Valentine’s Day

My husband is not big on Valentine’s Day. Honestly, he’s not big on any holiday. He has a hard time remembering things like that. So it’s up to me to plan things if I want something special and up to me to remind him of them. This year for Valentine’s Day we attended a MarriageContinue reading “Valentine’s Day”

Loving Ourselves

Self-love is a trending topic these days. There are so many books out there on loving yourself, accepting yourself, building your self worth, developing self esteem, and on and on and on. The contention is that you can’t love others unless you first love yourself. Society tells us that loving ourselves is the first stepContinue reading “Loving Ourselves”

True Beauty

This weekend I was invited to a spa/beauty party. You know, one of those parties sponsored by a cosmetic company so you can test their products in the hope that you will want to purchase them. There’s nothing wrong with these parties as long as you don’t feel pressured to purchase anything. They’re a niceContinue reading “True Beauty”

Back to the Garden

The Garden of Eden. What picture comes to mind when you hear those words? If you’re like me, you probably picture the most beautiful place you can imagine. Lots of trees. Lots of animals. Maybe you think of Adam and Eve. Maybe you wonder what it was like to live before sin was in theContinue reading “Back to the Garden”

I Don’t Want to Forgive

Sometimes I find myself harboring grudges. It’s a very human thing to do. We are hurt or offended by someone, and there is just some part of us that doesn’t want to let go. We play that tape of hurt or offense over and over in our mind. We think of all the witty comebacksContinue reading “I Don’t Want to Forgive”

Lasting Change

It’s the last day of January. Check in time. How are you doing on those New Year’s Resolutions you made? If you’re like most people, they’ve gone by the wayside about a week ago. According to research, only about 40% of the people who set New Year’s Resolutions are still successful 6 months later. MostContinue reading “Lasting Change”

Sometimes Pruning Hurts

Trees are very important to God. There are hundreds of verses in the Bible that mention a tree or trees. There are even verses that compare people to trees. Trees symbolize life, prosperity, and abundance. They can also demonstrate a lack of these things. We are even compared to trees. In the book of Psalms,Continue reading “Sometimes Pruning Hurts”

Correction

How do you handle correction? If you’re like most people, your response will depend on the context of who is giving you the correction and what the circumstances are. While correction may be easier to take from people who offer gentle correction, it can be hard to take from those we want to respect usContinue reading “Correction”

Taking Prayer to the Next Level

Prayer is communication with God. We talk to God, and we listen as well. If we’re not doing both, it isn’t prayer; it’s a dramatic monologue. But sometimes we might feel as if our prayers are going nowhere. This isn’t true, of course. Our prayers don’t have to “go” anywhere. God lives within us. HeContinue reading “Taking Prayer to the Next Level”

The Sovereignty of God

God is sovereign. “Duh,” you may be thinking. “Why are you telling me this?” Well, believe it or not the sovereignty of God is a topic of intense debate. Ask someone what it means that God is sovereign and you’re likely to get different answers depending on whether or not you’re speaking to a Catholic,Continue reading “The Sovereignty of God”