When I was eight years old, my prized possession was a collie dog named, what else, Lassie. Lassie was my shadow. She ran alongside me as I pedaled around the neighborhood on my pink-glittered banana bike. She slept outside the door of my one-room playhouse when my best friend, Wanda, and I “camped out.” She protected me from dangerous strangers, Read more…
Living Loved
I’m writing over at Proverbs 31 Ministries today and thought you might enjoy the post as well.
You might be very surprised at what I’m getting ready to tell you, but here goes. For most of my life I felt like I was in second place, an alternate, an also ran, not quite as good as everybody else. Read more…
Retraining Verbal Reflexes
Have you ever let words fly out of your mouth and then thought…I can’t believe I just said that!!! I call those verbal reflexes. Here’s why
One day I was driving home from the beach in July Fourth holiday traffic. It was Southern muggy hot, and cars were a throng of metal on wheels. Everyone was going faster than the posted speed limit and I was trying to keep up. Read more…
When It’s Time to Stop Moping
Have you ever been so discouraged that you just wanted to stay in bed and pull the covers up over your head? Maybe that’s where you are right now.
I’ve hidden under the covers a time or two myself. OK, well maybe more than two. I felt that way this past Christmas when my son and his wife couldn’t make it from Chicago to North Carolina because of the snow storm. Read more…
What If Your Worst “What If” Does Happen?
Some people just seem happy and positive all the time. They appear to never worry and fret. These people act like they eat rainbows for breakfast and ride a unicorn to work. But life isn’t all lucky charms. Sometimes it is just plain hard.
We should anticipate trials. Jesus promised trouble. “In this world you will have trouble,” He warned (John 16:33). Read more…
When You Feel Empty
A sign was posted on a telephone pole by the grocery store: “LOST DOG with three legs, blind in left eye, missing right ear, tail broken, and recently castrated. Answers to the name of Lucky!”
Perhaps you feel just about as “lucky” as that lost dog. Hobbling along. Impaired vision. Broken tail. Well, you get the picture. There was a woman in the Bible who also felt like she was out of luck and had nothing to give. Read more…
When You Feel Discouraged
Have you ever felt the sting of rejection? That’s a silly question. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t.
When I first started writing, I sent off sample chapters to various publishers. Shortly after, rejection letters came creeping into my mailbox.
“Thanks, but no thanks. “Nobody knows you.” “Your manuscript does not meet our needs at this time.” “Blah, Read more…
When You Feel God Has the Wrong Girl for the Job
Have you ever been in a situation when you felt God calling your name to a particular task, and at the same time you felt that He had the wrong person for the job?
I remember when I felt God calling me to become a counselor at a Pregnancy Care Center during a time when I was going through infertility struggles. Read more…
Turning “No I Can’t” into “Yes I Can”
I can do it. No, I can’t. Yes, I can. No, I can’t.
Have you ever had that conversation with yourself? You feel like God is calling you to reach out to someone, start a new venture, teach a Bible study, write a book, share a story about your past that you’ve never shared before. But then your fear shouts at your faith to keep quiet. Read more…
You’ve Been Pre-Approved!
I walked to the mailbox and then to the recycler. Don’t need this one, or this one, or this one I whispered as I dropped the shiny flyers in the red box.
I don’t know about you, but I get tired of slick ads for things I don’t need and junk mail from services I don’t want. Read more…