encouragement · Knowing God

God Really is Smarter than Everyone Else

We pay lip-service to God's wisdom, and yet when life does not go according to our own "brilliant" plans, we question Him. During those seasons in life when nothing makes sense, we are tempted to doubt the Lord. When those seasons come, it's time to go to His creation and remember who He is and who we are.

Christian Living

Perfect Freedom

Our U.S Holidays such as Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Veteran's Day, always cause me to reflect on the price of freedom. Many men and women have put their lives and livelihoods on the line to give themselves and their descendants what we have this day---an imperfect, but cherished, freedom.  I am grateful to be a United States Citizen, but I am even more grateful to be a citizen of Jesus' kingdom. In His kingdom, we have perfect freedom. The above quote from Ronald Reagan is, of course, referring to the U.S., but it also reflects the pursuit of a Christian---we are "Free people, worthy of freedom and determined not only to remain so but to help others gain their freedom as well."

Christian Living · Marriage and Family

Three Ways to Thrive This Summer

This week officially kicks off our summer vacation! My kids are both elated and scared—elated to be done with early mornings and rushed evenings; scared to lose touch with close friends and favorite teachers. I’ve been working on connecting with parents of friends and getting teachers’ addresses so we can all stay in touch. Even… Continue reading Three Ways to Thrive This Summer

Christian Living · Forgiveness

Why It’s So Hard to Be Patient with People

It's easy to talk about love when there is no conflict. It's easy to stand in a brightly lit hall, surrounded by a hundred smiling faces and listen to the preacher tell you how "love is patient and kind," but as offenses mount, love, patience, and kindness are no longer easy to swallow.

Christian Living · encouragement · God's Love · Thankfulness

If Chaos is Controlling Your Family

Two things never cease to amaze me: 1) How quickly life moves from calm to chaos 2) How God consistently provides—especially in the chaos. The last five days of my life have been like something from a comedy show. If I were watching myself on TV, it would be hilarious. It's one of those segments… Continue reading If Chaos is Controlling Your Family

Christian Living · encouragement · The Word of God

The Need for Rest

Yesterday, as I reviewed my retirement accounts with my financial advisor, she commented, "Retirement looks much different now than in years past. People used to retire and live a leisure life; these days, people pick up another job just to stay busy." She is right, of course, although I believe there are more factors than… Continue reading The Need for Rest

Christian Living · Knowing God · The Word of God

The Trouble With Praying for Patience

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." ~ Galatians 5.22, ESV Have you ever prayed for patience? What happened? In my experience, whenever I have asked the Lord to give me patience, He answered by providing opportunities to develop patience. I wanted the actual… Continue reading The Trouble With Praying for Patience

Christian Living · Faithfulness

When You Feel Stuck in Monotonous Duties

God has the power to take what is ordinary and make it truly extraordinary. Give every task---significant or insignificant---to the God who sees in secret.

Christian community

Why we all need accountability partners to keep our faith strong

Near the beginning of 2018, a friend invited me to a small Facebook group comprised of people seeking to eat healthier and be more physically fit. For the month of March, the administrator posted a challenge for us to meet a daily step count or mileage goal. Prior to this challenge, I had been hitting… Continue reading Why we all need accountability partners to keep our faith strong

Forgiveness

Why You Can’t Keep Delaying Forgiveness

Last spring, we decided to remove the bushes and rocks from our front planter bed and add a better variety of plants. Once the bed was clear of roots and rocks, we laid a strong weed barrier over every inch of dirt. We laid out our plants, cut small holes in the weed barrier, and… Continue reading Why You Can’t Keep Delaying Forgiveness