I love the crystalline possibility that comes with being able to start over again … to begin again … to take a deep breath … and to set my gaze toward tomorrow in spite of what lies behind me. A new day … an untouched tomorrow … a pioneer spirit.

Imagine a big colorful balloon. It is perfectly designed to fly. It was created with every possibility to float high and travel far. It’s flexible and brilliant… ready to live up to its full potential. Today, though, it’s limp and empty and it can’t get off the ground. What’s going on?

This week I will be attending my 50th High School Class Reunion!  How is that even possible? Where did 50 years go?

The days of December are nearly over.  Christmas 2022 will soon become but a lovely memory packed away with the annual decorations.  However, I am determined this year, above every year, to hold the lessons of Christmas deeply within my heart and as stirring guideposts for living.

God has a plan … He has always had a plan for His people.

His plan is visible … doable … and well-thought out.

His plan is found on the timeless pages of scripture.

Recently, I had friends and family over for Sunday dinner. Adults were seated around the dining room table laughing, joking and eating good food.  Children were running through the house, some playing cars and trucks, some playing soccer, some building towers with Legos. It was wild and wonderful. Some would call it chaos… but I call it connection!

When someone chooses you, it attaches value to who you are as a person. Whether you are eight years old, eighteen years old or seventy-eight years old, a woman aches to know she is worthy to be chosen. Let me assure you, my friend, you are chosen.

Jesus pours out his love on both Mary and Martha, even as he does for us today. But we might wonder how he can be such a close friend to us—after all, we can’t meet him for coffee. How can Jesus be our friend like he was for Martha and Mary?

You and I were made to pursue God fully … to dream without limits … and to worship extravagantly!  Those daily choices are the building blocks of what it takes to live a glorious and historic life!

Life is about perspective and wearing the correct lenses as we respond to what is going on around us. We can all probably share a horrendous story of pain and/or trauma in our life but I believe one of the ways to “get through” those times is to remember the times when God kissed our cheek with one of His signs and wonders! 

This world is such a harsh place at times, isn’t it? That is why it is so important to keep a tender heart. Social Media is cruel … people’s expectations are exacting … and the news is tormenting. Oh! How I long to keep a tender heart.

The enthusiastic rays of sunshine that creep into my windows and gently nudge me awake are the first gift of a new day. A fierce yet welcome sunshine defiantly foils the ability of the window shades to prevent its cheerful entrance. 

There will always be seasons in life that usher in rare change and vibrant beauty … but those artistic and resplendent seasons are not solely beautiful. These seasons also come with challenges and disappointments and noise.

This is the single week of the year in which we celebrate the calling and the cause of motherhood. We salute all types of moms this week … biological moms, adoptive moms, foster moms, grandmoms and empty nest moms.

You have an enemy, and he would like nothing more than to eliminate you. If you’re going to win this battle, you need to know your enemy, but more importantly, you need to know his strategies.