Simplifying… me

Dickens’ classic story “A Tale of Two Cities” opens with one of the most famous lines in literature: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”.  How can we manage to have both at the same time?  When things are bad, aren’t they bad because there is no good?  And aren’t [...]

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Bedtime routines were completed, and I had made my way downstairs to enjoy a couple of hours with Joel.  Before he joined me, I turned on the television in the middle of a news program reporting the most recent child abduction cases in our country.  Listening to the accounts of abuse and destructiveness, I found [...]

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 There is a Christian code of conduct, so to speak, that is laid out pretty clearly in the book of Deuteronomy – the Ten Commandments, to be specific.  It is not difficult to discern the kind of behavior God desires from us.  He plainly articulates His will in these ten mandates. 
 
But what about the gray [...]

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“Look Mommy!  I wear Daddy’s shoes!”  It is a precious thing to see my two-year-old son clomp around in his daddy’s size twelve shoes.  He moves at a snail’s pace, but feels like he’s king of the world – all because he’s wearing Daddy’s shoes.
 
I feel an ache in my heart when I think about [...]

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Stress is like an unwelcome guest that weeds its way into the mind and heart, inflicting fear and worry to an overwhelmed host.  It wakes us up in the middle of the night, causes muscles to tense, tempers to flair and jaws to clench.  Headaches, backaches, stomach ulcers and even skin irritations can all be [...]

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Most hospital memories tend to conjure up a host of negative emotions: individuals feel like a slab of meat on a metal tray, poked, prodded, and covered indiscreetly with a two-sizes-too-small paper gown.  However, whether it was the strong narcotics, a pain pill-induced euphoria, or simply the unbelievable amount of relief post-surgery, my hospital experience [...]

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What changes people’s lives?  Who are the catalysts for that change?  Do they know who they are?  Do they realize change is happening because of them?  What is their message – their platform?  Did they set out to intentionally change the lives of others?  Are those changes for the best?  What makes their message significant [...]

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I think too much. 
 
I think about my marriage.  I think about my kids.  I think about ministry.  I think about me in ministry.  I think about the future.  I think about the past.  I think about finances.  I think about what I’m going to wear tomorrow.  I think about thinking.  I think I think too [...]

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I wrote a post yesterday.  I felt really good about it.  I edited, reviewed, and scheduled it to post this morning. 
 
Then this morning came.  Today is 9-11.  I felt convicted that I had not taken that into account yesterday as I feverishly worked on my post for today. 
 
I removed today’s original post.  I’ll re-post tomorrow [...]

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They say confession is good for the soul.  Okay.  I’ve got a confession to make.  Throughout the long summer months, the challenge of keeping my three little banshees from tearing the house and each other apart has been a major undertaking.  Somehow they have this innate ability to discover Mommy’s weakness, and daily, they zero [...]

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