More than New Year’s day, birthdays serve as a catalyst to analyze, to ask the questions: what am I doing with my life? Am I where I want to be? What do I need to change to be where I want to be (in relationships, in my health, at home, in my spirit, etc.)? Five […]
Truth
Truth
Shut All Other Doors
I’ve been reading through I & II Kings lately and am astonished at how many pagan practices God’s people adopted. Depending on the king and whether he submitted to the law of the Lord or not, the people often threw their children into Molech’s fiery mouth or set up idol worship in their own homes. […]
You Belonged to Me Before You Belonged to Anyone Else
We all belong to someone: even if your life is so broken, you can only claim the foster system or the government, you are associated with another entity besides yourself. Sadly, we identity ourselves by tag lines that don’t give us a complete or accurate picture of who we truly are:_______’s spouse, ___________’s daughter, __________’s […]
Rethinking Mondays and House Size
Recently, my family made the trek to Oklahoma to visit my husband’s extended family. Four generations of Hanley men in one house was a precious and rare privilege. Ralph Hanley, my husband’s grandpa, raised up a heritage of men and women who then raised up a generation of men and women who love and serve […]
I Don’t Want to be in This Place Anymore…Or Do I?
The two words God keeps putting before me are “surrender” and “process”. Of course, I feel uncomfortable with both. I am a take-charge, make-it-happen kind of girl and those words require patience, humility, and the forbearance to accept yourself when you don’t get it all right–or even part right. My husband and I are currently […]
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), […]
Sitting on Your Own Bum
“On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.” ― Michel de Montaigne Timothy Keller posted this on FB: “Real humility is shy.” I’ve been pondering that concept in relationship to the scared echo of pride awareness in my own life. Sadly, that deepest, darkest sin oozes through every other sin. […]
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 […]
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, […]
Holding Onto Unwavering Love Even When You Don’t Feel It
Last week, I stood in my kitchen, doing dishes while listening to a John Piper message on Romans 5. His opening prayer prompted a volcano of tears and the mountain kept gushing over the next 38 minutes. Despite all my training and rational understanding, my heart doesn’t always incline itself toward the love of God. […]