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Holding Things Loosely
As the holiday season approaches, God's reminding me to hold things loosely. What does that mean? Looking at the time and energy we put into things of this world - things having no eternal value, yet are part of our lives. Time spent on responsibilities, things we...
An Example of a Life full of Gratitude
On a day with so much to say, I thought I'd repost Nettie's story, a true example of a life of thanksgiving in the midst of heartache. Happy Thanksgiving to each of you, may you be able to give thanks to the Lord today for His love that endures forever. For an...
Notes to A Teen
This morning I wrote notes to two of my kids. Though I was tempted to rush to the next task on my list, I was reminded that the years are quickly fading, and today they needed to hear a few things. They needed to hear I'm proud of them. There are things my husband...
Doing Life Together
I have the privilege to share how I've been blessed by doing life together with friends and community as a guest writer for Amelia Rhodes. I met Amelia at a conference this summer and have had the honor to get to know her. She is a gifted writer, has a servant's...
Humor… Beyond the Picket Fence
There is nothing inspirational in this post. You can read yesterday's post for that. Pure embarrassment today, a day in the Life Beyond the Picket Fence. Yep, that's our dog. We don't need to buy doggie toys here on the boy farm because she finds things like a...
Needed: A Few Good Men, And More
Today's one of those days I'm overcome with emotion. We celebrated my father-in-law's 80th birthday. Those of you who know him know what a rare, exemplary, yet humble man he is. He raised four boys who are men of integrity and goodness. I have the privilege to be...
A Mother’s Heart for a Child with Special Needs
It's been an honor to watch my friend, Lou Anne Hostetler, raise her family. While her firstborn, Jeffrey, was very young, she and her husband found out he has cerebral palsy. This past spring, Jeffrey graduated from high school. I have watched Lou Anne pour into...
Amazing Women, Amazing Stories
I've been privileged to meet women who don't believe there 's anything significant about them. Perhaps that's why they're amazing to me - because what's seen in them first is their Savior. Most of them will say, "I'm just living my life" but they have obediently...
The First Frost
A light icing of white covered our ground this morning. Part of my heart sunk because I knew it meant death of color soon in our northern Indiana world. I'm a gardener. I love the color and beauty of flowers. I honestly think there's nothing more beautiful than the...
Power of the Paper Plate
A couple of years ago, after spending two weeks as a camp counselor, my daughter came home with stories about mentoring 5th grade girls. While I was making dinner, she sat at the kitchen table with two paper plates. "Mom, have you ever heard of putting paper plates...
The Weird Family
The ideal: Family devotions, children all sitting around very well-behaved, intently listening to Father share his wisdom and insight from God's Word. Training up children just like Proverbs says, Norman Rockwell style. Reality: The family barely ever is in the same...
← Risky Business OCTOBER 29, 2012 · 12:29 AM | EDIT ↓ Jump to Comments The Weird Family The ideal: Family devotions, children all sitting around very well-behaved, intently listening to Father share his wisdom and insight from God’s Word. Training up children just...