It is impossible to find your stride and develop routines when everything every day feels so disheveled and chaotic. School just got started back, but every day is a new scenario. Work is still a daily TV reality show. Church is just not...
In college, I had the opportunity to go to Belarus as part of a mission team. It was such a great experience. I loved being in a different culture, navigating obstacles like language barriers and cultural norms, and getting to share Christ with college students with whom I would not otherwise have crossed paths. I was reminded of this time in Belarus during my reading today. Our team boarded a trolley, heading across town to an evening event. The night lights were beautiful. I stood by the window, mesmerized when the stench of vodka-soaked breath permeated the air. I turned to see that I was cornered by an intoxicated Belarusian who was quite the close talker and really pouring his heart out to me...
"What's in it for me?" I know this question crosses my mind...
Kindness is not a courtesy...
One of my favorite aspects of the Word of God is that it is truly active and alive. I don't care how many times I've read through it or even just read a particular passage; I can always find something new and relevant. Reading the book of Matthew this past week, I was newly struck by the recurring phrase, "as was foretold by the prophets." These six words are so powerful and pertinent, bringing greater relevance to everything that surrounds them—exposing the greater purpose of Jesus' life and ministry. These words proclaim that Jesus isn't just a great man or another prophet, as some thought. He is the Messiah, as was foretold by the prophets. Jesus is God's love and mercy sent to us to be the blood sacrifice to pay for my sin and the sin of all humanity. Everything Jesus did on earth was to fulfill God's purpose and be...
November is National Adoption Month!! I have many friends with beautiful adoption stories. One in particular where you could see the Hand of God moving mountains to make it happen. It was awesome to witness. I also have friends whose adoptions stories are not so pretty and have even ended in loss and heartbreak. And then, for our family, we never even made it to the adoption phase. The uncertainty of outcome can make it terrifying to even step into the arena of fostering and adoption, but the reality is that there is such a great need. The number of children entering foster care each year is astounding. “On any given day, there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the United States.” (childrensrights). As of May 2020, there are 7,265 children in foster care in WV, over 10,000 in KY, and nearly 16,000 in OH. And, as much as each child needs a loving,...
Waiting is not my forte. And, although I can appreciate the good waiting does toward developing godly character, I fail miserably at waiting. I feel like a child in "big church," squirming in the pew, waiting for the service to end. I look for stuff to fill the time, occupy my mind, and hopefully make time pass faster. It reminds me of what used to happen in my house when we were getting ready to leave. We'd tell our boys to get ready to go, and we were leaving at a specific time. When we'd call out for everyone to head to the car, suddenly, boys were scrambling to get their shoes or finding pertinent items for where we were headed. "Why aren't you ready?" we'd ask, in a stern yet loving tone...
In honor of October being National ADD/ADHD awareness month, I thought I'd share some tips and tricks that helped our ADD household survive the school year. Our household was actually a mixed bag of learning complications that we worked through over the years: ADD w/inattention, ADHD, Dyslexia, Visual Processing Disorder, extreme auditory learner (in a visual household)...
