28 Days, 28 Ways: Laugh Together

Welcome to 28 Days, 28 Ways: Investing in Your Marriage! All month long I'll be sharing ideas and tips for investing in your marriage.  You can find a list of all the posts here. Hi friends! We had a great D Now weekend with the students from our church and our community. If you are on Instagram, I shared a ton of photos. But, now it's Monday. My house is in desperate need of order after two days with 10 teenage girls. My body is in dire need of sleep. And at some point, I'm going to ... [Read More]

JOY on the Ride of Life! {a God-sized dreams post}

With the abandon rarely found as we get older, my daughter and her friend raced to the kiddie coaster at a local park.  They jumped on board and with arms raised high the laughed and screamed as the ride twisted and turned.  I lost count of how many times the went around the tracks as the spring sun shone through the green trees.  I took three hundred pictures of these two girls, caught between childhood and adolescence.   Eyes sparkling, faces beaming, they rode the coaster, the carousel, and ... [Read More]

Capturing Moments of Joy

Monday was a great day!  Admittedly, I am a fan of Mondays.  I like the routine and fresh start they offer me each week.   I know, I'm a little weird.  Nonetheless, Monday was a great day.  It's cooled off a little bit here in North Alabama.  Autumnal temperatures in the mornings and evenings are teasing me with the anticipation of pulling out sweaters and boots.  What's not to love? I spent my Monday doing laundry and writing as I listened to birds chirping and picked up papers tossed by the ... [Read More]

{Joy Day 26} Rejoice in the Lord Always

  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7, emphasis added Some days it is just hard to rejoice.   The dryer breaks, the children fight, the rain ... [Read More]

{Joy Day 12} Jesus Christ Is Lord

Today is a little different.  As you read the passage from Philippians today, I encourage you to make it your prayer.  Pray for the mind of Christ Jesus and praise Him that He is Lord. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a things to be grasped, But made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming ... [Read More]

{Joy Day 11} Count Others More Significant

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by  being of the same mind, having the same love, being full of accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4, emphasis added Two days ago we looked at Paul's call ... [Read More]