Beat Holiday Chaos: 4 Ideas for Staying Focused

Less than a week until Thanksgiving ... just over a month until Christmas.  Perhaps your calendar looks a little bit like mine ... c.r.a.z.y. But, before the mayhem begins, I'd like to share with you four ideas for staying focused on what really matters during this holiday season. Read the Gospel of Luke during December.  There are 24 chapters so reading a chapter a day takes you through the life of Christ before we celebrate His birth. Involve your family in the decisions.  Ask each ... [Read More]

Praying for You

And so, this is it ... my final scheduled post for 2010. I'll be taking the next three weeks to enjoy the holidays and do some traveling.  January is looking very slow on our family's calendar and very exciting on my blogging calendar!  I cannot wait to share with you the truths God has been working out in my heart over the past weeks. As I write this, I know that I'll probably pop back in at least a time or two to share some verse or thought or song that has touched my heart.   {I like to do ... [Read More]

Worship with me?

This morning during our worship services at church, we'll be singing "Glory in the Highest" by Chris Tomlin.  Perhaps you have heard it, perhaps not.  A powerful declaration of the majesty of our God and the honor due our Savior, this has become one of my favorite songs. From my reading of Luke today, words prophesied in the Old Testament and declared before the Lord as He entered Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey: Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and ... [Read More]

12 Days of Christmas Kindness

It's the second Monday of the month ... that means I'm writing my monthly column at Mod Squad! Parties.  Plays.  Gifts.  Decorating.  Baking. Constant chaos.  Crazy schedules.   Welcome to the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"! If your house is anything like mine, your "To Do" list is long and your time is short.  And somehow in the midst of doing everything that must be done, you find yourself lying down at night, utterly exhausted, and wondering if anything of real value was accomplished ... [Read More]

My Christmas Prayer

Fill my heart, O Lord, with wonder at the majesty of Your birth. Fill my mouth, O Lord, with grace for those who need Your Word. Fill my arms, O Lord, with hugs for those who've lost their way. Fill my mind, O Lord, with thoughts of You as I go about my day. Fill me up, O Lord, with only You ... that others see Your light. Amen ... [Read More]

The Season of Stillness

Settle yourself in solitude and you will come upon Him in yourself.  ~ Teresa of Avila Spinning around me, the whole world seems to be moving in fast forward.  I find myself resisting the pull of that frantic pace.  Mornings of slow coffee sipping, afternoons of quiet solitude, and evenings of reading have become my routine. The calendar still beckons with Nutcracker rehearsals, Christmas festival preparations, class parties, and the list that never seems to end.  But this year, I'm choosing ... [Read More]