As the school year ends, there are students who are being invited to honors and awards ceremonies to recognize what they’ve accomplished. Many would view these students as successful. There are also students those who are signing up for summer school; those who failed classes or barely...
After a long winter any sign of it warming up outside is welcome. We claim we are willing to get any relief from the snow and the cold that we can. But then the rain showers of April arrive, and we complain about those too. We seem to be able to complain about anything. We get sick quickly of...
Winter months bring colder temperatures and keep us inside more. We all tend to rely on our devices a little more for entertainment and to pass the time. Our video games and apps keep our fingers busy but can they also give us an opportunity to talk about faith and the things of...
Lent is a season of the church year in which sorrow for sins is emphasized. We’re given the opportunity to reflect on what we have done, how we have fallen short, and how desperately we need a Savior. (Which, spoiler alert: God provided the first Easter!) While this is a season that is...
A new year always brings new possibilities. Those possibilities will likely present themselves in many and various ways. But the greatest possibilities we have, will come in the ways the Holy Spirit will guide us and grow us and sanctify us (make us holy) this year. Sometimes He does that...
Quiet is probably about the last thing I think of at Christmastime. There’s hustle and bustle and seemingly a million things to do to get ready. But you know what? Very few things on the list actually get me ready for the coming of our Savior. I think of a line from the beloved song...
In college, I was part of a Bible study in which we were each challenged to keep track of things we were thankful for throughout the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving. My roommates and I decided to take on the task with small 1”x1.5” sticky notes adhered to our large...
A condition we all experience from time to time is the fear of missing out. Children are often not as easy to get down for a nap when there’s lots of activity because they don’t want to miss anything. They are eager to go on every errand even to the “boring” places...
My husband has a love for and great patience for gardening. It’s a great off-set to my totally black thumb. He tills and plants, weeds and waters, tends and picks, all for the rewards of the harvest he will reap. And I get the blessing of enjoying all the yummy vegetables and fruits he...
The beginning of the school year is right around the corner. It’s hard to believe that the summer days are almost gone and we’re starting back into the hustle; we’re trying to get our last moments of retreat in. As we try to capture those moments of rest before the schedule...
