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It doesn’t make sense. At least not this side of heaven. Cancer stealing years from folks who live and love well while rapists continue their lust for power and flesh. Infertility leaving wombs and arms empty while others abandon and abuse their children. Addiction powerfully pulling its prey away from work, family, friends. A momentary…
For far too long I have allowed my inner editor to silence my writing. “I have nothing to say,” I would tell myself. Besides if you can’t keep your house clean, what right do you have to write words? My inner diatribe would chide. So I’ve been silenced under the pressure of the mundane… …under the…
I am a Kansas girl living in the south. The south where 60 degrees is “cold” and a flake of snow send everyone running for milk and bread. So when the weather forecast called for ice and snow I did not pay much attention. There are always “snow storms on the way” that rarely make…
His birthday party was scheduled for May 4th. And I prayed for good weather because I wasn’t sure I wanted ten five and six-year-old boys in my house for an hour and a half. As May 4th approached the weather forecast kept getting worse. At one point there was talk of snow early in the…
Have you ever known you need to do something, but struggle doing it? You know you need to work-out regularly, but somehow the day gets away from you and then three weeks have gone by and you haven’t broken a sweat? You know you need to wake early in the morning because you are more…
My heart sinks as I see the e-mail. Feed-burner sent me a message another person unsubscribed to my blog. My self-talk pours acid on the ache of rejection. Nobody reads your blog. Your writing doesn’t matter. You will never be a published author. You are not good enough, smart enough, together enough. Who would want…
My dogs crack me up…They are insane…Don’t believe me? Check out their insanity… [tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js9FHFsaX1M[/tube] Lucy {the one that gets on top of the play set} sits self-assured and pleased with herself. Maggie takes a few steps up the play set, but gets nervous and heads back down. Then from the ground she whines and fusses…
My mind swirled. I created busy-ness in my head. List upon list and wondered how it could all be done. The swirling tugged my heart down as if I was being sucked down into the pit. My neck and shoulders stiffened. “No!” I want to yell. “I can’t. I won’t. No more to-do lists. I…
My head aches and my heart lurches. “Ugh!” I think. “I don’t want to be here. I have so many things I need to do.” I look down at my watch. “I just want to protect my time. How long is this going to take?” My shoulders tense. “Relax would you?” I chide myself. My…
There are some days I just want to gnash my teeth. My shoulders tense, my heart clenches, and every thing I see seems to scream out, “You are a failure Angela.” I guess I am not the only one. If I am the only one you can skip this post. It won’t do you a…
I need a little dose perspective. Many days my rebellious and harried heart whispers lies. My heart whispers, “This will never change.” God says, “With Me all things are possible.” “It is useless,” my heart taunts. “No situation is wasted. My perfect plan will prevail.” “I can’t do anything right,” I shake my head. “You…
While I was in high school, I learned about a great Christian band called Jars of Clay. They have a song called Worlds Apart and one line has been reverberating in my heart this weekend… It says, “…what I need and what I believe are worlds apart.” Aren’t we blessed that God knows what we…
I thought I had today together. I had thought about it and planned it in my head and then it happened. I realized I double booked myself. I was getting my bag ready for church and looked at my appointment card. “Monday?!?” I shook my head. “I thought my appointment was on Tuesday.” Monday morning…
“I can’t wait until…” “When I am older I…” “When I am married I can finally…” “When I have kids I will feel…” “When I make it big I will…” For as long as I can remember I have wanted to arrive somewhere. That cliche, “I have finally arrived,” spoke to my heart. As a…
I prayed over a word last year. A word God would give me for the year. 2010 was a year of stretching and I felt God prodding me that 2011 would be a year of growing into those stretched out places. Growing is painful and amazing. Painful because it means letting go of what…
My brother was born before sonograms could determine the gender of unborn babies. My parents chose to decorate his room with green and yellow. Ironically so was the outside of our house (yellow with green trim) and the colors of our middle school (green and gold)…I digress. Wallpaper was also popular back in that…
Lately I have struggled with enough. I feel like I don’t do enough. I should do more with the gifts and talents God has given me. I wonder am I a wise steward of time, finances, gifts, talents? I want to do something big–something God-sized. I wonder if I am really doing what God wants…
My family and I spent the weekend decorating our house and our yard for Christmas. It was a full weekend job. As we decorated the kids and I talked about Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Then it happened. I thought, I wish I was like Mary. She just believed what the angel told her. I bet…
Eleven years ago today I had my hair done in an updo and I put on a white dress.I walked down an aisle arm-in-arm with my dad. Broad smile plastered to my face and a smaller one painted on his. He had to give me away. Eleven years ago. I stood at the front of…
Monday. I prepared for it with trepidation. L was only five days post tonsillectomy. She did so well, but I felt concerned about sending her to school. I made sure I had her medicine ready to go, lunches prepared, and backpacks packed. We were ready. I checked through all their papers Sunday night. I signed…
“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too…
Today I am spending time with my little L. You can discover why by clicking here. Here are a few pictures… How are you spending your time today?
