Celebrate Lent
Lent

The #1 Most Powerful Tip Needed to Celebrate Lent

Celebrate Lent? Really? I think there’s something we often miss during times of sadness, anxiety, grief, or despair. And Lent holds the key to making it through these times. I don’t like doom and gloom. Yet, the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter focuses on repentance, fasting, reflection,

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Advent

Get THIS down and Christmas will be perfect

I’ve lived for a long time. So have you. Christmas hasn’t always been jolly, has it? But it started that way. I mean, who plans to get pregnant without a father and explains it with an impossible story? Who suddenly finds out that his betrothed is pregnant by someone else

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How to make autumn cozy
Fall

How to make autumn cozy

This week, after a full day, I meandered into Trader Joes to pick up some of their autumn specialty items. You know, the Pumpkin Kringle that I freeze for our fall, family gatherings and the Pumpkin Ravioli that ALWAYS disappears before I can stock up on it. After choosing a

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At Christmas, God throws a party to celebrate you! And that party is happening every day of your life. When God parties, it is wild!
Advent

God Throws a Party to Celebrate You!

Every December we celebrate faith, family, and friends with Christmas carols, feasting, sparkling lights, and the traditional Christmas pageant featuring shepherds, Joseph and Mary, the angels singing, and, of course, baby Jesus. It’s a big deal. And though we focus on the incarnation—God clothing Himself in flesh and bone and

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Have you ever had your life interrupted with a detour you hadn't seen coming? How do you let God be God in your life when you weren't prepared for His plan?
Advent

How to let go and let God be God in your life

I may know a lot about my faith, but do I really know how to let go and let God control my future? Do you? Last weekend I slipped away for a getaway with some of my high school girlfriends. You can imagine how much there is to talk about

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Looking to create a simple Christmas without all the stress and overspending? Here are nine ways to make the holidays more meaningful and cost-effective.
Advent

9 ways to create a meaningful, simple Christmas

The other morning one of my little grandsons presented me with his Christmas list along with a toy catalog that he had used to circle everything he wanted for Christmas. He was super cute. Of course, I immediately went into grandma mode and wanted to buy him EVERYTHING! It took

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Who doesn't have their family holiday dynamics flavored with some dysfunction? Get-togethers can feel crazy if not draining. But you're prepared, right?
Holidays

Crazy holiday family dynamics? You’ve got this, Girl!

It’s that season again. The holidays crowded with family, friends, yummy food, laughter, fantastic conversation, Pinterest-styled homes, and the warm-fuzzies of loving relationships. WAIT? What…? What about the grandkids who would rather spend their time engaging with their cell phones than with you? Or your adult children who don’t want

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Here is how the Holy Spirit inside you loads up His grace and launches it like a redemption missile of love toward an unsuspecting target. Try this prayer...
Easter

Redemption Missiles

When I was growing up my mom used to collect Blue Chip Stamps whenever she bought groceries. Then she’d paste them in a little Blue Chip Stamp booklet and redeem them for merchandise like fancy vases she’d use for gift giving. I even got a few booklets of Blue Chip

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Christmas manifesto 2017 blog post header
Advent

Do You Need a Christmas Manifesto?

This Christmas season is different because I retired from full-time ministry three months ago. I kind of thought I’d have more time for reading, pondering and celebrating. I have… some. But not as much as I’d like. Mixed in with this is the amount of people I’ve encountered who feel

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