Ever Catch Yourself Arguing with God?
Sometimes I catch myself reading a portion of Scripture with a bit of an argumentative attitude. Ever done that? When the words of God are shockingly different from our cultural mindset and worldly way of conducting life, it is easy to cross my arms and want to dig in my heels. When I don’t completely understand how or why, I can default to doubt or bossiness--just keeping it real here. I am humbled when I remember many situations when I have prayed about an issue in my life from the mindset that I know exactly how to fix it; I just need God to do it. It is easy for a desire to solve a problem to become an agenda, ever noticed that?
One of the Family
Isn't it great to be one of the family? There is a feeling of security when you know you belong . When you are part of the family, you know where you live...duh. You have a key to the door and you come right on in whenever you want to, because you live there. Right? When you are part of the family, you can help yourself to whatever is in the refrigerator (unless of course, your mom has but an "Eat this and you will Die!" note on the banana pudding. When you are one of the family, you can snuggle up on the couch and put your feet on the coffee table. You can relax because you know you belong. You know you are supposed to live there. You are loved and accepted, even if you are having a bad day and are feeling a little testy.
Life with Teenagers…and their rooms
Let’s talk about THE Teenager's ROOM. I’ll try to keep this post short, and focused on one characteristic. You know you have a teenager in the house when … …you open the door to their room and are bombarded by…THE SMELL. I would post a...
Make Today’s Goals From Yesterday’s Lessons
(Part 2 of Some Thoughts about New Year's Goals) Pay attention to what God has been doing in your life and form your goals in response to what He has been teaching you. When we start thinking about the possibilities that a new year inevitably...
Some Thoughts on New Year’s Goals (Part 1)
When I write the word “January,” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? New Year’s resolutions, right? January is a time of year we traditionally set goals and indulge in all kinds of self- improvement plans. For some folks,...
A Simple Rule in the Art of Conversation
Have you ever had a conversation that went something like this: You begin telling friend about your day and they kind of nod with an, cheap “uh,huh…” It isn’t a stretch to realize that you don’t really have their full attention. (I have been...
Playing a Game Called Catch-Up
After returning from my trip to the far corners of the world in Dallas, Tx (yes it all depends on where you are coming from, doesn’t it?), I have been playing Catch-Up. Do you ever feel like you spend more time trying to catch up than you do in...
One on One is Important
Here we are, back again. This time from a 777 United jet about an hour out of Tokyo. Still a long way to go on my trip to Dallas. The cruising altitude is smooth and the movies are starting to roll. As I can’t seem to get into “Despicable...
I Am Putting My God Ears On
Today I am leaving my corner of the world in Okinawa, Japan, with a final destination of the Protestant Women of the Chapel International Conference. I am on an Al Nippon flight to Tokyo, where I will catch a flight to Seattle, then to Denver,...