Even though I’ve been a believer for 30 years, I still have a rather dense skull when it comes to hearing God’s voice. Sadly, God has to beat me over the head with a message several times before I’m enlightened. “Oh, I see, Lord.” The last week, I started reading a Jennie Allen book called […]
Perspective
Paralyzed by Indecision
“Too many options can flood someone, yet their inability to choose may be directly tied to their fear of making a mistake. This is exponentially increased if they have had a history of being corrected when they were making a choice—or always being told what to do and what to want. Both extremes create self-doubt and the […]
Reconciling the Various Stages of Who We Are and Who We Become
Because the kids spent the night with grandparents into Labor Day, I had the rare opportunity to wake up to an empty house Monday and then spend the whole day alone. I can’t recall when that happened–not one person for 8 whole hours. The house was so quiet, I heard noises I’m not usually able […]
Well, I Thought It Was a Good Idea
[The above picture is of my daughter’s face covered in butt cream. She figured it helped her little brother’s bottom, it must be nice for the face too, right?] Ever since my daughter was two and we caught her making Rice Crispy Treats early one Saturday morning (the butter in the microwave for 17 minutes), […]
Noticing the Little Gifts of God
The Hanley family has talked for years about the fun memories made camping and how we want to carry that legacy on with our kids. After 14 years of marriage and several kids later, we finally said, “This is the year we vacation together.” Picking a spot somewhat in the middle, we scheduled our camping […]
When Worship Songs Become More about Me Than God
Back in the early nineties, traditional churches started transitioning from the hymnal to what we termed praise choruses: “As the Deer,” “Shine, Jesus, Shine,” “Jesus, Lover of my Soul,” “Awesome God,” “Lord, I lift Your Name on High,” and more pop into my mind. We added these songs gradually, because many Southern Baptists struggled with […]
Helping Your Kids Deal with Stress
Everyone’s heard of our natural response to stressful situations with the “fight or flight” mode. When our adrenal glands overwork, our liver dumps extra sugar into our system, the hormone epinephrine fuels the body, the heart rate accelerates and the lungs work harder (Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology). But what happens when we can’t […]
A Mother’s View
Many people have contemplated Mary’s perspective regarding the birth of the Savior. After all, verses are dedicated to her thoughts and feelings in response to His arrival, but what about when her son, the promised Messiah of the world, was beaten and hung from a tree? What was she pondering in her heart in those […]
Changing Your Life with Two Words
Last Sunday, Joe White spoke at our church. The central theme of his talk could be extracted down to two words: I’m third. His stories demonstrated the impact of infusing this mentality into everything a person does. All week, I contemplated the power of living a life as “I’m third” and how that would realign […]
Who am I Impressing and Why?
My nature, I’m not a people pleaser, but I don’t like failing either. I set goals, and if I’m honest, I find too much satisfaction in impressing others with my responsible and proactive nature. Recently, God has been asking me, “Who are you trying to impress here?” Last night, I read in Priscilla Shirer’s book, […]