Just Begin Even If You Can’t See It
Do you remember how God cut off the flow of the Jordan river as the priests set foot in the water? It wasn’t before; it was as they walked. If you reread Joshua 3, you’ll find that Joshua says the famous lines, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” It’s […]
Do Not Deprive Your Children of This One Pleasure
I find myself increasing controlling as the new school year begins. I worry about my daughters’ teachers, their friends, their activities, their health, and their happiness. Even after all these years of seeing God’s faithfulness, I still want to micromanage and craft the perfect childhood for them. This morning, I find myself full of fear […]
Worth Trying for a Great Night’s Sleep
A older friend of mine and I were discussing how absolutely fantastic we feel after a great night’s sleep. We talk about the health benefits, of course, and that incredible feeling of waking up at 6:00 AM having slept deeply for 8 full hours. Sleep changes everything. I’m nicer. I’m myself. I’m able to solve […]
“They were small cookies, and we’ll walk faster tomorrow.”
I deeply appreciate my walking partner because of her approach to my failures. I text her to tell her I’ve sabatoged my workout by feasting on cookies. She immediately responds: “They were small cookies, and we’ll just walk faster tomorrow.” Friends who minimize problems and failures and look ahead to a successful future are wonderful! I […]
Calm Down and Eat Cookies
The week we transition back to school, everything erupts around here. We all have frazzled emotions, more conflict, and more stress in general. Yesterday, we slowed down and made Lunch Box Cookies–hundreds of them!–to freeze for future lunch boxes. They are so yummy that we’ve been eating more than we’ve frozen. Either way, we’ve had […]
Loving Without Needing Affirmation, Affection, or Appreciation
My current prayer request for myself it that I would learn what it means to love sacrificially with God’s love. I’m learning that love that expects something in return isn’t really love. I’m learning that love that manipulates, flatters, is needy, is self-serving, is self-focused, is easy, and is even rewarding isn’t really love. If […]
Imaginary Battles
Some family members suffer from seasonal allergies, and in this season, those allergens come on particularly strong. Allergies! When we think about the body’s response to what seems like an enemy attack–but in fact is not-the whole thing frustrates us. All day, I think about imaginary battles that waste energy and cause suffering. Some things […]
Stop Comparing and Make Your Own Fun
Sometimes we get into a terrible thought pattern where we truly believe everyone else is having much more fun than we are. We just can’t handle all the wonderful things we see others experiencing while we go about our hum-drum, boring Sunday. We’re driving away after dropping one daughter off at a fabulous party, and […]
10 Words That Sound Like What They Mean
In a few days, I teach freshman writing again. I just love verbs, as you know, but I’m also currently obsessed with words that sound like what they mean. For example: Effervesce is an effervescent kind of sound. It bubbles up as you say it. Just like sizzle sizzles and crackle crackles off the tongue. […]
Something So Important (That I Didn’t Know Mattered So Much)
My oldest daughter tells me yesterday how much she loves our after school snack time. Years ago, before I even had children, I remember wise mothers who told me how they stopped everything, set out a special snack, and greeted their children after school. Special snack? Whatever do you mean? I learned then about choosing […]