I'm going to share a mistake I recently made and what I was reminded of through that mistake. One Sunday, after the church service, I approached the pastor who oversees small groups and said I was praying about leading a women's group using the book I published on relationships. He asked, "Why not...

As we weather this corona virus pandemic, I have already seen some good things coming out of it. Neighbors are finding creative ways to encourage others from a distance or provide assistance. Some are literally putting their lives on the line through their jobs. And some of us are also seeking...

There are some lessons I need to be frequently reminded of. One of those is to take time to pray when I'm unsure about something. A typical example is that I'll be writing to someone and I'm about to say something, but then I wonder if I should. I may think I have very good reasons for why I...

One of our pastors once said something in his sermon that caught my attention: In order to set your priorities, define what you are called to BE. But I didn't fully recognize how to apply this until later.   My husband was interested in going on a one- week mission trip to Haiti. (See "A...

Tom and I like to play a game called Rummikub. The object is to create either runs of the same colored tiles (ie; orange 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) or a grouping of the same number in different colors (ie; the number 5 in three or four different colors). It's necessary to be flexible in your strategy. For...

Daily, we are faced with choices about how to spend our time. Some options are clearly destructive, but for most of us, it is often a matter of choosing between a number of good options. When we're trying to decide what to bring into, or take out of, our lives, it helps to ask ourselves questions...

I am learning how important it is when, in a state of panic or anxiousness, to STOP (even sit down, if necessary), PRAY and WAIT for God to quiet my emotions so I can hear what He's trying to say.   Too often, when I'm in a panic, I'll shoot up a prayer for help, but then I continue to try to...

I learned the hard way that I need to keep focused on what God's calling me to do, and let others discover what God's calling them to do. I once had a vision for our son, and my husband and son pursued that vision with me. The problem was, that wasn't God's vision for our son, and as a result, it...

Back when I was a fairly new Christian, I think I had erroneously come to believe that walking by faith meant I was supposed to ignore my feelings, lay aside all logic, and say yes to everything that appeared to be the unselfish thing to do. This belief system complicated the decision- making...

Determination is good when it's truly needed, but if we fail to be flexible, we can miss out on a blessing. My husband is better than I am at balancing work and pleasure. I have asked him to help me in this area. I will share an example of when my determination robbed me of a blessing. To give you...