All Articles - Entries tagged "Fresh Squeezed"
WedWednesdayAugAugust10th2011
Heart of Faith
“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?... Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. “ –James 2:14,17 For years I looked at this verse in a rather narrow way. When I... More
TueTuesdayMayMay17th2011
Parting Words
On my wedding day, I remember waiting with my Dad outside of the chapel. As we watched the last of the bridesmaids go down the aisle ahead of us, I tried to take a deep breath but could go no deeper than shallow. I’m still uncertain if it was the... More
FriFridayMarMarch25th2011
Don't Forget
Kids' homework assignments. Tonight’s dinner. Grocery store items. The laundry that still needs to be folded and put away. Work deadlines. And my daughter’s permission slip for next week’s field trip. These are a few of things that... More
FriFridayFebFebruary4th2011
Biggest Loser, Part 3 -- Major Loss: My Job
Since my husband’s departure on February 17th, 2009, I became a (temporary) “single mom” with six kids (ages one to fifteen) literally overnight. Two teenagers, one middle-schooler, and three toddlers. One girl and FIVE boys. The... More
WedWednesdayJanJanuary26th2011
Biggest Loser, Part 2 -- Major Loss: My Marriage
Continued from Biggest Loser -- the story of one Mom's journey of hope through devastating loss. Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 was a cold and bleak morning in every sense of the word. It was the last day I saw my husband as a free man. At 5:30am, he... More
WedWednesdayJanJanuary19th2011
Biggest Loser, Part 1 -- A Different Way to Measure Life
The year of 2010 has been a season of extreme loss for many of us. Personally I have never faced such a dark season. My time of loss started about two years ago in 2009. I never thought in my wildest dreams (or in this case, “nightmare”)... More
WedWednesdayJanJanuary12th2011
Who?
"Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you." Romans 16:6 This simple verse which appears to not say much, says so much about God. We don’t know who Mary is or what she did. Mary, whoever she was, appears in a long list of people to greet in Rome. She... More
ThuThursdayDecDecember23rd2010
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel...
God with us. I am coming to understand that all of life is a love story. It is the tale of God’s love and anguish as He pursues us and waits for our response. In the beginning of time, He created Adam and Eve, and there were no barriers to obstruct... More
TueTuesdayDecDecember14th2010
Remember the Name!
If you know what the word "flannelgraph" means, you probably grew up in church like me. You know the stories as well as you know your own phone number, and you can find a Bible verse as quickly as someone can say "charge!" Or perhaps you didn't... More
TueTuesdayDecDecember7th2010
Do You Really Know Me?
I stopped in the doorway catching my breath as I carefully lowered the final moving box onto the kitchen floor of my new apartment. This simple and somewhat musty rental was on the third floor of a large, old white house in a small city of... More
TueTuesdayNovNovember30th2010
Rest for the Weary
Have you ever come to the point of absolute exhaustion? Not just for a day but for a complete season of life? You are busy with so MANY things and you finally hit the wall…mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. You are depleted. You... More
TueTuesdayNovNovember9th2010
The Definition of Life
I once heard someone who was in the midst of some heavy caregiver responsibilities say, “I just don’t have a life anymore. When this is finished, and I get my life back...” I was shocked, but the truth is that I could relate to her. There have been... More
TueTuesdayNovNovember2nd2010
Becoming Independent
I had another child leave the nest this year - three down, three to go. As I reflect back on the journey that took my son from a completely dependent baby to a self-sufficient, fully grown man, I am filled with wonder. Wasn’t it just yesterday that... More
TueTuesdayOctOctober26th2010
What will your statement be?
“This Fall we’ll go to a Bears game.” These words casually spoken a few months back land solidly in your child’s memory. They bank on them as a promise and look forward with great anticipation to their fulfillment. Imagine their dismay and hurt... More
TueTuesdayOctOctober5th2010
Busy, Busy, Busy!
“I just feel overwhelmed!” It’s a common refrain heard from busy moms. With all that we juggle every day - from our hectic schedules, rebellious toddlers or teens, struggling marriages (or singleness), to daily bill paying, grocery shopping, and... More
WedWednesdaySepSeptember15th2010
Worshiping God in a Minivan and Other Unusual Places
In this wonderfully full season of parenting, I find that my worshipful thoughts toward the Lord sometimes take a backseat to more pressing concerns -- such as which daughter’s turn it is to eat her cereal out of the Strawberry Shortcake... More
TueTuesdayAugAugust31st2010
Planted
A couple of weeks ago someone I know was doing a major landscaping overhaul. They unexpectedly gave me 4 large hydrangea bushes along with about 15 other uprooted plants. I was grateful... but wondered whether I could keep them alive in the middle... More
WedWednesdayAugAugust18th2010
An Uncommon Cold
I had a cold. I mean a COLD. I don’t get usually get sick; in fact, I hadn’t had a common cold in a few years. But this cold was unlike all others and left me barely enough strength to get through our home schooling and the household chores. There... More
TueTuesdayJulJuly27th2010
Praying for Others
“Praying for another person is like touching God with one hand and touching the person with the other," explains Jim Cymbala in his book When God's People Pray. While reading through this book with my small group, I came to realize how often I stop... More
TueTuesdayJulJuly20th2010
Discipline
I hate disciplining my daughter. It’s exhausting. She was born with autism and a very strong will, and she just doesn’t understand discipline. The negative consequences of punishment for wrong behavior aren’t strong enough to overcome her will. Nor... More
TueTuesdayJulJuly13th2010
What Am I Forgetting?
