The writer of Psalms 119 states, “I will walk at liberty because I keep your commandments.” (vs. 45) That seems like a totally contradictory statement if we do not understand what true freedom is. Humanly, we tend to think of freedom as setting our own rules, making our own decisions, living our own way. In […]

Filed under: Christian Living

I have been thinking about the phrase, “I’m at your mercy.” Usually, that implies we have a debt we cannot pay and we are hoping the person to whom we owe that debt will be merciful. We don’t often find ourselves grateful to be at someone else’s mercy, for that indicates that we are not […]

Tags: faithful, forgive, mercy, thanks
Filed under: Christian Living, Forgiveness

Tears gathered in the corners of Joel’s eyes yesterday morning as we sat together in visit and I shared with him an update on his release status.  Joel has taken a very intense addictions course in order to qualify for a year off his sentence, so we were both severely disappointed when we found out […]

Filed under: Christian Living

I was listening to one of my favorite pastors on my i-pod the other night as I was jogging in the neighborhood. He was expounding on Jesus’ sermon in John 15. “I am the vine, you are the branches…” He shared a fascinating story from Bruce Wilkinson’s book, Secrets of the Vine.  Bruce and his […]

Filed under: Christian Living

This morning I finished the book, One Thousand Gifts. The author, Ann Voskamp shares how God used a challenge given to her by a friend to change her outlook on life. This challenge was to write down 1000 blessings–one thousand gifts–she could thank God for. In the process of learning to be thankful, she became […]

Tags: appreciate, gifts, journey, joy, thankfulness
Filed under: Christian Living, Joy

Yesterday in my seventh grade literature class we had a rousing conversation about fear. One of the students is reading  a book from which he quoted, “Only a fool is not afraid.” Then we discussed whether or not we agreed with this statement. I have wrestled with the deeper issues of this statement in my […]

Tags: fear propel hope trust
Filed under: Christian Living

In my eighth grade language arts class we are studying the book Treasure Island. A couple questions we are discussing as we study the book is, “What do we treasure?” and “What determines value?” How do we know something is valuable? By human standards something is considered valuable if quantities are limited, if the item […]

Tags: treasure, value, worth
Filed under: Christian Living

I was reading Psalms 34 with the boys tonight. We are beginning to memorize portions of Scripture together in our Bible study time, so I was going over this section with them, making sure they understood it, before we begin memorizing it. Verse 5 really struck me, “Those who look to him (the Lord) for […]

Tags: ashamed, dignity, help, hope, trust
Filed under: Christian Living, Joy, Poetry

Ever since I shared yesterday some of  issues related to ADD and it’s affects on our family, I have been thinking of the spiritual parallels in my own life. I am amazed at what God teaches me about Himself, and His plans for me, through my interaction with my children. Often my relationship with God […]

Tags: holistic, love, wander
Filed under: Christian Living

I have been reading a very helpful book on ADD because my oldest son Marshall was diagnosed with it about 3 years ago. Finally, after trying many other avenues, I went ahead and put him on regular medication, but that barely takes off the edge. He is still slow, easily distracted, and often disconnected. This […]

Tags: holistic, life, spiritual
Filed under: Christian Living