Tags Archives
in joy
God Didn’t Wait—And Neither Should We
The doorbell does its thing just as I’m sitting down for lunch.
My daughter proclaims she “needs” a snack just as I’m starting work.
Okay, let’s get real here, nature calls with urgency just as I’m about to write that profound life-changing sentence.
We’re all familiar with pauses and interruptions in our daily routines. We know what it ...
Advent Devotional 2023
It has been several years since I wrote my last Advent devotional. I remember writing that Bible plan as a challenge to myself. Could I keep the focus on Christ and manage to write 25 devotionals for Christmas? It was one of those God-sized goals—but it wasn't to show the world that I had "nailed" ...
Hey, What Happened To Your Joy?
There was a little song we would belt out at Sunday School back in the 90’s. It went, “I’ve got joy that is down in my heart, Deep, deep down in my heart; J-O-Y that is down in my heart, Deep, deep, down in my heart.”
Our decrepit classroom would reverberate with the enthusiasm that only ...
When Your Best-Laid Plans Crumble
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. The kind of whirlwind that yanks plans out of your hands and rips it into a 3000-piece jigsaw puzzle.
My mom had been scheduled for a knee-replacement surgery. The timing of the procedure had been planned precisely: it would be a week after my husband returned from ...
When Your Life Feels “Too Small”
Have you ever been encouraged to “dream big?” Have you been told that you “have what it takes” to make an impact? Have you been cheered on with the message that you can “be anything” you want to be?
Maybe there was some Christianese attached to those statements. Perhaps you were spurred on to dream “God-sized ...
When Making Oatmeal Is A Moment Of Worship
Almost every morning I do this absolutely insane thing.
I make oatmeal.
(I know, radical stuff there, right?)
The thing is, I don’t like oatmeal. I don’t eat oatmeal (Is that sacrilegious for a mom to say? Shouldn’t we stoically eat our way through all things deemed “healthy”?)
But I make it for my husband’s breakfast.
It’s not complicated. I ...
Memo from God: Enjoy Life!
Our Middle School-aged kids finally started back with in-person school recently. After a year-and-a-half of vegetating at their desks behind computer screens in online school they were desperate to go back to IRL classes (Just showing off my recently acquired ‘with-it’ lingo. FYI, IRL = In Real Life. You can thank me later for that ...
Does What You’re Doing Really Count?
This last week didn’t quite go exactly as planned.
I’m guessing that’s happened to you too in the recent past.
You plan to stay on schedule. But the only thing that sticks to its guns is a blasted headache that ruins your day.
You plan to work out and get outdoors more. But the only thing that takes ...
Good Moms Yell Too?
Here’s a dark and somewhat dirty secret . . .
Moms yell.
We do
It’s not something we talk about often.
It’s not something we choose to display on social media.
It’s not something we want on our parenting resumes.
It remains tucked away because there’s shame attached to it. After all, other moms don’t raise their voices and completely lose it with ...
MEET SUSAN
