A few years ago, one of my dearest friends in life, Leigh Anne, lost her battle with colon cancer. When she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, where many people would make up their bucket list, Leigh Anne’s words were much different. She declared her greatest hope to be that when the journey was over, however it would end, she would be able to say that she had no spiritual regrets. A very different narrative plays out in three of the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke all share the account of the Rich Young Ruler. If you recall he …
What did I do before Facebook?
As a Women’s Ministry Director for nearly a decade, I’ve watched big trends in the lives of women over the last ten years. Communication and technology are in over-drive when it comes to the pace of change. It has been so fast that we’ve have barely had time to stop and learn, much less reflect on how it’s impacting our lives. Social media and our technology habits have changed women personally, as wives and as moms. Family life is different now. It often takes a crisis, power outage, vacation, illness, honest friend, or the Holy Spirit to slow us down …
Communication: the power of a text
I’ve never written a message to my kids on a cave wall. They wouldn’t look there, because communication changes. When my kids were little, one of their favorite ways to practice spelling was painting in shaving cream. Now kids click and drag on iPads and use apps to reinforce language development. Shaving cream is still a great way to practice, but if we want to be heard, “flexible” and “learner” have to be our middle names when it comes to communication. The digital age has thrust moms and grandmas onto a fast track for adaptation in communicating with our …
God’s Not Dead Movie Review 4Moms
The movie God’s Not Dead opens in theaters today. Just because it’s a story about God, is it a fit for your family? When I attended a preview of the movie, dear moms, I watched and listened with you in mind. Read on to find out what the movie is all about, how realistic it is, what age group this film targets, and who else in your life might just need to see this movie. God’s Not Dead leads audiences to consider how far we would go to defend our belief in God. Better yet, it challenges us to answer …
When Siblings Become Friends
From the day she was born, I promised. “Your sister is tiny now, but she’ll grow fast. Soon, not too long from now, she’ll be able to play with you. She’ll run and jump and share your puzzles and dolls. You’ll see.” “Really?” My firstborn, then just a couple weeks past her third birthday, gazed in tender awe at her new baby sister, the long-awaited stranger. “Yes, sweetheart. Someday, she’ll be your best friend.” Someday. It seemed so far off in those early months when we juggled two different stages under one roof. This one needed macaroni and potty training …
Dear friend: a letter for the end of a year
By now you know I didn’t get Christmas cards sent this year. Though I couldn’t squeeze out the time to get them done, I feel compelled to carve out this time to write you a letter. A real letter. There’s something I want you to know before tomorrow comes and we stand on the first step of 2014 and wave goodbye to the year that was 2013. There’s something I need to tell you. I looked back over our Facebook messages to remember that thing you said to me, but I got distracted, scrolling through all the things that …
When Fear Captures Your Heart ~ (Four Ways to Fight Fear)
Has fear ever captured your heart? It has mine many times in the past and even recently. In 1989, I received a call that would forever change the course of my life. See, I had lived in fear through an abusive marriage and thought that after those days were over I would not live in fear any longer. Boy was I wrong. The call brought it all back. It returned in a more vicious way than before. No longer was it about me, but now it was concerning my children. The clutches reached out that day and captured my heart …
A Mother’s Song of Praise
I’ve always loved the prayer Mary prayed after she visited her cousin Elizabeth and revealed the secret that would change the world, she was carrying in her womb the Son of God, the Messiah, the one who would save us from our sins. When I read Luke 1:46-56 I imagine Mary in such a humbled state yet not able to contain her excitement and fear for her future as the mother of the promised one. I can see her dancing as she sings, kneeling as she prays and lifting her hands towards Heaven in worship. I just cannot imagine …
Of Smelly Stables and Messy Lives
Soon after 9-11, I found my heart so full of poetry, it had to get out. So I have pages and pages of it. It was just a season and a time in which I found an outlet and joy in writing poetry. The interesting part is that I haven’t experienced that kind of imparted gift since then. I hope to see it come back around. But in case it never does, I am thankful for the clarity of expression I experienced during this season of poetry. Below I wrote this, as an expression of how we fill our lives …
Thankful to be a Mom
Lord, Today I am thankful for my life as a mom. It isn’t the life I planned. Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” You brought me a godly husband I don’t deserve. Psalm 1:1, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked; nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” You set aside my prayers for success & fame and gave me a houseful of children. Psalm 128:3, Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; …