“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Josh 1:9)
It’s been many years since I set New Year’s resolutions. Because I got off track by the end of January, setting resolutions made me feel like a failure. I wanted to change and grow, but I didn’t know how. Continue reading “Bold: My Word of the Year (Again)”
Congratulations to Edye Green from Illinois, the winner of the $10 Starbucks gift card!
After-Christmas letdown is a real phenomenon that occurs after the holiday season is over. The wonderful experiences of Christmas are over, and we’re back to real life. In many parts of the country, we’re facing cold, dreary days until spring arrives. To warm things up and alleviate some of the strange sadness of January, I’m joining The Kids Did It blog and The Mommy Island blog to participate in the 4th Annual Jeepers! It’s January! Giveaway Event, which runs from January 8, 2019, to January 22, 2019. The winner of my first giveaway of 2019 will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card.
Continue reading “4th Annual Jeepers! It’s January! Blog Hop Giveaway”
“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced…” (1 Chron 16:11-12)
As the year draws to a close, I’m reminded that this is a good opportunity to reflect back over the year. In honor of that, I’ve selected my top ten blog posts from this year. These are the posts that resonated with my readers the most. I’ll be back soon with new content for the new year! Continue reading “Top 10 Blog Posts of 2018”
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is 9:6)
Peace is elusive. With the invention of the smartphone, we are constantly connected and bombarded by dings, rings, and chimes. Instead of finding activities to engage our minds, we pull out our phones when we’re bored and pass the time on mindless games or scrolling through social media. We have email on our phones, so even when we’re away from the office, we’re still available and always on call. “Downtime” isn’t a word that’s even in our vocabulary anymore. Continue reading “Longing for Peace”
“…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Neh 8:10)
In my first blog post this month, I discussed hope. Like hope, joy can also be difficult to find during the Christmas season. Perhaps our lives haven’t turned out the way we thought they would. Maybe we’ve lost someone close to us or been rejected by someone. In Western culture, we equate joy with happiness, but these are two different things. Both are emotions, but happiness is determined by our circumstances. Joy goes much deeper and is one of the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22). The Greek word for joy is chara and is closely related to charis, or grace. Joy is the natural response to the work of God in our lives. Continue reading “Joy for the Season”