By treating your spirit like a garden, you ensure it flourishes, bringing forth the fruits of love, joy, and peace in your life—and maybe fewer metaphorical dandelions trying to take over!

It’s Valentine’s Day, and flowers, chocolate, hearts, and rom-com movies surround us. It’s a perfect day to celebrate the perfect relationships we have. Or is it? For most people, today is a reminder of the imperfect relationships we have or have had. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one, or been betrayed and dumped, or just haven’t found your soulmate. Let me let you in on a secret… There is no perfect relationship! We are all flawed and most likely will disappoint our spouse or pa

When I read about the great men and women of faith in Hebrews 11, I’m in awe of their dedication, courage, and submission to Jesus. I put them on a pedestal of faith—like the spiritual Hall of Fame. But in Hebrews 12:1-3, we’re actually cheered on to live those same lives of faith. Just like Moses, Abraham, Sarah, and Rahab, we have chains of sin that trip us up and keep us from running the race God has for us. Think spiritual shoelaces coming untied at the worst possible mom

Mark 4:35-41 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the w

Back in 2021, when my life felt like it was falling apart, I started asking myself some hard, personal questions: • What do I like about myself? • What do I dislike about myself that I can’t change? • What negative and positive emotions do I feel today? • What do these feelings tell me about myself? • What are my emotional needs today? • What do I want to see changed in my personality? • How can I make these changes? And the last one… What are God’s words for me today? It’s b

Looking back over the last few years, I can see God’s faithfulness woven throughout my days. In each opportunity, circumstance, decision, emptiness, surprise, and experience, He was there. I remember telling a friend, when my previous marriage was crumbling, that I wasn’t sure that God was faithful to me. Because God hadn’t answered my prayers the way I asked, I assumed that He just wasn’t concerned about me. That moment in time is seared into my brain. I didn’t realize that

Forgiving others isn’t easy. In fact, it is tough.  I have had many people hurt my family and me. I’m sure you have, too. Betrayals. Gossip. Slander. Lies. Mean actions. I’m a wife, mom, and grandma, and if you hurt my husband, kids, or grandkids, I want to come after you. I’m just being honest. Those mama bear claws come out—and believe me, they can be vicious. I may smile and try to act like a Hallmark movie star, but I’ve got some evil Wonder Woman energy when it comes to

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem! Luke 2:8-11(LB)  Bethlehem is a small town. You ca

Luke 1:39-45 (NIRV)  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in Judea’s hill country. There she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she called out, “God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have! But why is God so kind to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me? As soon as I heard the so

(Excerpt from " 25 Days of Christmas " - Day 4 - Purpose) Luke 1:14-17 (NIV) “ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the he

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 1 Kings 19:3-4 (NLT) Let’s be real—most of us have wanted to give up and run away at some point, just like Elijah. Maybe you

"Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end." Psalms 119:33 (NIV) My mind wanders a lot! I wake up in the middle of the night thinking I shouldn't have eaten those cookies, worry about my kids, and then end up wondering if I locked the side door. I can spend hours trying to solve the world's problems from my pillow. My daily life can also feel like I'm going down a rabbit trail. I waste precious time watching TV, searching the web, or scrolling t

I've seen it happen, read about it, heard about it, and honestly, I've done it myself at times. It’s that tendency to sin and then shift the blame onto someone else to feel better about ourselves. We might blame our heartbreak, sadness, or tough circumstances on someone else’s actions, but really, it’s our choice to sin that causes our pain. I’m using ‘she’ here because, believe me, I’ve been there—‘she’ did this, ‘he’ did that, and, let’s face it, sometimes even the housepla