I started dwelling in an invisible world when I was in the fifth grade, to feel normal and to find a place where life was sane. I don't even remember when it began; I woke up one day and realized that I had a space inside of me with a family that consisted of a... Continue Reading →
God’s Weight-Loss Plan for Endurance
The author of Hebrews recommends laying aside all of the weight, including our sins, that encumber us in the race to eternal life. These actions allow us to demonstrate faith in Jesus Christ, whose birth, death, and resurrection is the basis of our faith in God and our belief in a better home to aspire to, one not made by human hands. Stripping off the weight means letting go of our hurts, heartbreaks, and humiliations; our broken dreams, broken hearts, and broken promises; and our fears, failures, and frustrations. This emotional baggage often hinders our faith, and causes us to doubt the One who paid the ultimate price for our redemption.
Make Things Happen!
I have learned that, when it comes to the situations in our lives, you can keep waiting for change to come, or you can work to make things happen. I prefer the latter. When my job was outsourced to another company after 23 years on the job, I worried about being in my late 40s... Continue Reading →
Overcoming Forgetfulness
I have gotten to the age where I have to send myself emails from home to work and from work to home to remember what I am supposed to do at each place. My memory is just not what it used to be, and sometimes it's a little disturbing, inconvenient, and embarrassing. Making two or... Continue Reading →
From Monster to Minister: A Journey for Peace
In the 7th grade, during an argument with one of the boys in my class, I was called a name, Little Monster, that stuck throughout junior and senior high schools. Every day, I endured the teasing and taunting that comes with being seen as unattractive among teenagers. As I walked the halls of the school... Continue Reading →
The Benefits of Being Sheep
One of the first pictures of Jesus that I remember seeing as a child was the one with the sheep wrapped around his neck as he brought the lost sheep back to the flock. It was a powerful image for me as a child of age nine or ten, because the carrying of the sheep... Continue Reading →
Overcoming Life’s Leaky Boats
Leaky boats represent those moments in life when you feel alone in the troubles of your life. In those moments, you come to believe that no one will ever come to your rescue, and that you are on your own, bailing as hard as possible to stay afloat in an angry sea of grief, suffering,... Continue Reading →
Confession of a Reformed Worrier
As a child, my mother did not let me learn to swim, skate, or ride a bicycle. She would say that it was too dangerous. I never caught on that my older sister was allowed to learn all of these things, and she was just fine. But, because I believed my mother, I could be... Continue Reading →
Perfect People Need Not Apply
Yes, I can be a bit of a perfectionist! My husband says that it is one of my coping mechanisms to try and control the world around me, to avoid pain and rejection by others. And, as much as I have argued that it is not so, I now realize that my constant tiredness during... Continue Reading →
A Walk in the Cool of the Evening
Douglas and I like to go for walks on the paths here in town. There is so many trees, and just walking between such beauty soothes my soul. The problem is that we tend to wait until it is too hot to walk, and neither of us ever remembers to bring a bottle of water... Continue Reading →
