How To Live Even After You Die

April 3, 2012 By 8 Comments
Photo by Niina ♥ C

My husband's eighty-eight year old grandmother died last Friday. It has been a tough few days. But we have been blessed and even gratefully overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from so many people. "Nanny" was a blessing. As I pondered her life and listened to multiple stories of her relationships with others, her life challenges me in many ways. Share the love of Jesus. Though Nanny was not an outright evangelist, it was evident in the way she lived and loved, that she loved Jesus. And she started her days with Him, reading her devotional and praying. Love deeply and faithfully. She was married for 62 years, had four children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. And none of them ever doubted her love for them. (We that married into the family never doubted her love, either!) Tell people you love them. Before she left you or hung up the phone, she would always tell you she loved you. Appreciate others. At Christmastime, she made pies and cakes for all her doctors, her postal carrier, her Avon lady, and many special friends. Be hospitable. She was determined to have all twenty of us over to her house for … [Read more...]

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Balancing Life Series: First Things First

March 19, 2012 By 8 Comments
Photo by padraic woods

Funny how God works.  A few weeks ago I posted a blog about juggling life and how important it is to have a family dinner. If you haven't read it, here's another chance... So then life got super crazy right after that. Whether the enemy wanted me to look like an idiot, or God was growing my character, I don't know. The bottom line is balancing my family along with everything else became almost impossible. How do I have a family meal when I am taking care of my mom, being the taxi to two kids that are going in opposite directions, and still trying to be a decent wife that washes laundry occasionally and doesn't have cereal as a meal every night? Oh, and I forgot to include MINISTRY. Wow. Let's face it. Life can be overwhelming at times. And beware, if you ever do a blog post about juggling life, be assured that you will have the opportunity to do that juggling life act for all the world to see. So, what did I do? I had to take a step back and look at life and ask the Lord, "What do I need to do and what do I not need to do?" First things first. I realized that without my time with the Lord, I could do nothing. I would be a … [Read more...]

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Overcoming the Nevers: A Book Review and a Giveaway!: eMpowering Mondays

October 31, 2011 By 18 Comments
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I had the blessed opportunity to meet several hundred women who have a similar calling as me this past July at the She Speaks Conference. Though I learned pages and pages of ideas and tools from the conference, my greatest gain has been the relationships that I have developed. Many of these friendships were not started at the actual conference. In fact, I have never seen some of these women in real life. Our commonalities drew us together and we have nurtured our relationships via phone calls, text messages, emails, Twitter, and Facebook. Teri Johnson is one of those women I have not had the privilege of actually hugging in person! I was reading on Twitter one day that Teri was publishing her first book and I responded by supporting her and offering to review it with my readers – that was Labor Day weekend. Our relationship that began virtually morphed into real life phone calls. I am now honored to call Teri my friend. And now, I am excited to tell you that her book is OUT and I have already read it and want to recommend it to you! AND BE SURE TO READ TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE HOW YOU CAN WIN YOUR OWN SIGNED COPY! The book is … [Read more...]

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