When it Gets Hard to Fit the Pieces together
I have a two, almost three, year old grandson who loves solving puzzles. A few weeks ago when he was visiting, I went in search of a puzzle we could do together. The only one that looked even remotely likely was a small box with a picture of a cat on it. Unfortunately a small […]
Is Gratitude Really Enough?
By definition, gratitude is the quality or feeling of being thankful or grateful. It is our readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. If you Google the word, you will find about 160 million results. It is really “a thing” these days. You can find journals, books, devotionals, plaques to hang on your […]
The (unconventional) Cure for Holiday Stress
Every year it seems Christmas comes a little earlier. Have you ever noticed that? Its called Christmas Creep and it’s a real thing. Way before Halloween even, the isles of our favorite stores fill up with all the essentials we need to create the perfect Christmas. Depending on the store you are in, you can […]
Weathering the Storms of Life
We all weather storms in life, don’t we? I had a recent health scare that could have been considerably more stormy than it really was. But there was a time of uncertainty that was a bit unsettling. I feel blessed that I felt God’s presence during that time and was very much at peace with whatever came […]
Cherishing the Gift of Faith
The children were gathered around Pastor on the steps leading to the alter. He was asking them what they cherished. As I sat there I was thinking, I wonder if they even know what that means. I mean, does anyone use that word anymore? I’ve probably thought of it, much less used it, only a […]
Living with the Loss of a Pregnancy, Infant, or Child
The fear of having a miscarriage or losing a child at any age is something that every parent must deal with. The reality of this loss is tragic. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month and recently my Life Team held a walk to bring awareness and comfort to parents, family, and friends grieving […]
Better Than You Can Imagine
I’ve seen it four times and it still makes me cry every time. The message of forgiveness, redemption, and hope is so powerful it draws me in and I learn new lessons each time I see it. I’ve watched parts of other movies dozens of times over a period of years, but I’ve never sat down and […]
Living Our Messy Lives
Life gets messy. We can plan and organize, but things always seem to get in the way. I’ve always said, “if you want to make God laugh, just make plans.” Of course, we make plans anyway. We need to or otherwise, we drift. The only thing worse than making plans that have to be changed […]
Lessons Learned from My Hospital Bed
Say what you will about our health care system, the equity of how people receive it, or how expensive it is, and chances are I’ll agree with much of what you say. We all know there are problems and a lot needs to be fixed. But if you will, for just a short time here, I’d like […]
Focusing on The Clouds
Do you ever take the time to just watch the clouds float by? As a kid, I used to love to imagine God and the angels just above our line of vision and wonder what it would be like to be there with them. Unfortunately, I haven’t taken the time to do that for years; […]