Category: Faith

A few days ago was my birthday, I turned 37! Turning one year older has had me reflecting on who I am, who I was, and who God is making me to be. Just the other night, as I was ready to cry looking at our cluttered basement full of toys, books, etcetera that needed to be sorted and purged through, God graced me with a sacred treasure. I came across some old e-mails that my dear mother had printed from before I was married, containing a pure and relentless love for God. The tidying up could wait, for this was no small find. Some of these letters were written by me, others by my parents or siblings, and a few by a special cousin. Each and every e-mail I…

Spring is in the air, today being the 70 degree day we were waiting for since the middle of winter! It's a day in which new life is emerging, hope is soaring, and people are rejoicing! Four days ago, on Palm Sunday, we sat down and watched The Passion of the Christ. The movie begins with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and focuses on just that "short window" of unimaginable suffering from his arrest, trial, sentencing, and ultimately his crucifixion. The images are harsh, and yet we still can't truly fathom all that He endured. A crown of thorns for the "King of the Jews" was mockingly forced upon his head, as many spat in his face and hurled insults. He was brutalized with a cat of nine tails…

I didn't want to write this entry. I have been uncomfortable for the past week, following the news about the little two-year-old boy, Julen, who fell down a long narrow borehole on a mountainside in Totalan, Spain. Over ten years ago I myself studied in Spain, about 30 minutes away from where this tragedy has now taken place. And, I have a two-year-old little boy. My heart strings were and are attached to him, empathizing with his pain, condition, and the hearts of his family and loved ones. The effort to rescue him has been slow-moving. The equipment needed to begin excavation had to be delivered, and much deliberation took place as to the method they would use to create a tunnel to reach him. Five days passed before digging even began, with…

Last year-Christmas 2017As the Christmas season approaches, we think a lot about GIVING. As a Christian I know that God is the ultimate example of a GIVER, offering us His Son so that we might believe and be forgiven. The self-less message in the air this time of year reminds us to do the same: GIVE, GIVE, GIVE, which is all fine and well. Yet conversely, I feel the message of RECEIVING is just as important for us to hear at Christmastime. Read on, as I quote a passage from my book Mommy's Inspirations, chapter 40, p. 119-120:"Recently, we hit a time where we had more bills coming at us than we had income. It was stressful to feel somehow irresponsible despite our attempts to be careful with our money. We…

Fall is here in Western New York where I live: the crisp, cool, flannel-shirt and jeans, soup-making weather. 🍜A neighbor was walking a few weeks ago with her two children, her son whizzing by on an electric scooter. He is a young five year old and I commented that he is very coordinated to have mastered that at such a young age. Her response struck me as she replied, "Yes, well I originally saw your son doing it and I thought he should have one too." We can set the tone for others and their decisions, both big and small.Davin pointing at YOUto let Jesus set the tone~Tone in the dictionary states, "the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc." Some synonyms include mood, air,…