My daughter came home from school last night in her normal mood. But, as the evening wore on, I noticed a change in her demeanor. She became quiet, distracted. “Mom,” she finally blurted out. “I don’t want to get a zero.” The story began to unfold as she explained to me that she had a…
I just returned home from dropping off my three children at their first day of school. It’s hard to believe that the summer is over! We’ve had a great summer. Nothing spectacular happened, but there was a sense of peace and calm that seemed to be the overwhelming emotion of our home. We had planned…
I shared this post several months ago after I ran my first half marathon. This weekend, however, I found myself reflecting on this post. You see, I have had an extremely difficult weekend filled with doubts and fears–doubts that God will do what He has said He will do for me. He keeps telling me…
Every night, my nine-year old daughter prays the same prayer: “Lord, please bring my mom a godly, athletic, sexy, rich, smart, involved man who loves us all very much.” Yes, as a single again, I long for God to bring that man into my life—and my daughter has managed to capture the image of a…
Below is a brief synopsis of my friend’s life. Cole’s life has been redeemed, from alcoholic to servant of the one true God. It doesn’t matter what is in your past; God can use it for His glory when you surrender to Him! “But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who…
My house is THE house in the neighborhood. You know…the one where all of the kids hang out, help themselves in the kitchen, walk in the door without knocking. When I get home from work, I am typically greeted by about five teenage boys shooting hoops in the driveway. I’ve walked in my kitchen expecting…
To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven (Karen Sunde). I’ve spent a lot of time lately contemplating sexual purity. Before I was married, I held to very high standards of purity. I never allowed myself to be in a situation where I might be tempted to compromise my standards. I filled my mind…
For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) Several months ago, I was reading Mark 9. It contains the story of a man whose son was possessed by a demon. The man came to Jesus begging him to help. He said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us…
God truly works in mysterious ways. As I’ve mentioned before, I love to write. In high school, I was editor of the school yearbook. When I wrote essays for scholarship applications, I always indicated that I wanted to be a writer. In college, I majored in journalism. I am one of those strange students who…
In the month of May 2013, Oklahoma was hit—HARD. Every single day, I drove by areas of tornado destruction. On every street, there were piles of trees by the road. Fences blown down or propped up with pieces of wood. Roofs covered with tarps. Signs blown out or down. Trees lay across fences. In the…
From this day forward, I serve God by his Spirit, I boast in Christ Jesus, I put no confidence in the flesh—though I have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: called to ministry at age 10, valedictorian of my high school…
This morning, I was listening to a sermon on spiritual warfare. I suddenly realized that Satan lives in my house! You see, last summer we had a horrible gopher problem. Every morning we would peek out our back door to see three or four new gopher mounds. We googled to find any hints and tips,…