Life can be monotonous sometimes, can’t it?  A bit boring. Oh, sure there are those times where we have a lot going on and it’s chaotic - whether for the good or bad - but there are a lot of times in our life that are just the day to day living of life here on earth.  The same old, same old.

 
No matter how many times you have cleaned your kitchen counter, it will need to be done again tomorrow.  Unless they invent disposable clothing that you find stylish, you’re going to have to keep doing laundry.  Another day of going to work is right around the corner. What are we having for supper will be asked again for sure.

 
Well, at least you aren’t having manna again for supper like the Israelites.  They had been wandering in the wilderness for a long time and God had graciously supplied them with manna for their food.  But just as your kids turn up their nose when you put supper on the table exclaiming, “We are having...

I remember the day I sat on the edge of our bed and asked my husband if he would care if I just didn’t wake up tomorrow morning.  I was in my 20’s and life was not going according to plan. The rude awakening to becoming an adult with job problems, money problems, learning how to be married and raising kids was all just a bit much for me.  I wasn’t going to commit suicide, but I really didn’t care if I went on to heaven at that point. I’d lost hope that this life was going to get better and I was just clinging on knowing heaven would be better someday.

 
How about you?  Have you lost hope?  Are you weary of holding on waiting for the miracle you need?  If you are standing on a Scripture, saying the right things, believing for it to happen in your life and it is not happening, it may not be your faith but your hope.
 

The hope that you may be familiar with goes something like this.  I hope I win the lottery. I hope...

When we moved into a new home several years ago, we didn’t immediately put up the same old pictures from our last home.  I was tired of some of them and others just didn’t convey the look I was going for in the new home. We picked our favorites and then went with some blank walls for a time while we decided what we wanted to put up.  We didn’t rush out to buy a bunch of new things either as we decided it would be more fun, in the long run, to purchase something while traveling or for other meaning and then every time we look at the picture or the knickknack we would think of the meaning or the story behind it.  

 
You probably like to do something similar when decorating to set the atmosphere in your home.  HGTV is wildly popular for helping us find new ways to express love and comfort in our homes in a way that is inviting to others and is a peaceful place for us to come home to, but what about the spiritual atmosphere in your home?...

Our world is noisy, isn't it?  I always look forward to warm summer days and having the windows open or laying on the hammock.  But it seems that every time I do, someone is mowing their yard!  I mean could we just establish a rule that everyone has to do it at the same time (when it is convenient for me, of course) so I can enjoy the peace and quiet the rest of the time?

Our minds get noisy too with the constant thoughts of things we need to do and things that concern us.  With all the noise in life, how can you hear from God? I'm convinced that almost every Christian would do whatever God asked them to do if they just knew for sure they heard Him say it.   How can you know it was Him speaking and not your own thoughts?  How can you hear that one voice in life that you need to hear the most so that you can get the answers to your most pressing needs?

God has promised to guide us by His Holy Spirit and lead us into all truth. Having...

If I were going to be a policewoman, I think I would want this uniform the lady in our picture is wearing.  Stylish, smart and warm for a brisk day. I’d be directing traffic in style! Okay, so you can quickly see I probably was not called to be a policewoman.  But it’s amazing to think that I could wear this cute outfit and yet have the ability to stop a big semi truck in its tracks. How would I do that? Would it be my massive muscles that stop the truck?  Would I stand in front of the semi like Super Girl with my cape blowing in the wind and pushing hard on the truck to get it to stop while my super cute boots dug into the pavement? No. The truck driver would stop the truck for me based on the authority of my badge and position. 

The position police hold gives them their authority. Our government has delegated authority to the police to uphold the law.  They represent the law. And your position in Christ gives you your authority. (Click...

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I’m not really in a position to be able to help you right now.”  Maybe it’s a financial need of a friend and you aren’t in the position right now financially yourself to help them.  Or perhaps you said, “I’m not sure what my position is in this matter.” As the parent of adult children, you may feel you are no longer in the position to tell them how to dress or how to live their lives.  

I find that many Christians today fall into the same problem of not knowing what their position is in Christ.   Now that they are saved, they feel stuck somewhere in between the position of being an unbeliever and the position of heaven being their future home.  Where does that leave us today? If you don’t know your position in Christ, you will not walk in it obviously. You will stumble along trying to figure it out.  You’ll either be like the person who...

A couple of days ago, I caught just a little glimpse of pink out of the corner of my eye from the window in my office.  I turned my face to the window and leaned a little to get a better look at what I was seeing. To my surprise, I saw the most beautiful pink rose.  Just one. But in full bloom, living large, seemingly shouting, “Look at me!” A huge smile broke out across my face. 

Why was this a surprise, you ask?  Well, one of my sons had decided to remove some rose bushes from his backyard and asked if we wanted them. We planted the four bushes without knowing what color the roses were or even if they would survive the transplant.  (I don’t have much of a green thumb. I tend to look at plants and they just die. Please tell me you can relate and I’m not the only one!) It was early after the transplant, and I didn’t know if anything would bloom this year after being disrupted like that.

But there it was.  Big, bold and...

As I sit to write today’s blog, I hear the Lord saying, “Time is short.  I’ll be coming back soon. Use your time wisely.” Use my time wisely. For me, two things come to mind with these instructions.

One...

Don’t waste my time with things like stress or worry and being focused on myself.

Two...

Spend my time on things that will matter...that will count….like loving others.

After my father passed away, I heard my mother say that it really bothered her when she would see couples fighting.  Here she is missing her husband greatly and this couple that still has each other is wasting their moments together fighting.  They aren't appreciating the time they have with each other.  She would gladly put up with something that used to be annoying, just to have him back with her again. The things we fight over and get irritated over usually aren’t the things that matter.  

Most parents can probably...

About ten years ago, my husband and I were going through some extreme financial problems.  And I don’t mean we had so much money we didn’t know what to do with it all! We were in serious lack.  But one day we decided we had a little extra money and we had not gone out as a whole family to a nice sit-down restaurant for quite some time.  So we decided we would go to Red Lobster. We really wanted to treat the kids to a nice, fun time and knew they would greatly appreciate going to this restaurant that was visited very rarely due to the cost.  We explained to the kids on the way there that although we couldn’t just get whatever we wanted on the menu, if we all picked something on the lower end of the menu, we could all enjoy this night out.

After being seated and placing our drink order the kids started all complaining about the food options that were the lowest prices.  None of them were happy with what we were suggesting. My husband...