Are you wondering if God has forgotten about you? He hasn't. Not ever.

If God were to send you a message, I think He’d write something like the words in this note.
The encouragement phrases like, “Live in the moment” and “Be fully present” can be a bit … uncomfortable sometimes. Perhaps even annoying. Right? But there is truth in them for sure. There is power in those statements. I share them with friends and groups. They are little lights along our path that lead us to living a full, rich life. I’m a fan. Here’s the deal … Showing up fully present, paying attention to the people and activity around me? It makes me a better person. A
School Carnival. Climax, Minnesota. 1973. It was an annual event where a king and queen were crowned, teachers got soaked in the dunk-‘em booth, cheap game prizes were won in the gym, and the cake walk was celebrated in the cafeteria. I wore a purple hot pants outfit. With a purple headband. And purple tights. The outfit was…purple. Good grief. Whatever was I thinking. Back then, I felt like royalty. Royalty wearing purple. The look made me feel beautiful…even a little trim. Now, it’s one of those
Last week I wrote a little note about grumbling. As in, we aren’t to do it. Here’s a follow-up thought. My sisters and I are very grateful that we can stay with mom as caregivers, walking this Alzheimer’s journey with her. AND … some of my best grumbling (which is actually my worst grumbling, if you know what I mean) takes place in her apartment. You see, mom likes it warm in her apartment. Very warm. Like in 80˚ warm. In the middle of summer. Have mercy.
Oh my. There are some verses in the Bible that I wish … Well, I just wish that they weren’t in there. They make me uncomfortable. Here’s what I’m thinking about … Life would be easier if grumbling was a spiritual gift. Anyone else think so?? But no. Grumbling is not a good thing. It’s not attractive. It’s not helpful. It’s not encouraging. And it certainly doesn’t acknowledge and honor God’s faithfulness and love for us. It breaks the heart of God and makes us only more
Give me a gravel road with deep ditches on either side surrounded by golden grain fields, long, dusty driveways, sugar beets that have fallen from the big trucks on the highway, and I’m in my Happy Place. There’s something about farming and small towns and pick-ups and cafes and farmer tans and John Deere tractors that lower my blood pressure just thinking about them. Life in small town USA wasn’t, and isn’t, easy. Good grief, no. But the pace is different than what I feel in the
I wonder what kept some of our faith heroes from rolling their eyes at God. Like when God told Noah, “So make yourself an ark…” I think I would have muttered a quick, “You’ve got to be kidding me” somewhere in that conversation. But “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” And when God appeared to Abram, who with his wife Sarai so badly wanted a child. God told him to “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them…So shall
When I take the time to consider the influence we have on the hearts of others, it boggles my mind. And it’s a little scary. And amazing. But mostly mind-boggling. Just think about it. We can literally change the course of someone’s day by one word. Or one action. Or one smile. And boy, let’s do our best to change that someone’s day for the better, right? Our ability to influence someone’s heart – change their day – doesn’t happen because we “have a big platform.” Or
I think it’s one of the best parts of being alive … We can always start again. Let’s face it. We’ve all messed up. Made mistakes and unfortunate choices. We’ve said things and done things that make us wonder … Really? Why did I think that was a good idea? And yet, we can get up the next morning and start again. Sometimes it’s helpful and encouraging to remember these truths … • Everybody’s got something. Nobody has it all together all the time. • We can
What is it about parades? They make us cheer and clap. Wave at people we don’t know. Bounce to the music. Hope that some of the candy gets thrown our way. And some of us get misty when the nostalgia passes by. The “professional” parades are OK to watch, right? Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade brings out our inner parade critic from the comfort of our couches. We pick the floats we like best, worry that the girls carrying the flags are going to freeze to death, and wonder
My intention is to live a full, fun, faithful, joy-filled life. My dad would call it a “This is livin!” life. (And he sure knew how to do that!) But you know what? Things get in my way. Things like complaining. Whining. Stressing. Yea. The silly things that can slurp the good right out of everything. Know what I mean? But. I’ve started responding to life’s moments a bit differently, and it’s a game changer! Here’s what I’m doing … I’ve added this phrase to my vocabulary,
Consider me a city girl with a Midwest small town heart. I’m not afraid to poke fun at my own mishaps, and I love laughing out loud 'til it hurts! As a speaker, author, blogger, and Chief Encourager, I bring you a breath of fresh air on this journey we call life!
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