What’s one of the most common reasons we give for not forgiving others? If you’re like many people, you might have answered that our forgiveness implies approval or tolerance of the behavior. We read about it, talk about it, and teach it. Yet for most of us, forgiving...
Is it possible to age gracefully? What does that even mean? Been thinking recently about aging. It may have something to do with the fact that I’ve reached another milestone birthday. In a culture that worships youth, I wonder how long it will be before I become a...
When we relocated from the northeast to Florida, one of the things we missed most was the change of seasons. Native Floridians quickly advised us that instead of winter, spring, summer, and fall, our seasons are snowbird, love bug, summer, and hurricane. While the...
Have you recently experienced frustration? Something or someone irritated you? Plans didn’t go your way? That seems to be happening more lately. Increased seasonal traffic annoys me. People who don’t follow through on what they said they would do end up frustrating...
When Hurricane Irma blew through south Florida last September, we were fortunate not to sustain damage to our home. But the natural environment did not fare as well. Trees toppled all around us. Hurricane force winds snapped off branches and uprooted trees. Root balls...
A new word for a new year. A word I knew—last September—would be my focus for 2018. Last year, my One Word was hope. Holding on to hope carried me through a difficult period. Hope held fear at bay when hubby was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Hope carried me—and...
I did it again. Sigh. You’d think I would be more careful. But for several weeks, clean up from Hurricane Irma has required us to step into overgrown areas to clear downed trees. Those overgrown spaces were also full of Brazilian pepper vines. For those who are not...
What makes one person a prisoner of hope, while another is mired in hopelessness? My “one word” for 2017 is hope, so I’m especially attuned to this word this year. And the subject came up again during a recent lunch with a friend. She asked me how to become a...
Do you remember hearing about the prayer of Jabez? When Bruce Wilkinson’s book, The Prayer of Jabez, was published 17 years ago, it took the Christian community by storm. Quickly propelled to the bestseller lists, it encouraged Christians to daily pray the prayer of...
I’m a broken person. I’m also someone who desires to live in a state of brokenness. Broken or brokenness? They may sound the same, but the difference in my life is huge. During a recent lunch with a friend, she mentioned a book she was reading on brokenness....
Test or Temptation? April showers bring May flowers . . . unless you’re a student. Students are not thinking...
When Bible Reading Becomes Discouraging Discouragement is real. And often the easiest time to become discouraged is...
How Much Storage Do We Need? It doesn’t matter how many garage sales I have, how many bags I donate, or how...