Taking Faithful Steps

      After we moved in to our new home, I was getting my office set up. i set up a corner to be my "prayer corner"- I had my own little chair, a side table with my prayer journal, and devotionals. I wanted to set an atmosphere of peace and comfort for me to start my day.       I also try to be intentional when I pray and for me I like having what I'm praying for in front of me. (My brain is a superhighway and a list helps keep me on track) So, I was making my prayer list, thinking about how to pray for each member of my family as well as myself. I was writing down specific things for each of us when I felt God speaking to my heart asking, "Is this what you want from me or what you need?"      That stopped me in my tracks,     I typically don't consider myself a selfish person, especially when I pray, so I really took that to hear5t. I asked God to speak to my heart and show me what  he meant and how I could work that in t...

      When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a writer. I had this dream of publishing books, I was always writing stories and poems, I was convinced I was going to make it big. I had a bunch of people telling me how tough it was to get published, so I kind of gave up on it. I mean, the dream never really went away, it just kind of laid dormant.     When I got older, I started to think again about how great it would be to be a writer. I had visions of myself sitting on the porch of a lake house, or in a sunny office, just writing away. (I mean, I'm sure there were going to be episodes of writers block and long nights in there, but I was focusing on the positive). I had started writing little snippets of things- not really short stories, just kind of events in my life. I showed them to a friend of mine who suggested that I start a blog. She then took out her computer and set one up for me. That was about 12 years ago.     Back in December, I felt a...

      Recently my husband was on a men's Bible retreat weekend where he had to speak. Prior to him giving his talk, my kids and I drove to the site of the retreat to pray over him before he spoke. We waited until he was done, then prayed over him again, along with a very powerful group of men. One of the men specifically asked my son to pray over him, and Matthew said, "Thank you that he wasn't always this man sitting here today so we could see your work in his life."     That really struck me. Pretty much all of us have that BC/AC story (before Christ and after Christ, in case you were wondering) And, we all cheer for that "AC" person, the person that Christ transformed. But, how often are we thankful for that person we were before Jesus transformed us?     I get it, because before Jesus, I know that I was a hot mess. After Jesus, there were points I was a hot mess! People have stories of suicidal ideations, drugs, alcohol, infidelity, and then Jesus ...

      I'll be the first to admit that I was never the mom who was super excited about the whole "empty nest" thing. I know some parents who simply could not wait to have their kids move out. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to some new adventures with my husband, but I'm also not rushing to pack my kids' bags.     i genuinely enjoy spending time with my kids. It's been an honor to be their mom, and I think we have a pretty good relationship, especially now that they are young adults. They are both in good stable relationships and I'm also enjoying forming bonds and relationships with their significant others.      As sad as it can be watching them grow up, one of the most rewarding things is watching them both step in to their callings on their lives.     My son has known since he was about 5 years old that he wanted to be a pastor. It had been prophesied over him many times. He actually started school to be a pastor when he was s...

      It's really a special thing to watch people growing in the Lord. I love watching people, especially younger people, taking steps in their walk with Christ. The world is becoming a tougher place for Christians, so to see young people willing to be "countercultural" and be bold in their faith is really encouraging and special.     On Easter Sunday, we had the honor of watching my son's girlfriend be baptized. She was pretty new to the faith when she and my son started dating, and she's pretty shy when it comes to crowds. So, to see her be willing to be so bold in her faith in front of so many people was a really beautiful thing.      My future son in law was also baptized on Easter Sunday. He said that he felt God tugging on his heart while we watched Giana, but didn't respond to the call because he didn't want to take away from her special day. But, afterwards, he also said that he didn't want to be a man who went through his life saying no t...