How God Brought Hope Through A Text Message
I’ve been friends with Carol Kittle and her husband, Roger, for thirty years. They are two of the godliest, most selfless and caring people I’ve ever met. I pray you’ll be encouraged by Carol’s story of hope in the midst…
When Depression Robs Your Gratitude
Sometimes circumstances in our lives can be so difficult we find it hard to celebrate holidays with joy. With Thanksgiving approaching this week, my mind drifted to one of those periods for me twelve years ago. We were going through a…
How Can a Shoebox Offer Hope to a Hurting Child?
Each year during October and November, our church takes part in filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This year, our small church of about 120 people, filled 63 boxes! If you don’t know what Operation Christmas Child is, take a…
Why Does That Child Behave so Poorly?
Last week, I attended a seminar entitled “They Need to Know That You Care, Before They Care What You Know!” The focus was on the impact of trauma on children. What is trauma? According to childwelfare.gov, trauma is an emotional response…
Hope Changes Everything
To believe that hope changes everything, we must first understand what hope is. Merriam-Webster defines it this way. To cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true: to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. Many…
Will You Take a Risk to Follow Your Dream?
Our daughter-in-law and twenty-one-month old granddaughter, Harper, came over for dinner last night. I cooked a roast, potatoes, green beans, and bread, thrilled to offer Harper a good meal. Normally when she’s here, it’s on a weekend and I have…
Spiritual Lessons From a Spin Class
After two weeks in Dallas and New Mexico, then another five days at the Mountainside Novelist Retreat, I continued to shove physical exercise to the back burner to play catch up on my work, home, and writing projects. This morning…
Are You Flying By the Seat of Your Pants?
Since I’ve entered the writing world this past year, I’ve learned several new terms, three of which include pantser, plotter, and planster. Pantser means to “fly by the seat of your pants,” with no clue where the story is going…
Do You Need Encouragement Today?
This week I’m in Black Mountain, NC at the Mountainside Novelist Retreat. The beauty of the mountains surrounds Ridgecrest Conference Center, and the beauty of the Christian writing community has surrounded me. Along with large group sessions over the three…
Navajo Ministries
My husband and I spent the past week with our good friends, Roger and Carol Kittle, who have served as missionaries in Farmington, NM the past four years. We’ve learned about Navajo Ministries and Four Corners Home for Children and…
