We have been on a journey in the last several posts to understand prayer, how to make it a regular part of our days, and why we want to pray with friends. Part of my goal on this blog is to encourage you in the midst of real life, a life that can sometimes be pretty hard. While we’ve focused… Read more →
In our series on prayer, we’ve been able to learn a bit about the benefits of regular prayer and how to practically pray without ceasing. Now let’s look at another way to pray – prayer with friends. There is so much power when we pray and even more so when we come into agreement with a few other people. “Again,… Read more →
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thes. 16-19) Have you ever contemplated the part of that scripture, “pray without ceasing?” How is that possible? If we pray without ceasing, does that mean we literally don’t do anything else? I think it can… Read more →
If you follow Jesus, then you probably have heard quite a bit of talk about prayer. Even if you are not a believer, you probably know a bit about prayer. But do we really know the fullness of prayer? I think most of us do not, otherwise, we’d all be doing a lot more of it! Prayer is God’s invitation… Read more →
We’ve been having LOTS of rain in Los Angeles. We need the rain so much, so I’m glad it’s raining. The effect of the rain on me, though, is not helpful. I have several things I need to get done today, but I just feel like curling up on the couch with a good book, some hot tea and doing… Read more →
Last night I was talking on the phone with relatives and I was doodling on the whiteboard that happened to be sitting in front of me. The marker wasn’t really working well, but I liked the distraction it was providing for my hands. Here’s what I drew… Now I know what you’re thinking… “That’s…umm…interesting.” Here’s what happened at my house. I’m finishing… Read more →
Last month I stepped out into a totally new level of dream seeking. Before I launched my Kickstarter project I was really excited, but as it got close to actually launching it, I got really afraid. I felt like I would be so exposed if I let people know what I was dreaming about, if I asked them to believe… Read more →
I woke up yesterday morning and took my two chihuahuas out for a walk. Usually, I just let them do their business and then I bring them back inside. I felt like I should really start walking them at least around the block, just to give them exercise and also to give the puppy practice being on the leash and… Read more →
Once there was a little girl who turned to her family at three years old and said, “I want to be an actress!” She may have said it with a little flair and drama. Family giggled and said, “Yes, dear.” That girl grew and kept repeating that phrase, “I want to be an actress.” She got older and started taking… Read more →
Where are we drawing the line in our lives with God? Are we willing to do anything He leads us into doing? Do we only want to do the fun stuff? Are we living our life the way we want and promising we’ll do what God wants later? Paul was a tentmaker. Everywhere he went, he preached and he made… Read more →
I’ve managed to get myself back into a regular workout routine this fall. Praise the Lord! My favourite type of workout is yoga. While I was doing a class, I had a little mini-epiphany: “What if I quit fighting?” Ok, let me give you a little back story. I am a recovering perfectionist; some days more recovered than others. You… Read more →
I live in Los Angeles. One thing you find out quickly by living here is that seasons don’t really happen or at least they don’t happen like you’d expect. Growing up in Colorado the seasons were always very distinct and they happened when the calendar said they would. We have this strange thing in LA where just as everyone (in… Read more →
My precious grandma passed away a few weeks ago. She was 96 years old. Her breath slowed, then stopped and that was it. She was sleeping and then she woke up in heaven. I prayed for the last few years that her passing would happen in her sleep. It just seems like the best way to leave this world. Her… Read more →
As I was celebrating the freedom of being an American citizen over this past week, two beautiful Americans were shot. No crime, no jury, no conviction – just shot. This alone is tragic. The fact their skin color bears the history of racism just rips open centuries of wounds. I’m white. Yet, I don’t really see people based on their… Read more →
Depression. I hate that word. I hate what it means. I hate how it feels even more. I’ve needed to write this article for some time, but I’ve been avoiding it. It’s complicated. It seems even more complicated in some Christian circles. Yet, I think we need to talk about it. I think we need to help each other understand.… Read more →
