“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter…
I know. Flowers wilt. And yes, flowers fade. But… The delight that the beauty of a flower brings for a season or even for the moment is priceless. My mother and I share a love for anything blooming. Since her stroke, there have been hard days, but there have been good days. The good days…
Some days it is only a flicker. But even the smallest light will shine in the darkness. Being human means that I don’t always feel like living up to the world’s definition of “Shine”, but God’s definition is a very different one: At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, He…
You have a gauge that tells you it’s time to fill up, and you know the consequences that follow if you ignore that little warning… Stop. Do not pass “go”, DO NOT chance it. Do not do another thing until you put some gas in that tank. The simple task of refueling changes everything, and…
On an ordinary day I might be running in to pick up a few groceries, rushing to check things off my list, barely noticing those around me. But she found me. I don’t know if I looked kind (I certainly hope so) or non-threatening, but when I turned to the timid, “Excuse me, ma’am” I…
The adoption process is a whirlwind of emotions. Allowing your heart to be vulnerable to the ups and downs of this journey takes more than just sacrifice– it takes stamina. Holding on to hope for what is best for a child takes willpower and true grit. Stubbornly fighting for the rights of a child demands…
The string of lights are removed. The tree comes down and just.like.that. Christmas is over. Only it’s not.
A submission for the Obsessive Writing Challenge — SIN: The weight of it all. The heaviness. The guilt. The consequences. Unavoidable and yet–undeniable. Sin. We step into the shallow water only to drown in its depths. And yet.
The benefits of walking: improves circulation, sleep and even your mood. We all know that walking is good for a long list of physical benefits, but there is more. Perspective. Walking down the corridors of a hospital, for example. Or a nursing home. No one wants to be in a hospital, unless it’s to deliver…
It’s amazing, really. We take this word, “love”, and we define it in so many ways. There are love languages and love stories and love ballads. It has got to be one of the most talked about words in the English vocabulary. And we still don’t fully grasp it’s meaning. I heard this song on…
No, really. We have a well. And it’s dry. Again. This has been a particularly dry year for us and while having a well seems almost… romantic. Almost. I can assure you that running out of water doesn’t come close to making the “Top Ten Ways to Romance Your Wife”. Wishing my husband would “woo”…
Prayer is simple, really. We are the ones who over-complicate it. We assume that we have to get it just right, or that God is more concerned about our vocabulary than He is our heart. Prayer can be words spoken–but they might just be thoughts that are formed and directed at God. My prayer life was…
It is an inevitable inevitability. Change. Not always easy. Not always welcome. But definitely in.ev.it.a.ble. The cycle of life has a way of reminding us that even though change can be very difficult, it is, in reality, the most natural thing of all. It is one thing that we can always count on: Change will happen. As…
Though not often spoken, it is a common question in the back recesses of the human mind. “Can God forgive that?” “Can He forgive me?” He knows what I’ve done. He knows my mistakes. My rebellion. He set up clear perimeters and gave us specific instructions, But we disobey. Like a child, when we deliberately…
I like routine. But life happens. And life is seldom routine. No matter what stage of life you find yourself in, there is always a need for balance. Some days I just feel like I am shuffling neglect. Choosing one thing over another means that something is put on hold–hopefully not to the detriment of…
