We have all experienced some type of grief in our lives. I know that I have lost a lot of people in my life. The year 2017 was the “beginning of the end” for me. I found myself very unexpectedly pregnant the day after my oldest daughter’s 18th birthday. It took weeks to wrap my head around the idea of having a baby. When I got to my first appointment, I just knew something was wrong. The ultrasoun...  Read More

Do you know what chronic illness is? I do, along with many other women in our church. It means waking up each morning never knowing what your body is going to feel like. It is medicine and doctor's appointments and pain and fatigue and so many other things. I have dealt with this for over 20 years. But the thing about chronic illness is, most of the time, you would never know just by looking at me...  Read More

Any loss that is not expected can elicit a grief response. This is my journey through loss, infidelity, and divorce. In the spring of 1978, my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The surgery to remove the tumor appeared to be successful, but the tumor returned, and she was given six months to live. The night we received the news, I remember spending it sitting on the floor of my family room ...  Read More

What is the important takeaway that Paul wants us to realize in this verse?This verse encourages believers to speak with kindness and wisdom, making our words effective and impactful. God wants us to carry on conversations that reflect His grace in our hearts. Our words are more powerful than we often realize. Contemplate your daily interactions with coworkers or friends. How do our humble and gra...  Read More

At some point in your life, you’ve probably heard Ephesians 4:29 quoted as “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.” Unfortunately, this is only half the verse, and it’s typically used out of context in response to people who use “bad words.” The problem with this interpretation and use of this part of scripture is that it leaves out the second half (and arguably the more importan...  Read More

"If you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all.”I bet you all grew up hearing that. The truth is, our words have power—they are tools. We use these tools daily to communicate and to relay thoughts. These tools can be kind, encouraging, and affirming. They can be words of hope that build others up. Those are the words all of us need. Conversely, words can also be harsh, negativ...  Read More

I really struggle with this sometimes. I try to listen attentively when someone is speaking to me, but I often find myself cutting people off mid-sentence because something pops into my head and I don't want to forget my thoughts. But then I remember that if I forget what I was going to say before someone finishes speaking, God must not have thought it was very important anyway, so I shouldn't wor...  Read More

This verse truly speaks to me, because I’ve lived it and seen the effects that the power of the tongue has on our emotions.I grew up around a lot of fighting and hurtful words. My parents fought all the time, and as a kid, I didn’t realize how much that would stay with me. But it did. When I got older and got married, I found myself doing the same thing. My husband and I fought a lot, and our kids...  Read More

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” - Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV) Worship isn’t just what happens on a stage, in a sanctuary, or only on Sundays. It’s what happens when our hearts turn toward God in gratitude — when we remember who He is and all He’s done. Psalm 9...  Read More

The theme for this month’s blog posts is worship. My dictionary says worship is “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.” God shows His love for us every day and in countless ways. Worship is how we show our love for Him in return.  Romans 12:1 says ... In the Old Testament, sacrifices usually involved killing an animal and offering it up to God as atonement for sin, an e...  Read More

Praising God is easy when things are going well. It's easy to say "thank you, Jesus" when we aren't struggling to understand what's going on around us. However, God calls us to offer a continual sacrifice of praise. The ability to praise Him when you don't understand and it really hurts is a testament to faith. I know my God is faithful; He has proven Himself to me over and over again. He promises...  Read More

As women, and even just as people, life can be crazy between work, social events, family, church, and friends. But sometimes we can get so busy that we forget to take a moment and think about the magnitude of God. Even just thinking about it right now, God is so amazing, and he has been so personally wonderful to me, even though I am one of 9 billion people. Sometimes life gets busy. But we always...  Read More