Fear of Clowns and Other Lessons Learned at Halloween

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. (Ps 9:10)

My fear of clowns began in 1982 when I was five years old. For Halloween that year, my mom, who designed and sewed many of my clothes, made me a clown costume. I can still remember how thrilled I was. It was so cute – a little red costume with a frilly white collar, frilly white cuffs at the feet, and bright yellow buttons. I couldn’t wait to wear it trick-or-treating. Continue reading “Fear of Clowns and Other Lessons Learned at Halloween”

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”

Strangers Among Us

“Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you.” (3 Jn 1:5)

Recently, an older gentleman with a small dog about the size of Lilly approached me when we were leaving the park after a walk. I needed to get to work and stopping for him was a minor inconvenience. But something about this man and his dog made me pause, and I waited for them to reach us. Continue reading “Strangers Among Us”

Honoring My Grandma’s Legacy on Her 100th Birthday

“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Prov 31:31

If my grandma Rena were still with us, she would have turned 100 on September 1. I could tell you story after story about her and her love for life and her fun personality. But what I remember most is her love for people and for Jesus. She is the person who taught me the most about the value of relationships. Continue reading “Honoring My Grandma’s Legacy on Her 100th Birthday”

Anticipation

This post was originally published in my newsletter, Staci Mauney, Author, on August 10, 2018.

“Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Mt 24:44)

I stayed at my parents’ house recently while they went to visit my brother and his wife in Georgia. Lilly watched the door faithfully, and any noise from that direction of the house caused her to run as quickly as possible to see what was happening. She waited in anticipation for my parents to come through the door, and when they didn’t, she would go back to her spot on the couch, her eyes trained on the door, believing they would come through at any moment. Continue reading “Anticipation”