You know the feeling - you're all finally loaded in the car for a trip to the pool, and you just have that sense that something's missing. You rack your brain trying to figure it out, and when nothing comes, you eventually head off to your... More
TueTuesdayJulJuly6th2010
Glow-in-the-Dark Christians
My girls love their bright pink glow-in-the -dark soccer ball. They will frequently take it into our pantry, shut the door, turn out the light, and stare at its greenish glow. One day the soccer ball was left in the dark pantry overnight. The next... More
TueTuesdayJunJune29th2010
More than Enough
I have always struggled in the area of self-sufficiency. I know in my heart I need the Lord but sometimes I find that I still rely too much on myself. One day in my Bible reading, I ran across this verse in Hosea and it deeply convicted me. Hosea... More
TueTuesdayJunJune22nd2010
Place of Abundance
As a mom, one of the most challenging things I do is find creative ways for my children to realize their capabilities. Sometimes it only takes a suggestion. Sometimes it involves creating a circumstance they just “walk into.” And then there are a... More
WedWednesdayJunJune9th2010
One Small Step... One Great Goal.
Parenting qualifies for the toughest job, the most invisible payback, and the longest commitment in my book. Finished in 18 years? Not a chance. Likelihood of your children “rising up and calling you blessed?” Rare, maybe after you die. My daughter... More
TueTuesdayJunJune1st2010
Whole Truth
“What’s milk made of?” my 5 year old daughter asked recently. “Hhmm… Well, I’m pretty sure that milk is made of… milk,” I answered. After saying that, I started thinking about how unusual it is to see single ingredient foods these days. I guess... More
TueTuesdayMayMay25th2010
Heeling Power
I took my dog for a walk this morning. It’s not one of my favorite activities; in fact, I dread it. My 10-year old dog Maggie is sweet and well-behaved, but she’s developed some bad habits over the years that are not easy to break. I’ve never been... More
TueTuesdayMayMay18th2010
Waiting on God
Waiting. Even the word makes us cringe. Waiting in traffic. Waiting for the doctor. Waiting in line. Waiting…waiting…waiting. It is a universal principle…none of us likes to wait! And yet waiting is a major theme of the Bible.... More
SunSundayAprApril25th2010
20/20 Vision
Lightning cracked through the salty, early-morning air waking Tom and Jen. They jumped out of bed and hurried to the upper deck of their yacht to put down the sails and stow various deck items in preparation for the impending storm. Hours later,... More
FriFridayAprApril23rd2010
In Due Season
As hard as it may be to believe, some of my favorite gifts have been things that I have had to leave behind when we have moved. It all began when we first moved into a historic house with giant maple trees lining the street and dotting the yard.... More
TueTuesdayAprApril13th2010
Spilled Milk
It was a busy Wednesday morning, and I was trying to get my three young toddlers out the door and into the car for our Entrusted with a Child’s Heart Small Group, which would promptly start in 30 minutes. I just set all three boys down for a... More
TueTuesdayAprApril6th2010
What's Cooking in Your Family?
Sometimes I’m so hungry while watching the Food Network that I can almost smell the garlic sizzling in hot butter while Giada prepares another mouth-watering creation on Everyday Italian . And ooh… wouldn’t we all love to dip our fork through the... More
MonMondayMarMarch22nd2010
Leading the Way
In the years that I have facilitated Entrusted with a Child's Heart at our church, I have memorized and taught Deuteronomy 6:6-7 many, many times. “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them... More
MonMondayMarMarch15th2010
Messages
"Bing, BING, bing," my ringtone chirped. I instinctively reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone to read the new text message awaiting me. This familiar sound calls to me often throughout the day alerting me to incoming messages. My life is... More
MonMondayMarMarch8th2010
Choosing Worthy Role Models
“A lady always leaves a place nicer than she found it”. This was one of those things my mother was known to have said; one of those adages that made its way into the core values of my life. I recall my mother saying this to me, and my sisters as we... More
MonMondayMarMarch1st2010
Strong Foundation
Although this weekend’s earthquake in Chile was considerably stronger than the recent one in Haiti, there were significantly fewer deaths. Experts are saying one of the reasons for this incidence is the stricter codes by which structures in... More
FriFridayFebFebruary26th2010
Mom's Voice
Many moms feel like they are always shouting at their kids in order to be heard and they wind up exhausted at the end of the day from the effort. It is so important that your children learn to respond to your voice. They must be taught that your... More
MonMondayFebFebruary22nd2010
Whining Child. Whining Heart.
When our children were younger, we often needed to discipline them for whining. One day when I was feeling especially frustrated and overwhelmed by their high-pitched protests, God seemed to gently show me how I sometimes do the same thing with Him.... More
WedWednesdayFebFebruary17th2010
Practicing the Presence of God
As you interact with your children, make God real and ever present at the earliest possible age. Talk to Him in their presence and talk about Him to them even before they can understand. Make the mundane moments (like diaper changing) occasions in... More
MonMondayFebFebruary8th2010
Focused Faith
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) Have you ever struggled to trust God? I’m sure we all have. Most of us are quick to say that we trust Him…but when our circumstances require faith, do we lose sleep at night? Do we try to... More
WedWednesdayJanJanuary27th2010
Just Passing Through
Have you ever thought about how ironic it is that airports have terminals? When I think of the word terminal, I think of permanence. And yet, no one packs their suitcases and moves in at the airport terminal. Can you imagine? "We were on our way to... More
Applying Biblical Truth to Everyday Life
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