This year the almanac declared summer to run through September 23rd, but let’s face it; the end of summer is marked by the start of a school year for parents with school-age children. I’ll be honest, sometimes I have welcomed (okay, maybe even embraced) the back-to-school timeframe for what it meant to me: my social […]
Embrace Yourself Through Yoga
July 6, 2015 · by ·
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” Psalm 119:15 (ESV) I’ve always been active, so even when the aches and pains of exercise and sports began to gain momentum (along with my age), I continued to live in an ‘injury crisis mode’ instead of adopting an ‘injury prevention plan.’ […]
Accepting The Seasons of Transition
June 22, 2015 · by ·
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) Our lives are filled with periods of transition. Some life changes are easy and even joyful as we welcome a new baby […]
My Fountain Overflows with Succulents
June 8, 2015 · by ·
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) I grew up in the midwest where the changing seasons corresponded to the contrasting patterns of our lifestyle. The freezing winter months […]
God’s Strength in my Weakness
May 25, 2015 · by ·
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) I have endearing names for our dog, Buster. “Mouse hunter” is just one of many. Buster has a knack for […]
My Most Rewarding Job? Being a Mom
May 11, 2015 · by ·
“Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? The fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Psalm 127:3-5a (MSG) Another Mother’s Day has come and gone, and yet I’m […]
Choose to Hope in the Lord
April 27, 2015 · by ·
Guest Writer: Derrick Stewart “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because […]
The Good News of Easter
April 13, 2015 · by ·
“He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” Romans 4:25 (NLT) Easter Sunday is conceivably one of the most well-attended church services of the year; it ranks right up there with Christmas! While Christmas is the season for celebrating the birth […]
Prayer: A Powerful First Choice
March 30, 2015 · by ·
“Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 (GNT) I was wrestling with indecision about the vision and scope of my writing; so much so that I couldn’t shake the thoughts from my mind. I described my frustration in an email reply […]
Patience: A Slow Growing Virtue
March 16, 2015 · by ·
“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:25 (ESV) After living in our home for almost twelve years, it was time to tackle a landscape renovation. The fast-spreading root system of camphor trees toward the back were threatening our pool while the tall cyprus trees […]
