Have you ever taken a spiritual gift inventory? Very often they can be a helpful tool in pinpointing exactly how God has specifically designed you for His purposes. On many spiritual gift inventories, I’ve scored high on the gift of “prophecy.” That doesn’t specifically mean that I have the urge to go around preaching damnation [...]
Meditation is a cultural buzz word these days. I hear it everywhere from Dr. Oz to Julia Roberts. It seems as if this word is thrown around like a Frisbee to anyone who wants to play! And I know that I’m stepping into controversial waters with some, but I just have to say . . [...]
Have you ever tried to hide the fact that you have a cold? It’s kind of hard to do, but I’ve done it before. Recently I had a cold on the day that my husband and I were going to go on a date. In spite of my wayward nose, I decided that I felt [...]
“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” Proverbs 27:19 (NLT) I read this verse this morning. It’s a verse that is packed with so much truth, and we often don’t even realize it or stop to ponder it. Instead, we nod our heads and move on to hunt [...]
Sometimes people go through such tough times that I think the best way I can encourage them is to share some Bible verses that have meant a lot to me. For those who are struggling–I hope these help you to remember God’s faithfulness and love for you. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and [...]
Are you friends or enemies with the truth in your life? Very often when we face trials or long-standing problems, we become enemies of the truth. We feel that to know the truth is to know pain. But when we make truth our enemy, we invite denial into our lives—which only makes our situation worse [...]
When I was in my twenties and early thirties, I really had a hard time seeing my wrong behavior as . . . wrong. Or maybe it was just that I couldn’t bear to admit to myself that I was weak. I’d say, probably a little bit of both. Unfortunately, that meant that I rarely, [...]
I love going to conferences. They always inspire me—getting my creative juices flowing and refueling my passions. This past week my husband and I attended the American Association of Christian Counselors conference in Branson, Missouri. We heard some incredible speakers such as; Gary Smalley, John Townsend, Tim Clinton, Gary Oliver, Leslie Vernick, just to name [...]
I have a Facebook account and find that my “Wall” (where my friends write their thoughts and messages), gives me a wealth of funny, absurd, even thought-provoking material for my blog. Just the other day I saw someone comment to another FBF, “Just follow your heart.” And it was as if I could hear the [...]
My husband and I took a two-day trip down to the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois this past week. On one of those two days, we did some hiking. We wandered deep down into the forest on some trails. It took probably less than five minutes before we began to feel the heavy weight [...]