“A clock,” as my pastor said, “does not give us a proper view of time because it is round and keeps ticking. We get the feeling that there is always more time. I’ll have the next 12 hours or the next week to do something. Instead our time is more like an hourglass. It slips…
“O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be. Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.” Come Thou Fount…
A flash of color catches my attention as I pull out of my driveway. There among some dead and dying bushes was one bright red flower. I never planted flowers there. In fact we have spent three falls in this house and have never seen anything like it before. In defiance of the very dry…
My mind reels and churns as my heart thumps wildly. My neck and shoulder muscles tighten and my brain hurts. Every where I look seems a black pit swallowing me whole. Why? Why me, why now, what did I do? What must I learn? How can I get out? If I can only figure out…
A pink faux wool coat lays discarded on the floor. {In 100-plus degree heat the question remains why was it removed from the closet at all?} A battalion of green plastic army men surround the pink coat as if it is their next conquest. Pillows from the couches lay helter-skelter while a trail of books…
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the blessings You have bestowed upon the U.S.A. We are a broken sinful people in desperate need of a Savior – in desperate need of You. Father help Your children to use their freedom to point others to Your grace and love…It is Your kindness that leads us to repentance….
It is on the news. Reported from stoic faced reporters. It is on T.V. shows. Glorifying heinous crime, criminals, and those charged to hunt them down. It is clear there is evil in this world. The question is are people “evil” or are their actions “evil?” I know what I think, but I want to…
I locked my kids and I out of the house again. The second time this month. Sometimes I think I am losing my mind. Other times I realize I am a mom with three young ones on my brain. And I have a sinus infection with a slight fever to boot. 😉 Earlier this week…
My heart felt tight in my chest. According to my emotions, everything was wrong. Insidiously my emotions started to short circuit my brain. My thinking became muddled. My outlook became increasingly negative. Even things I was excited about seemed dull, lifeless, UGH! My emotions were in control and I didn’t like it. So I did…
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.” Proverbs 15:30 Do you choose to wear a cheerful look? Are you the bearer of good news or do you enjoy bringing bad news? What are some ways you try to bring joy to those around you? Are you…
“‘cchaeus, mommy I wuv dat song,” he lisps as he stands unmoving in the middle of the hallway of his school. “You sing it mommy pwease,” his eyes dance as he smiles and nods at me. In my head I had a check-list of all the things we needed to do before picking up his…
Here is another vlog for your enjoyment. I only wish you all could comment back in video form to my blog. Wouldn’t that be cool? httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lscIULxI6k
We open our hearts to one another. Share the hard things. The stuff that we struggle with. The things that leave our souls raw. The things we know are not quite right, but are not sure how to change. Some of the raw places are of our own making and others are wounds caused by…
I admit it is easy for me to think much like the Pharisees (Luke 8:10-14), I am glad I am not like that sinner. I mean, I haven’t killed anyone, I have stayed faithful to my marriage vows, and I don’t get high on wine, much less illicit drugs. I have this Christianity stuff down…
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