I learned a new word today – “ambivert.” Ambivert means someone who has both introvert and extravert tendencies in equal proportion.
Let Go!
Our daughter recently got a puppy which had been rescued from a trash bin. She named it Gwinny -- cutest little black and white thing you ever saw. Of course, she stocked up on all sorts of puppy items for Gwinny including a comfy little bed with soft sides.
Strongholds Be Gone!
As we discussed breaking down walls and strongholds in Bible study that morning I looked down at my hand. A recent surgery and stitches on my right little finger left behind some major scar tissue.
Kindness Personified
Little did I know when I met my neighbor on July 4th how much I would need her help on December 4th.
Fireworks popped, boomed, and crackled the first July 4th in our new home. I went outside to check out the goings on and noticed several other people out watching as well. After introducing myself to our across the street neighbor, I visited with her as we watched.
Meet Me at the Playground: Let’s Play Red Rover
Red Rover was a team game often played on the courtyard of Travis school. Sometimes we included the boys. However, if they became too rough, we quickly ousted them.
Meet Me at the Playground: Let's Slide
Our Girl Scout troop had enjoyed sliding down the largest slide at our city park. At noon we left to eat our picnic lunch in another area.
Meet Me at the Playground: Let’s Jump Rope
We jumped rope on the courtyard of our elementary school. We always brought our own ropes, but we really liked to jump with the heavy long rope thrown by two of our friends. Remember?
Meet Me at the Playground: Let’s Swing
I loved to swing as a child. Our teachers would take turns swinging us on the playground. When I learned to pump, I became an independent swinger. How invigorating to soar higher and higher.
Meet Me at the Playground: Let's See Saw
The playground at Travis school in Greenville, Texas was divided: boys on one side of the courtyard, girls on the other. Fortunately, the girls had the playground equipment on their side. This week’s stories originated from this fun-filled place and our city park.
The Cross is Crucial
The cross. The event, not the wooden object.
Nothing else communicates God’s love and power so dramatically or completely. Solemnly contemplate with me:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).
A Kind of Suffering
Did I just detect a deep huff and a roll of eyes directed to your friend, co-worker, husband, or your children? (Maybe even toward God?) I admit that I am quickly annoyed with others when they don’t immediately fulfill my expectations.
Compassion—Not Answers
Dear struggling friend,
My heart aches for you. I understand a measure of your pain. My pain may be different than yours and caused by different things, but I’ve been hopeless and paralyzed by fear. I’ve been in the depths of grief, depression and despair. Dark thoughts have consumed me, I couldn’t function, and I believed nothing would change. People’s words bounced off me, written words, even the Word, meant nothing. I looked at others and asked myself, “how can they go about their lives like everything is okay?” More than once—and yes—even as a follower of Jesus.
When Trouble Comes Calling
When. Not if. Trouble will come.
Take heart, rather than take care. To take care is to wrap our trembling arms around the unseen weight of worry and fear of the future. To worry is to have a divided heart. One part claims to love and trust God, the other part functions in light of visible and temporary things and asks, “What if?” Our whole heart is able to act courageously.
He is Mindful of You
Female carpenter bees bore holes the size of a small finger into wood every spring.
These bees are often mistaken for bumblebees and are capable of drilling about one inch every 5-6 days and in the end, their tunnels can be up to several feet long with several egg chambers. They are about one inch long, do not have teeth, but they have mandibles like teeth that cut and tear through wood in circular patterns to perfectly fit their bodies.
Parenting Adult Children
Recently, I met with a young mother. As I listened to her share how she is parenting her children, I was struck by her wisdom. It became evident that she and her husband are leading their children according to godly principles.
A Prayer for Leaders
Psalm 15 begins: LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? (Psalm 15:1). Several years ago, as I read the words “holy hill,” the words “capital hill” came to mind. I continued reading Psalm 15, using it as a prayer for national leaders. Now, when I read Psalm 15, my thoughts and prayers go to those who are in leadership—whether they be political leaders, judges, or even pastors and leaders in churches.
From Drowning to Deliverance
While on a mission trip to California, our team spent one afternoon at the beach—an afternoon I’ll never forget. My best friend and I were swimming, when I suddenly realized I was caught in the current and unable to swim toward shore. No amount of effort on my part helped. My friend noticed my dilemma and began screaming for help. Immediately, a tall, strong guy on the mission team swam to me and began throwing me shoreward. He rescued me! Years later, we saw him and his family. The first thing he said to my girls was, “I saved your mother’s life!” He did, and I’m thankful!
Truths for Trials
Martin Luther used Psalm 46 to write his victorious hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” Luther faced numerous trials because of his belief that salvation is by grace through faith alone. It is said that when he grew discouraged, he would say to his friend and co-worker, “…let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm.” Luther wrote, “We sing this Psalm to the praise of God, because God is with us, and powerfully and miraculously preserves and defends His church and His word, against all fanatical spirits, against the gates of hell, against the implacable hatred of the devil, and against all the assaults of the world, the flesh, and sin.”
A Firm Foundation
When David wrote these verses, many of the things he considered secure in his life were crumbling around him. He was pursued by an enemy and forced to flee from his home. He was separated from loved ones. He was separated from the temple and, therefore, from corporate worship of God. He faced desperate times of danger and uncertainty. He, who had bravely fought lions as a shepherd and defeated a giant as a young man, was now too familiar with fear as a companion.
Rest In The Savior
During the school year it is very easy for our calendar to get filled up. Our busy schedule consists of school, sports, dance, drama, choir, and ministry. There comes a point when we all need to take a breather and rest. One of the blessings with homeschooling my children is allowing them to occasionally sleep in, knowing their bodies need the extra rest.