One night I was in the restroom touching up my makeup before speaking to several hundred women. I was having one of those moments when I looked in the mirror and thoughts began to swirl in my mind. What am I doing here? What do I possibly have to say to these women that could make any difference in their lives? Read more…
I had a devotion over at Proverbs 31 Ministries last week, and I’m thinking you might enjoy it too. Be blessed!
Before I had my first child, my husband, Steve, and I took a six-week class on child care at the local Red Cross. But when my son was born, the minute the nurse placed that little human on my chest, Read more…
My brother was thirteen years old when a band of bullies on bikes encircled him like buzzards taunting their prey. He was outmanned and outnumbered. I thought it was the end. But then my dad pulled up in his Pontiac. He didn’t even get out of the car, but simply rolled down the window and gave a look that said, Read more…
One Spring, our family hosted a ten-year-old Russian foreign exchange student. I got to be his mamma for six weeks. He went to school with my son and got a taste of what the American Christian family is all about. Alex’s English was very limited, and we depended on hand signals and facial expressions to get by.
One day, Read more…
Have you ever felt that you were overlooked or ignored…like you were a nobody? Well, take heart sister. You are not alone. Most of us have felt that way at one time or another.
I’ve been the girl not invited to the party, the kid not chosen for the team, the applicant not chosen for the job, the writer not chosen by the publisher, Read more…
I remember as a little girl, hiding under the covers of my bed, trying to shut out my parents’ yelling and screaming in the next room. I heard bad words. I didn’t know what some of them meant, but I did know how they made me feel. Dirty. The next morning, I awoke to the aftermath of the night’s tirade—Mom’s black eye, Read more…
She was at it again. Mrs. Barnett was getting out the scorecards and tallying up the points.
I sat with an older woman as she began enumerating her family’s shortcomings. “Callie never comes to see me,” she began to complain about her granddaughter. “And she never calls me either. I saw her sitting on the other side of the church last week and she didn’t even come over and give me a hug.”
“Benjamin is just as bad,” she continued, Read more…
Three weeks ago, I wrote about forgiveness. Let’s go there one more time and see how we’re doing. Those hurt feelings may rise to the surface, making you think you haven’t truly forgiven. But remember, the decision to forgive happens in a moment, but the feelings take a while. When you feel the hurt, remind yourself that you have already forgiven the person who hurt you and move on. Read more…
From the time I could hold a crayon in my chubby little hand, I’ve enjoyed creating various “works of art.” Many of those masterpieces ended up under the Christmas trees for family and friends. One year it was macramé hanging plant holders. Another it was a menagerie of decoupage wooden boxes. Then there were the years of framed cross-stitch, ceramic nativity sets, Read more…
[Before we begin today’s devotion, I want to say how overjoyed I am that nearly 200 women clicked on comment last week and took my challenge to forgive someone who had hurt them! Forgiveness begins with a decision, but the feelings of forgiveness can take a while to catch up. When negative feelings about that person rise to the surface, and they probably will, …
