Daddy loved Christmas. He decorated our tree, played games, and bought nice gifts, especially for Mama. I entered marriage thinking all husbands gave their wives nice Christmas gifts. Being in ministry, I didn’t expect diamonds. But I thought I’d get something special. Our first Christmas together I asked for something pretty and practical—a leather day planner. I unwrapped my gift. It was a planner. A vinyl planner. Not even pleather that at least resembles leather! No chocolate, no Continue Reading
Don’t Miss the Benefits of Joy and Play {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw Many of us have experienced great losses in the last two years. I lost two of my friends to cancer; several of my friends lost loved ones in unexpected tragedies; we’ve been isolated and experienced the worldwide chaos triggered by Covid. Under such circumstances to talk about fun may sound frivolous and out of touch. But I have good reason to believe joy is exactly what we need. Research Continue Reading
Masks You Need to Stop Wearing {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
You may have some cute trick-or-treaters visiting you this week. While it’s fun to take on different personas with zany costumes, as COVID has shown, masks can be limiting and suffocating. Physical masks shield us from some airborne pollutants. But wearing figurative masks to protect our image or hide our insecurities creates distance and loneliness. Certain situations and people draw out our sense of inadequacy. When surrounded by more successful, better informed, or more polished Continue Reading
The Divine Dance Between God’s Sovereignty and My Responsibility {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
Jackie is a dog whisperer. She calls herself a dog trainer, but if you watch this four-foot, eleven-inch woman handle a 150-pound dog, you’d know what I mean. I wanted Jackie to help me train our five-month-old puppy, but I couldn’t find her. I’d searched my emails and phoned where she used to work before running out of leads. I do interior design work on the side. Every time I planned to visit the seamstress, something interfered. On a whim, I called another gal. On the way to her workroom, Continue Reading
How to Experience Peace in Spite of Unsafe People {Recharge Wednesday}
I couldn’t believe it. I’d crossed the Atlantic Ocean only to be stuck in a car with someone extolling the brilliance of my worst enemy an ocean away. My whirling thoughts obliterated the breathtaking beauty of the surrounding Alps. Unsafe people live, work, and worship among us. We think if we can escape their presence and any reminders of them, we’ll have peace. My experience in Switzerland reminded me peace doesn’t come from distance from them but from closeness with Jesus. Continue Reading
When Faith and Feelings Collide {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
A snub and a rejection on the same day sent me sprawling. I sat down with my journal and dumped my hurt feelings. Usually, the lies I’m believing quickly surface when I do this exercise. God provides relief when I ask for His perspective. But this time, my feelings didn’t budge. The evidence supporting my injured emotions felt more reliable than the truth I knew. That night as I slept God reminded me of a story concerning Elisha and his servant. The king of Aram was angry with Elisha and Continue Reading
