Have you ever been to a special event or on a trip and you just couldn’t decide what to wear? I know I always over pack when I’m traveling because I wonder if the weather will change or what is more likely my mood will change.
As a matter of fact, I did it this week. I’m at a conference and I brought two large suitcases. One morning, I was trying to decide what to wear. I put on one outfit; I took it off. I put on another outfit; I took it off. I put on a third outfit and… well, you get the picture.
Continue Reading »
Have you ever been faced with a tough decision? I’m not talking about where to go to dinner, which movie to see or which color shoes to buy. I mean the kind of decision where you truly do not know what to do because it affects your or someone you love’s future.
What do you do when you are faced with such a decision? When you need wisdom? Many people will tell you to weigh the pros and cons. They will say you should choose whatever has the greatest potential for a good outcome. But what are we to do as Christians?
Continue Reading »
Have you ever faced a struggle or crisis in your life when you cried out to God? “I’m not strong enough. I don’t want to do this. Can you take this burden away from me?” Many of us have. Our circumstances may not be the same, but the cry of our heart is. We wonder if we have the strength to make it through.
We recently have experienced an increase in seizures for my son who has epilepsy. There have been many sleepless nights, many calls to EMS, and many trips to the hospital. I’m tired. I know my son is tired too.
Continue Reading »
Do you ever have those days when you feel you could be a much better parent? Maybe you’ve yelled too much or not spent enough quality time with your kids. Then the guilt kicks in and you make the decision to try to do better. You make a vow things are going to change.
Recently, I made a solemn vow to myself that our “getting ready” time was going to run much smoother. “Getting ready time” is that time when you are “getting ready” to go out the door some place. Most often for us it’s to church or school. It seemed lately that “getting ready” had become a circus.
Continue Reading »
Today many are celebrating Labor Day and enjoying a day off from their normal work week. Some have been looking forward to this long holiday weekend, because it provides an opportunity for rest, and rest is what many are seeking. But they are also seeking a full life, which is why they labor so hard. I was helping my son look up some information on the history of Labor Day and this is what we found on History.com.
“As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living.
Continue Reading »
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” John 14:21 (NIV)
My family attended a two-week training camp to learn to work with our new seizure response dog. The dogs were already trained and knew ninety commands. We were the ones who needed the training. Instructors worked with each family showing them how to make the dogs respond to verbal commands given.
One of the most important commands is “leave it.” Many hazards dogs encounter can cause harm if they do not obey this critical command.
Continue Reading »
Ever had those days when you felt you were throwing up emergency prayers that seemed unimportant in the big scheme of things? You know the ones. “Lord, please let me find my car keys or I’m going to be late, again.” “Lord, please let me find a parking place close to the door, because I have to get these children and all this stuff in that store quickly in the rain.” “Lord, please let her poop in the potty this time.” “Lord, please let my child sleep through the night, because I have to get some sleep.”
If you are a mom, I’m sure you’ve prayed one or more of these prayers on some occasion.
Continue Reading »
The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 (NIV)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)
As I entered the guest room of my mother-in-law’s house, the sight I beheld took my breath and made my heart ache. There on the wall was a huge multicolored swirl of art only a three year old, too quiet and not checked on could create. Mr. Clean’s magic eraser wouldn’t stand a chance.
I knew it was the work of my daughter but called her in for questioning. “Did you do this?”
Continue Reading »
