I often feel that I live my life in layers … do you feel that same way?

Perhaps it is not that I actually live my life in layers … but there are definitely layers that co-exist inside of me.

The layers lay on top of each other and often hide the deepest, holiest parts of that which makes up the whole of me.

America means many things to those who live upon its soil.

It means the Freedom of Religion … the Freedom of Speech … and the pursuit of happiness.

America is the majestic Grand Canyon … the utter dependency of Old Faithful … and it is the sun-drenched Gulf Coast.

America is the lazy Mississippi River … the towering Redwood Forest … and sunflowers splashed across the Great Plains.

America. The Land of the Free. The Home of the Brave.

There will come a day when our reality changes once again … when we transfer not from childhood to adulthood but from time into eternity.

From humanity into heaven’s splendor. From temporary into everlasting. From flesh and blood into the spirit.

When we look back at this life from heaven’s perspective… I wonder if we will look at all this current life offers as an adult views childish toys.

Rather than live with a heart filled with regret when September 23 rolls around, perhaps this is the summer you will endeavor to wring the pure sunshine out of every day.

Joy may seem like an impossible dream to you … but it’s not.

Friendship can never be just one-sided but must be enjoyed often!

I have a friend named Jesus … who is eternally the most joyful person in the history of mankind!

Jesus brings an atmosphere of perpetual and contagious joy with Him everywhere He goes … He doesn’t leave heaven without it!

Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person.

These guiding principles often dictate behavior and also help the person to understand the difference between right and wrong … good and bad … purposeful and wasteful … valuable and worthless.

Your core values, when used as a moral map, can also help determine whether or not you are on the right path in life.

There is a 5-letter, very familiar word that has been ricocheting through the canyons of my heart recently. It’s a word that we all know … and that we all do … and yet that we often ignore it’s singular and potent impact. Cling.

When you think of the word “cling” what do you think about?

The words on the written page have guided me ... challenged me ... restored me ... and comforted me. For today, I will share with you these 5 in hope that you, too, will become a better person due to the written words on the page of a book.

Do you know the difference between a hero or a heroine and a role model? A hero or heroine is likely someone whom you have never met and yet you stand in amazement at the way that this amazing individual chose to live their one glorious life.

Let me joyfully reassure you that it is indeed possible for those who are brave enough and defiant enough to use the spiritual equivalent of bleach to clean away the mental mildew and residue that has collected in their brains.

There is something about the twilight hours that is able to convince us that life is not good … nothing will ever change … and that our lives don’t have any meaning.

What you have the capacity to become, both as a woman and as a mother, depends upon the foundational issues of your faith.

This story is one of God’s goodness and faithfulness throughout my entire adult-life!

Motherhood also gives birth to the most tremendous work that you will ever realize this side of eternity. The greatest work you will ever accomplish will be within the walls of your own home.