There have been times when my heart ached because of a situation I did not like: a bad decision that led to bad situation, an unexpected happenstance that created an unresolved circumstance, a health issue that hung on for far too long. A chapter that I did not like. I’ve thought, God I do not like this chapter of my story! Read more…
Gratitude Changes Everything
Thanksgiving is just a few days away and so I’ve been thinking about gratitude a lot lately. What is it? When should we show it? What does God say about it?
Just last week I learned that the Hebrew word for gratitude means “to recognize the good.” I love that! don’t you?
Paul wrote the Thessalonians, Read more…
When Pain Makes You Comfort-Able
When we’re in pain, we want God to comfort us! Right now! But what if He’s in the process of making us comfort-able first. That’s what this little boy teaches us. Keep reading.
A storeowner was tacking a sign in his store window, which read PUPPIES FOR SALE, when a little boy appeared.
“How much are you selling the puppies for?” he asked. Read more…
Hanging on to Jesus
Have you ever felt like you were walking a tightrope through life…just trying to balance everything and not fall into a pit? I have. Let’s think about this story…don’t give up…read to the end!
“Blondin” was the stage name for Frenchman Jean-Francois Gravelet. He was a fair-skinned, blue-eyed, and blonde-haired young man who migrated to the United States with a troupe of acrobats employed by Master Showman P.T. Read more…
Grumpy and Grateful? We Get to Choose.
A few months ago, I was in the airport headed to New Jersey. It was a typical rush, rush, rush morning. Grab the bags, trudge through traffic, hunt for a parking space, follow the herd, wade through security, dash to the gate.
Folks aren’t usually very friendly in airports. Eyes look straight ahead. Purposed feet slap the floor. Read more…
The Dancing Church…It’s Not What You Think
I don’t know about you, but a few of my greatest lessons on how to love other people haven’t come from church folks. For example:
Nestled 50 feet off Highway 17 in Pawley’s Island, S.C., used to rest C.J.’s Beach Club. For years, Steve and I eyed the clapboard building tucked in the grove of myrtle trees, but it wasn’t the sort of place we would tend to visit. Read more…
Disqualified? Says Who?
My son, Steven, was in the ninth grade when I turned in the manuscript for my book, Being a Great Mom, Raising Great Kids. I should have waited until he was in the tenth grade.
That fateful morning, I placed my neatly printed pages in a padded enveloped, prayed a blessing over the bundle, and then dropped a year of hard work in the mail slot at the post office. 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…
Knocked Down by Words
Have you ever felt like someone just knocked you over with words…not caring how it made you feel? I know I have. One day my Golden Retriever showed me just how it’s done.
Shortly after we had planted a maple tree in our backyard, we went on vacation. It was the first time we had left Ginger home alone. 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…