[cp_dropcaps]E[/cp_dropcaps]ach April, for the last ten years, a highlight for us has been the annual Christian Heritage Family Discipleship & Homeschooling Conference—this year, particularly so—for so many reasons. When I awoke this morning, I realized I’d been processing the conference in my dreams all night long. I wondered how many other’s night’s sleep were filled with screen images, books, papers, faces, admonitions and beautiful music. Through the day today, I’ve recounted conversations, in addition to important talks given by various teachers, I see and hear, in the theater of my mind, the beautiful performances and music that blessed us all…
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[cp_dropcaps]M[/cp_dropcaps]y mind floods with memories today — memories of days, years, decades gone by. So many days, so many memories — so much grace the Lord has lavished on me through the gift of our firstborn daughter. Two precious sons were born to us before the Lord gifted us all with this great treasure — this inestimable gift. I’m ever mindful that without her, I’d never have made it through. I’m blessed by this–I’m humbled by this. So very humbled by the grace of God in my life and the gift of her life. In the early days, I’d never…
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I haven’t read the book. I won’t watch the movie. I saw the trailer for the movie Fifty Shades of Grey Evil in the theater. Prior to another film I saw in the theater last fall, I heard the trailer as it played and teased the audience with despicable allure. One needn’t have grown up with a sex-addict psychopath to know when someone/something is evil. Nor, dare I say, does one need to be “spiritual” to recognize the evil of immorality — sexual abuse or abusive behaviour. The law of God is written in our hearts. We know from the…
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I wrote the following a few years after our firstborn son was married in 1998. Thinking back on that day, reflecting on all that’s transpired and all that’s happening currently, I decided to get this out and reread it. The same mama, similar feelings, better understanding… as plans are underway for another son who’ll marry next week. I’m so thankful I’ve had a little more time and a few more experiences so this time is not so overwhelming (and, I don’t have a 2+ week old newborn this time). But the emotions? They’re very much the same. And here you…
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You know that… you know it’s a new day and whether you’ve faced it with dread or with joy, the truth is that today’s a new day. Dear sister, dear friend, dear mama… today’s a new day and if you’re in the valley today, it’s been my prayer as I’ve prepared to write this note, that *you* will rest in the Lord today. No matter how the devil hounds us, especially in the valleys, we must determine today to quit looking for a way out of the valley or a way we could have, should have, would have done something…
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This is “part two” of the previous post by the same name — you can read it here. The reason I’ve entitled this and the previous post: Untangling the wwWeb is bcz it truly is a tangling or entangling web. Now, what I hope is understood here is that the web or internet or electronic communication is not the enemy — it’s not all bad. In fact, I readily admit that it’s a profoundly invaluable tool. But tools are just that: tools. We utilize tools — and the right tools help us accomplish tasks much more efficiently than were we…
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The symphony of birds, buds and blossoms along with the soft greens seem to sing, Springtime’s here; another season’s underway! With the passing of time, the Lord is teaching me to savour the moments, to watch for the signs of the seasons. I can’t really recall if , or what, I’ve written much about the passage of a season that taught me this, but it was the slow dawning of the reality that the childbearing season was slipping away that first began to teach me to savour the moments. I think I’ve told you how (early on) women–mothers–would tell me,…
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You know I’ve written about internet addition… e-mail… group list mail addiction… AOL… Geocities… One-List… eGroups… screen addiction… information addiction… whatever could be looked up… early on: Ask Jeeves. Bling. Ask him… ask him anything. Then Yahoo, then Google… click, click, click… Bling. You’ve got mail… Bling! Click, click, click… Blogs! Bling! Facebook. Bling! Pinterest. Bling! I write what I’m learning… I share what I see, what I experience, what God is teaching me. You know; through a series of trials, disappointments and losses I was presented face to face with the reality that I was/am an internet addict. By…
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That might sound like a strange title to a message I want to share with you today, but perhaps by the time you finish reading this letter, you’ll have an idea and perhaps realize some things you’ve been wanting to take care of for some time. So, what’s pulling on your apron strings? You know… the thing or things that nag at you or that seem to be pulling at you from one direction or many. You may be attempting to work around your home and keep having interruptions or distractions that prevent you from accomplishing what’s really needful. You…
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Time was when people could hold to some basic principles or live by personal convictions — decisions that may or may not be or may not’ve been popular — and yet they could sort of remain unspoken or undeclared. Publicly, anyway. Time was when people could hold to convictions and only a small circle of community would’ve been aware of the person’s or couple’s personal convictions. Now… not so. With the advent of email, internet chat-rooms and bulletin boards in the 90’s… e-groups list mail and then the explosion of “social media” such “personal convictions” become public declarations. Write an…