Wouldn’t you say that guilt is an interesting accoutrement to the classic Christian “quiet time” of spending time reading the Bible and praying? I recently talked to some women who felt guilty because of their Bible study habits or lack thereof. Where does much of this guilt come from? I’ll tell you where –it comes from not having any actual… Read More
Are Your Mind And Heart Warmed Up for Your Day?
I could tell, as soon as I pulled up to the gas station, that she was distraught and feeling completely hopeless. She looked like I did that night I found a $300.00 error in the checkbook, not in our favor, and Matt came home and found me curled up in a fetal position on the living room floor. She was… Read More
Spending Time with God When You Have No Time
I was exhausted from two nights of poor sleep, so I announced that Panda Express would be making dinner for the night. Matt had just gotten back from a four-day trip and realized he had forgotten his tablet at the church, so he offered to go with me to get the tablet and the Chinese take-out. Four days without that… Read More
How Can A Distracted Girl Spend Time with God?
You can name it two ways. Call it ditzy or call it creative. Call it a deficit or call it gifted. My son and I often laugh, because we both suffer from the same illness. We are on our way to do a task, but then our imaginations hijack us. For him it looks like going to clean his room,… Read More
Do You Feel Like Your Soul Is Sucking Air?
My three-ring notebook contained 14 songs, and I carried it with me last Friday and Saturday, to accompany vocalists for the high school district music festival. Then at church on Saturday night, I had to laugh at myself. Fourteen times that weekend, I had heard adjudicators preach good breathing techniques to my students, so when we started singing praise songs… Read More
Three Ways You Can Prepare for Relationship Success
You know that lady at Costco who has the clicker in her hand as you come in? Counting people. Wednesday was like that for me. One click for a voicemail to our daughter. One click for a question to the school secretary. Two clicks for greeting the lunch ladies. One click for a message to the principal. One click for… Read More
To Those Who Want to Practice The Spiritual Disciplines
I got an email from a friend the other day, and it took me back to my younger years when my folks would leave me with a list of chores to do before they got home. A few hours later I would hear the garage door go up and would instantly panic. Because of course I hadn’t even started those… Read More
Who Is God When Your Heart Is Heavy?
It was 1:30 a.m., and I was awake worrying about…things. You know how it is, because you have your own stuff on your mind this week that keeps making your shoulders sag and your sighs loud. I got out of bed, to move around and try to get my thoughts going in a different direction, but I couldn’t shift my… Read More
Maybe This at the Top of Your List?
It’s Monday morning, and the list’s awaitin’. The kitchen needs cleaned, because I had no energy for tackling it after picking huckleberries for two hours yesterday. Instead I took two Ibuprofen for my back pain and went to bed. There are all these chores and errands that need done this week, but I’m pausing at Paul’s words to Timothy before… Read More
If You Want Good Stuff To Come from You Today
Yesterday I cleaned the coffeemaker by running vinegar through it. Three people walked into the house several hours after the vinegar was poured down the sink. They squinched their noses, and I apologized for the smell. I don’t know if this counts as a legitimate blog post or not, but I have to state this great scientific revelation: If you… Read More