Sharing the Love of Christ

This blog post originally appeared on December 9, 2018.

“Do everything in love.” (1 Cor 16:14)

The term “love” gets thrown around a lot in today’s culture. We hear the word so much that it’s lost its meaning. Recently, one of my friends recently explained the reason for this: we have only one word in the English language to express the deep, abiding feeling that love brings. We use the word “love” to describe how we feel about cheeseburgers, our families, and our hobbies, among other things. Continue reading “Sharing the Love of Christ”

Top 10 Posts in 2020

As 2020 comes to an end (finally!), I wanted to share my top ten blog posts for the year. COVID-19 was, of course, a major theme running throughout my blog posts this year. On the whole, I looked for positive things to share in my posts. The following posts have resonated most strongly with you, my readers, over the last eleven months: Continue reading “Top 10 Posts in 2020”

Restoring Lost Connections

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken…” (Ecc 4:12).

I used to believe that I would rather stay home and hide away from the world than interact with people, who can be unpredictable and judgmental.

In my early twenties, I put this belief to the test when I lived in a foreign country and did, indeed, rarely leave my home for a brief time. Because I didn’t know anyone at first, I was afraid to leave my apartment to go to the store or church alone. However, loneliness quickly set in, so I ventured out and made some very good friends that I still keep in touch with today. Continue reading “Restoring Lost Connections”

Practicing Gratitude

This blog post was originally published on November 11, 2018.

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.” (Ps 95:2-3)

Being grateful isn’t something that comes naturally. We’re inherently selfish and focused on ourselves. We don’t always feel thankful. There are a lot of bad things happening in this world, and it’s sometimes hard to figure out how to be thankful in the midst of them.

Learning to be grateful takes practice. When faced with a trial or an unexpected bump in the road, my first thought is never how thankful I am for the difficulty or inconvenience. How I wish it were! Turning my mind from my struggles and onto the things for which I’m thankful allows me to grow closer to God and to receive physical and psychological benefits. Continue reading “Practicing Gratitude”

Winning at WriterCon 2020

“On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.” (1 Thess 2:4)

Over Labor Day weekend, I attended my first big in-person event in about a year. WriterCon 2020, a three-day writing conference, was held in Oklahoma with both in-person and streaming options. In addition to learning and networking, I represented my editing business, Prestige Prose, and the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI). Continue reading “Winning at WriterCon 2020”