As frequently happens, life has thrown a perfect scenario for learning into my path and I figured I’d share what I’ve been learning. Last Friday afternoon I was taking a shower in my recently remodeled bathroom. (Now before you get jealous of my new bathroom, let me tell you it was remodeled because my bathroom was filled with water and… Read more →
I had a dream the other night that I was with some children near a house. Suddenly a snake came into the midst. I didn’t know exactly what kind it was, but I knew it was deadly. I started to back up, tripped and fell down. My fall got the attention of the snake and it started pursuing me. I… Read more →
I’ve been pondering the idea of rest, of the Sabbath, of balance. I began writing this blog and then found myself in this beautiful setting for free. How amazing! I love when I’m working on an idea and life magnifies it or helps me understand it better. As I’ve been trying to understand the importance of rest, I was struck… Read more →
“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?” Ps 116:12 I am frequently humbled by God’s goodness. All the little things I know He does for me. Why is He so good to me? How can I ever repay him? I can’t repay him, nor does He ask me to. He is good to me, because it is actually… Read more →
God is a true gentleman. He is an incredible God of mercy and grace. He is patient and his love is unstoppable. All of this sounds great, but there is a flip-side we have to be aware of. Because he is a true gentleman, he will never force you to learn a lesson. He will allow situations to occur… Read more →
Yep – I said it. Fear sucks. I can’t find a better word to describe it. Fear can stop us from doing anything, even the things we desire most to do. Obviously, if something is dangerous, fear is there to protect us. But I have found that fear usually operates in places of my life it has no business being.… Read more →
We’ve been living in the early 1900s around my house this week. It’s been sooo lovely! An era of horse drawn carriages, wide open fields of flowers, and time for “bosom” friends. If you have never read Anne of Green Gables, you have missed out. The language of L.M. Montgomery to describe the childhood of a certain orphan is positively… Read more →
I’ve been laughing to myself this week. I posted last week about keeping our lives as simple as possible in order to stay focused on God. So, of course, this past week for me was ridiculously busy! I frequently find when I am learning something and sharing it with others, I then experience a testing of sorts, a bit of… Read more →
“Hi! How are you?” “I’m Busy! Thanks. How are you?” “I’ve got a lot going on this week.” Does “busy” define you? We live in a society and maybe even a world that values accomplishments. We want to see visible proof that someone is doing something with their life. We ask, “How are you doing?” We prove what we are… Read more →
I have journeyed through my life with a lot of physical pain. I actually don’t have many memories of times in my life when I didn’t have pain. Because it’s so present, I really don’t give it much thought. When the pain is very intense, I realize that it is never really gone. I’ve tried all sorts of things to… Read more →
“Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows; laughter will spill through the doors. Things will get better and better. Depression days are over. They’ll thrive, they’ll flourish.” – Jeremiah 30:18-21 These words have been ringing true in my life and I’m so very grateful!! As the new year begins, I have been absolutely praising God… Read more →
I had another article ready for today, but after the week’s events I feel compelled to speak what’s been brewing in my heart and mind. I am someone who rarely watches the news because I hate the focus on all the awful things in the world. Also, I don’t believe that we were created to handle all the sorrow of… Read more →
“If God is good, why would God allow that to happen?” You can fill in whatever “that” is for you. We’ve all had something (or many things) happen in our life that absolutely breaks our heart – some great loss or disappointment, some life stopping occurrence. It is natural to wonder why God would allow it to happen, to cry… Read more →
Once you begin to truly understand how much God loves you, there is still another hole you may find lurking in your heart. You see, God created us ladies with a deep desire to be beautiful and for our beauty to be appreciated. For most of us, our enemy, the father of lies, has twisted this desire to let us… Read more →
I want you to imagine you’ve just finished a workout and you are at the grocery store grabbing a few bits of food for your day. As you are picking out your peppers, you get the feeling that someone is watching you. You casually look around and see this gorgeous man smiling at you. You look away and then sneak… Read more →