How to love the unlovely. I planned this in my editorial schedule weeks ago. Back when it seemed far away and easy to write. But it’s not at all easy… This is a hard. I wonder if it’s hard for you too. Loving the unlovely. The less than lovable. Loving when everything in you and me…
Stranger danger… is the danger to children and adults, presented by strangers. The phrase stranger danger is intended to sum up the danger associated with adults whom adults/children do not know. (Wikipedia) And because of stranger danger we: Don’t talk with strangers. Don’t walk with strangers. Don’t… In fact, children are told to run the…
“And the second is equally as important.” Equally important to loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength is… Loving your neighbor as you love yourself. Matthew 22:39 This one’s hard isn’t it? Loving imperfect people? People can’t see our hearts. They can’t tell how much we love God . . . except by…
I don’t give much parenting advice because well . . . I don’t have much to give. Each child is unique and what worked for me may not work for you and what didn’t work for me might be the answer for you.
Since our children have been grown for some time, I do however have some advice on loving your adult children well.
I don’t know about you, but I struggle with the idea of self-love. If you Google “love yourself” you’ll find a plethora of thoughts on the subject . . . some good, some not. So I went to the Bible and searched for “love yourself” there, and… 10 places in the Bible it says, “Love…
You can read tons of posts about loving or not loving the church, but the truth is it’s not the church that frustrates us. It’s the people in the church. The church as the family of believers. And… Families are messy and church families are no exception because any time you put imperfect people together ….
Love is in the air and I’m excited! It’s February so of course, The Faith Project has to examine and live out love. What can you expect? Ways to live out loud our love for God, and tips and ideas to help you apply the 5 Love Languages to your relationships. I believe intentionally looking for…
Bring Good News to the poor.Proclaim that captives will be released, The blind will see, and the oppressed will be set free. Those words may sound familiar. They come from Sunday’s Bible readings found in Luke 4 and I’m guessing the subject preached on from many pulpits. I don’t often share my thoughts on Sunday’s sermon here…
Did you know . . . it’s award season? I know how could you miss it. Right? Countless celebrities looking for their trophy and recognition. But the celebrities aren’t alone are they? We all want that “I’m better than you are” recognition. We’re always keeping score. In our career. Our lifestyle. Our parenting. Then there’s our…
Are you committed to your daily planner? I start every year with good intentions. I buy the “perfect” planner. This year I even bought stickers, stamps, and decorative tape. Really. I love all those cute planner posts I see on Pinterest and in my head, I want one that beautifully documents my days. But in…
You’ve heard the quote from Martin Luther, “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.” I woke up the other morning with the words “sin boldly” on my mind. Not your typical opening thought for the day? Not mine either. I believe it was God’s nudge for me…
I chose freedom as my first focus word for change in The Faith Project because although I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in Jesus as my Savior, I haven’t always lived in His freedom and I want that to change. I want to know more. To dig deeper. And to live out that…
If the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36 I don’t know about you, but I have trouble living under the freedom of forgiveness. I love dredging up old feelings of guilt and worrying over past sins. Okay, I don’t really love it. But I’m good at it. There’s nothing like living…
It was in the fall . . . 2010. I was scrolling through Facebook when I noticed that Women’s Day Magazine was looking for bloggers to take part in a year-long blogger project to promote The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. (If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend it.) I wrote a brief intro-letter…
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Who’s the wisest person you know? I think there are some important characteristics shared by wise men and women. They know they don’t know everything. They don’t have all the answers. They never stop seeking the truth. They never stop looking for answers. Wise men learn about the past…
The other day while I was praying, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to share with you, and I felt Him say, “Tell them they’re not good enough.” “Lord, don’t You want me to tell them they are good enough.” “No. Tell them they’re not good enough.” “Lord, that will not help my…
Have you ever noticed the expression on a three-year old’s face when they sing Jingle Bells complete with jingling percussive accompaniment? Priceless smiles and joy-filled enthusiasm! It was one of my favorite parts of teaching pre-school music every year. Now I know you have looked at your calendar and realized that Christmas Eve is only…
It’s common for Sanguines to stick their feet in their mouth. Yes, I said feet. If we’re going to verbally stumble we’re going to do it big. If you missed my “big mouth” lead-in to the story, you may want to head over and read it here. The Confession that Rescued My Hopes and Dreams I…
Tomorrow Rev and I will celebrate the anniversary of the day we met. I’m just thankful he didn’t throw me out after my big mouth almost ruined everything. We met at a dorm devotion at Concordia College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Now it’s really not as holy as it sounds. Dorm devos were often set…
We’ve made it to the end of the alphabet. A to Z of thanksgiving. 26 specific souls blessings gifted by God. And do you want to know something? This is just the tip of too many wonderful blessings to list. We could go on and on every day of the year and never come to…
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ~Elbert Hubbard I am so grateful for you. Yes, you. The person on the other side of the screen, who visits and reads my inadequate words of faith, hope, and love. 10 Reasons I’m Thankful for You You bless me every time to visit….
