Something More Important Than Schedules
Time management has always been challenging for me. I can’t count the number of times I’ve designed and redesigned schedules. I don’t stick to any of them very long. A schedule feels like a straight-jacket. A restriction that blocks my creativity. Yet, I know my time on earth is limited. The Psalmist said, “the […]
What Does “Being Perfect” Mean?
This week several people told me that when they made mistakes, they were very hard on themselves. They wanted to be perfect and they condemned themselves for failures. To live with someone who expects 100% in everything can be very difficult, especially if that person is yourself. I know. For years I lived with […]
Becoming a Gracious Woman
Yesterday, a friend of mine gave me a very kind comment. She said, “You are a gracious woman.” I appreciated the affirmation and thanked her. Is this true? Am I a gracious woman? When I got up this morning I started thinking about what it means to be gracious. I reviewed the story of […]
Who is a Safe Shepherd and Who is Not?
It’s been distressing to watch the Supreme Court justice nominee’s hearing and the events leading up to it. Issues of personal safety certainly are at stake. I feel very sad. However, I’m not stating my position regarding the people questioned because I want you, my friends and readers, to think for yourselves. I hope […]
The Dynamic Dance of Choosing Grace
As followers of Jesus, how do become like him in character? What is our responsibility? Do we actively participate or do we passively receive his grace? In the process of developing spiritual, mental, and emotional integrity, what is the balance between responsibility and grace? It’s helpful for me to picture this relationship as a […]
An Appeal for Graciousness
The conflicts within our nation deeply grieve me. How can blaming, name-calling, and other techniques of evasion affect healing in any of us? There’s no easy and simple solution. As others have notably recognized, it’s only by conquering the enemies within us that we can conquer the enemies outside of us. When facing an angry […]
What I Learned Through My Summer Scripture Memory Challenge
Thanks to all of you who’ve continued to follow my posts during the summer. The challenge I made was more difficult than I expected. I did memorize some Scripture but not as much I expected to. These are the lessons I learned. I must adjust my challenges to the demands of reality. Being a […]
Why I Chose to Memorize Psalms
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42: 1-2 NIV) I am a voracious and fast reader. The problem is: Sometimes, I don’t absorb enough of what I’ve read. I don’t think about it. I don’t ask questions. This summer, it’s […]
Back On Track
I confess that during the past three weeks, I fell a bit behind in my goal to memorize a Psalm every week. My husband and went took an extended road trip. We traveled to Michigan to visit his siblings and then to Texas to visit my siblings, making various stops on the way to see other friends […]
An Unexpected Blessing Due to Memorizing Psalm 19
My husband suggested that I chose a shorter Psalm to memorize this week. Since I haven’t yet completely memorized Ps 19, I agreed with him. Even though I was still stumbling through parts of Psalm 19, I remembered the last verse, and that brought me an unexpected blessing. In the middle of the night, a […]