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”

Guarding Our Hearts

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov 4:23)

I was out for a walk recently with Lilly, my little Yorkie companion, when the recycle truck pulled up beside us. Lilly started barking as soon as he turned the corner and headed our way. She doesn’t like loud noises, and the recycle truck was anything but quiet.

The driver called to me from the cab of his truck. His daughter wanted a Yorkie, and seeing that I had one with me, he thought he’d stop and find out if they make good pets. Of course, my answer was yes, even though I had to compete with the noisy truck and Lilly’s wild barking to be heard.

“In fact,” I said, holding the leash taut and gesturing to Lilly, “they are extremely loyal and protective.”

He laughed and agreed. He drove on, and we continued our walk. But Lilly’s protective instincts, in this and many other situations, made me think about how we as Christians are to guard our hearts. Continue reading “Guarding Our Hearts”

Battling the Winter Blues

Authors’s note: This award-winning post was originally published on March 4, 2018.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Th 5:11)

The long, cold winter and gray skies were bringing me down. It seemed winter would never end, and this year my seasonal affective disorder (SAD-an apt acronym if ever there was one) has been triggered more often than in many recent years. The older I get, the more I hate cold weather, which is common of many of us who have SAD. The combination of cold, gray skies, and short days is enough to send me into a spiral of irritability and sadness. I try to keep those feelings to myself so that I won’t damage my relationships, but my friends and family who know me best are aware of how I feel and try to encourage me and talk me through it. Continue reading “Battling the Winter Blues”

Taking Control of My Thoughts

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Prov 27:17)

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about 2 Corinthians 10:5 and how to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We have an average of thirty-five to forty-eight thoughts per minute – up to as many as 70,000 thoughts per day. How can I possibly control that many thoughts on my own? When left unchecked, my thoughts tend toward the negative. I worry and use negative self-talk until it’s a spiral that I can’t recover from on my own. Continue reading “Taking Control of My Thoughts”

Battling the Winter Blues

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Th 5:11)

The long, cold winter and gray skies were bringing me down. It seemed winter would never end, and this year my seasonal affective disorder (SAD-an apt acronym if ever there was one) has been triggered more often than in many recent years. The older I get, the more I hate cold weather, which is common of many of us who have SAD. The combination of cold, gray skies, and short days is enough to send me into a spiral of irritability and sadness. I try to keep those feelings to myself so that I won’t damage my relationships, but my friends and family who know me best are aware of how I feel and try to encourage me and talk me through it. Continue reading “Battling the Winter Blues”