Good morning... Driving out of our neighborhood on the way to school, our fourteen year old son said, "Look at how different all of the trees are on the street." Some had brilliant colors, reds, yellows, oranges. Others were still bushy with tons of green leaves. Still others were completely bare, they had already shed their leaves for this [...]
Her mom taught her three specific words in a very important order. “Faith. Facts. Feelings.” These three words would be repeated anytime a challenge arose or a decision was faced, “Remember, we focus first on faith, then on the facts, and finally on our feelings.” As evidenced by the rosy cheeks on her adult daughter’s face, this mother’s advice [...]
A friend sent me an anonymous short story comparing the journey of life to a trip on a train. I toyed with the words, enhancing their spiritual nature. Enjoy this embellishment touching our truth. When we are born, our creator pushes us from the womb into the world. “Welcome aboard the train of life!” Our inner circle expands from [...]
I hate it when my flaws hang out. Following in Jesus’ footsteps, I secretly wish I could be the second perfect person to walk this earth. But my flaws are unavoidable and, with even my best intentions, stuff regularly falls through my cracks. When I begin to feel down on myself, I remember the story of the cracked pot. [...]
You are definitely a back door person," he said as I left the party. "Most everyone else came through the front door, but not you, you are a back door person. You should write a blog about that." I went out the door and down the back stairs, jumped in my car and drove straight home. Hopping on my computer, [...]
I discovered something amazing when our family hiked and camped in Sequoia National Park. “Whenever most people see a forest fire, they automatically think about all of the trees and bushes that are being destroyed. After the fire is over, the landscape looks like a blackened scene of destruction. But did you know that some plants and trees [...]
She said, “I feel like I’m walking around with an expiration date stamped on my forehead,” as she spoke to us thirteen months into her twelve to fifteen month prognosis. She said something else I will never forget. “I do not believe that God caused my cancer. But, I do believe He has allowed my cancer. I believe that [...]
“Bark less. Wag more.” I love this bumpersticker wisdom, but truthfully when I have the urge to bark, I don’t naturally wag. To wag more each day I must exchange my barking spirit for God’s Spirit that wags. Here are the traits of God’s wagging Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [...]
Good morning... In art class, our eleven-year-old made a telling clay mask. Taped-tight beneath layers of newsprint, she secretly hid it in the garage. Spring cleaning several weeks later, I found the package lying amid odd-and-ends. Still wrapped. Still unexposed. Still hidden. Picking it up, I was surprised by its thick heaviness. “Honey, this has your name on it. [...]
“Mommy, are you a good sew-er?” my youngest son asked as he entered the dining room. Without looking at him, I said nonchalantly, “I know how to sew a little bit. What do you need?” “Mommy, are you a really good sew-er?” his trembling voice made my eyes dart up. That’s when I saw tears in his eyes, the head [...]
