I didn't sleep a wink the night before our class IV/V adventure down the Chattooga River. It was a ride I personally did not sign up for. A part of the vacation that my husband thought would be a great family experience. I was thankful for the mandatory safety video and short class we had […]
I used to live just one street over from the bluffs that rise up over the Missouri River. I'm familiar with its power. My kids and I loved to walk down to our historic town's riverfront to stand at the banks and throw rocks and sticks into it. Sticks were our favorite because we could […]
I'm always amazed at the lack of fear my kids have. They walk over logs high over creeks, my daughter rides horses, and my son pitches in baseball games. These things can stir up fears in me. Fear can be good. It can serve as an alarm bell that something is about to happen or […]
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." proverbs 18:21 I remember one of the most hopeless seasons in my life. I felt despair at the thought of living through another day of uncertainty and sadness. I couldn't imagine trying to put on a happy […]
It's Silent Saturday. The day before we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. I'm not asking a question as I normally do in this post, but I'm also not being silent today. I sit down at my desk to write and the legs of a chair that's been headed for the junk pile for months now kick out […]
Is it wrong for me to think I can reflect God? Humans aren't perfectly holy, all-present, or all-knowing. Don't worry! I don't propose that we can reflect those kinds of attributes, but if we are in Christ we are enabled and called by God to image other attributes of Himself; the ones He calls His […]
Exasperated with feeling weak and unsuccessful, I grumbled under my breath about the project I was working on. This project had called me to a vulnerable place. I had put myself "out there" and had utilized all my creative energy. I was spiritually, mentally, and physically depleted, but the project wasn't. My husband gently encouraged […]
I felt the tug of the strong, Outer Banks current on us and I knew we were in trouble. My daughter and I had been enjoying the rough surf with our new boogie boards on our first full day at the beach. I failed to notice the lone, yellow, caution flag hidden between our hotel […]
Have you ever heard this heart-wrenching story? Polish Priest, Maximilian Kolbe, was arrested by the Gestapo for hiding Jews and Polish refugees from the Nazis during World War II. During his time at Auschwitz concentration camp, ten men were rounded up to be starved to death in order to deter further escape attempts by the […]
What if I make a fool out of myself? What if...I really am a fool? What if homeschooling was the wrong choice? Have I ruined my kids? Is my kid doing enough? Am I enough? What if we shouldn't have bought that house? Did I offend that person? Am I offensive? These are all questions […]
Advent Joy isn’t shallow or sentimental—it is rooted in the appearing of Christ. When Scripture speaks of Christ being manifested, it means that God has made Himself clearly seen, known, and encountered in order to save. “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation…” — Titus 2:11, ESV The Child in the manger is the […]
Where do you long for Christ’s Peace to enter your story this week? Or have you given up hope for that? Perhaps it would be good for you and me to remember Jesus' words about the kind of peace He gives. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the […]