We all have free will that was given to us by God...are you treating His gift with precious purity? Is your will willing to make the correct Christ-like choice or is your will wandering into scorched sin? Are your choices aligning with God’s aura or are they discombobulated and detached from His direction? Yes, He gives us free will freely, without question, but we should be questioning our choices before we make them. We should pray deeply before delving into decisions. Questions to ask... Would your choice bring peace into my life or chaos? Does your choice please God or stricken smiles on worldly wiles?  Would your choice cloud your senses with anxiety? Do you see the direction of God clearly without grayness?  Would your decision dictate your life with unnecessary stress and strife?  Does your decision delegate delight in the Lord’s eyes? Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, fr...

My husband and I have been married for two blissful years.  Within our years of matrimony, we are learning that outside sources can belittle your bliss. Those sources can also tense your bond, and cause your marriage braid to fray. Do NOT let that happen! Put up blockades and set boundaries to stop traffic of tension within your romantic realm.  Outside sources that negotiate your marriage: Immediate family that negotiates the peace treaty within your marriage and causes chaos. Friends that cling to you or your spouse, negotiating unwanted attention. Activities or groups that negotiate the quality time spent with your spouse. Sinful acts that splutter red ink upon the sanctity of the marriage contract. Foreign frivolities can dampen the treaty of your marriage that you have negotiated with your husband or wife. Outside sources can wet the paper and tear at your hearts causing arguments. Do NOT let that happen!  Distance yourself from family (but...

Let’s talk about forgiveness... God has set up a beautiful backdrop of loving lavenders and graceful grays like the colorful scene behind me and my husband. His grace and mercy erases words upon words of instructional forgiveness. Jesus...just...forgives. He went to the cross, watercolored with pastel perfection. He did not owe anyone forgiveness, but His love outshined our charcoal “sin-shadows”.  He...just...forgave. There were no money tags attached to His framed forgiveness.  He has freely given us all an acquitted piece of art to hang in our homes.  Shouldn’t we do the same? Forgive how Jesus has forgiven us? Don’t delve into a monstrous manual on how to forgive to only forget about the ease of forgiveness. Don’t stick gouging money stickers onto the penance of a person’s sin, because we all sin. Let’s all try to forgive how God forgave us...without artful animosity. Ease your heart...set a peaceful scene of forgiveness upon your easel....

As I sit here next to my dog Tucker, I feel empty. Even though the warmth of him touches my legs, my heart feels slightly cold.  . Only a few weeks ago, I felt filled with my baby, glowing with the thought of what was to come.  . I decorated my baby’s room and started to renovate my mind with excitement, nervousness (would I be a good mom?), strength, and heart banners of growing love. . I lost my baby at 6 weeks, right before Christmas. Then, the physical pain pricked my body and laboring thoughts of “empty grief” pulsated.  . Until I miscarried, I didn’t know how common this puncturing loss was. I didn’t know about this hidden grief that many women don’t talk about.  . Many of us who have experienced a miscarriage look down at a desolate basket once filled with bountiful Baby’s Breath.  . My baby’s breath budded a small bloom under my “soul sun” beautifying my life just for a miraculous moment.  . A miscarriage grief empties a part of your...

I’ve read many worldly thoughts about men and women lately, and I’m going to write truth...we are not the same in thinking, physicality, and emotions. We will never be, but that’s okay. God made us in different formats, So we can be formatted together perfectly.  We each have our own uniqueness, which brings a unified balance to relationships.  Men and women express emotions and grieve differently, but that’s okay. In 2008 I lost my dad to Cancer. After his passing, my mom and I talked about the memory of my dad. We cried amongst the days. My brother expressed his grief in a different way. He did not mention my dad for a few years, until he could cope with his mourning. He cried amidst the nights where darkness could hide his tears.  My mom didn’t push my brother into a realm of emotion he did not inherit. She waited patiently for him to “come into the sunlight”.  The emotions of men are stately subtle. They firmly stand, watching sorrows, with dewed eyes.  Wome...

Are you running with intention or running aimlessly? Are you dashing and darting, impulsively disregarding your God-given destination?  Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. - 1 Corinthians 9:26 Are you beating the air like a punching bag, straining your mind with tedious thoughts?  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. - 1 Corinthians 9:27 As Christians, we have to beat our flesh into submission. We have to tame our minds with God’s peace. After we have divinely domesticated our spirits, we can think clearly without hindrances.  Sometimes we run without aim. We race from our minds instead of stopping and boxing grievances.  Stand firm and box trials with intent. Knock them out with perseverance.  We occasionally place stones of projects upon our running path, tripping us wi...

Is your battle supposed to be stationed on a mole hill, but you have flagged the your battle site upon Mt. Everest? Sometimes, we let overthinking and anxiety mound into problems as big as the Rockies, when our problems should be as small as ant hills. Occasionally, we put ourselves right in the middle of fiery bombs, when we should hide in the solace of God’s trenches.  God’s allowance of trials varies in stature. Don’t weigh yourself down with choking chainmail when God wants you to wear rain boots to cross a puddle.  We all face troubles in everyday life and we all face wars where armor and a steed are warranted. Whether we are upon a mole hill or a snow-peaked mountain, let God be captain of the battleground.  When we trust without fear, even the biggest trial can be graded into a heavenly hill.  “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." Deuteronomy 20:4