I had a dream, the other night – a very real dream! I awoke with these images floating through my head, and, after pondering them a moment, hurriedly thanked the Lord for guiding me and protecting me against such scenarios. I worked throughout the day to flush my brain of those recurring images – those hells liked to keep reminding me, dragging me down, I could tell! However, it was neat to be able to stand back and envision the evil spirits, doing just that; bringing those images back into my consciousness, rejoicing over the emotions they would evoke in me. It was helpful to be able to remove myself from the situation and see it from what may have been the Lord’s perspective. So, again and repeatedly I bid those spirits adieu and thanked the Lord for supporting me through the process.
Continue reading He’s Got Our Backs →

It would seem that valuing money is pretty straight-forward, right? I mean, a dollar’s worth a dollar, 50¢ worth 50¢, and so forth. That seems pretty obvious at first blush [and I won’t go into comparing currency values!], but then I think about all the amazing finds I’ve gotten from thrift shops – just because I paid ⅛ of the retail price doesn’t make it any less valuable to me! On the flip side, if I paid twice as much as I should have,… well, yeah, I might be a little more protective of it.

My husband made a great point, the other day: he said he wanted to get on our nine-year-old son’s case about ALL the stuff in his room, the need to appreciate it and and take care of it, etc, but then it occurred to him, ‘Wait a minute, is that really what we want to be teaching our son, that material possessions are so important?’ I must say, I think he’s onto something. The Lord tells us time and again that we shouldn’t rest our affections on THINGS! Continue reading The Value of Money →

…Is it true?? Are there really no coincidences? I think it is true, hard though it is to fathom. I think there’s a fine line between ‘pre-destination’ – the notion that God determines our fate, that we have no say in the matter – and ‘free will’ – that we control our destinies, we are not just pawns in a big chess game of life and the universe. I believe that there really are no coincidences. I chalk this up as something our puny little mortal brains just can’t grasp, and I’m ok with that.
Continue reading No Coincidences →

As I raked leaves this afternoon, I came upon some pinks, purples and blues amidst the yellows, oranges and browns. I was reminded of sweet little flower ‘deposits’ that I had noticed strewn around the church property a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t sure who had done this pretty work, but I figured it must’ve been my son and/or others of the regular church boys…. although it seemed kind of odd that they would do that. I later remembered that there had been a kids’ tennis camp on the property a few days prior, which had included a number of girls . ‘Ah, yes, that’s it!’ I felt sure it was they who had adorned the lawn so.

I think it’s fair to say that girls – female humans – are so much more into prettiness and visual pleasure than are their male counterparts. From a young age, we dress up our dolls, we decorate our bedrooms, we prettify ourselves and our children – and why? I reckon it’s because we want to please others – not in a submissive kind of way, but in a way that brings joy to others. Why? Because we want to connect with them. The older I get, the more life I live, the more I recognise and realise that, for women, it all* comes down to this: connecting with others.
Continue reading Connection – aka What Girls Do →