Mother’s Day is right around the corner and while many will be enjoying breakfast in bed and crayon family portraits, many others will be slowly dying inside. For years, that was me. I dreaded Mother’s Day. My arms were empty. The most natural thing in the world, that thing I…
10 ways to reach your teenager long before they become one
Something odd is happening between us and our kids. We all seem to like each other…and I have teenagers. It is a weird phenomenon, I know. I keep wondering, “How did we get so lucky?” Why is it that in a day and age…
Don’t let these 4 anxiety triggers slow you down
Sometimes tears just come out of nowhere. You know what I’m talking about don’t you? One minute you think you are just fine and the next minute, here come the water works. I feel especially bad when my poor husband is sitting there trying to figure out what just happened. All he heard was…
How The Lord’s Prayer Became Mine…and what I Pray for You
Easter Sunday, the most attended church service of the year. Voices all over the world will be heard reciting The Lord’s Prayer. After all, this is how the Lord said we should pray, and so we pray exactly as He did. But are we missing something? Is it enough…
How I Fell in Love with Jesus – Part 2
It was the spring of 1986. Back when “Spring Break” used to be called “Easter Vacation.” I sat in the Main Chapel of Mt. Gilled Bible Camp and listened as our speaker challenged us with truths from God’s Word. I honestly don’t remember
This is missing from your to-do list and will actually create more time in your day
Sticky notes anywhere we will notice them, planners with color coded blocks of time, reminder apps on our phone. Everyone has a system. A way to keep track of it all. Sometimes I even try to keep track of it all in my head. But, wow! That never seems to work out well! I usually end up doing things like…
What Do You Want at the End of the Day?
Fifteen minutes with Jesus this morning. That was the only time I got to myself today until now. It all started by sitting with the 5th grader and learning more than I ever cared to know about Cleopatra, then I transitioned to sitting with the 9th grader learning…wait for it…
Anxiety Doesn’t Take a Vacation…But Neither Does God
I wish we could take breaks from our anxiety. When it gets to be too much I wish we could just stash it neatly in the corner and walk away. But a lot of the time anxiety chooses for us. We don’t get to decide…
How I Fell In Love With Jesus – Part 1
It is that time of year again, time to celebrate love. And while my “love tank” seems especially full in this season of my life, I can’t help but think about friends who have experienced the pain that can happen when you open yourself up to love. As much as we try…
Why We Shouldn’t Wish Away the Winter
We read a portion of scripture in church yesterday. Part of it struck me in a new way. Just like seasons in the weather, we have seasons in our lives. We’ve all heard that before, right? Yet somehow I still seem to think…