk you into your Christmas celebration. But every time I tried to put words to white space, God challenged me with the following question… What’s your religion? Honestly, I didn’t know what it meant or what…
