Fall 2011

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Who Wants a Time Out?

The fine art of scheduling un-scheduled time

In a society that values activity and busyness we need to remember that we are to be in the world not of it; we need to r-e-l-a-x.

In fact, sometimes we simply need to put ourselves in a time-out. Recently I did just that.

One night at the supper table our two youngest daughters were picking on each other. My husband spoke up and asked, “Who wants a time-out?” I promptly raised my hand and said,... READ MORE


Know When to Hold 'Em

... and When to Fold 'Em

In the early years of my marriage, 1989 BC (Before Children), my home was immaculate. Floors were scrubbed weekly, not a thing was out of place, and “spring” cleaning took place several times a year. While my 1970’s modular home would never make the cover of House Beautiful, there was a time that it was spotless for more than two minutes.

Fast-forward four children later and you’ll find “spotless”... READ MORE


Love the One You're With

Learning to Love the Unlovely

What would it look like to love the person in front of me — even if this person annoys me, criticizes me, belittles me, or even scares me? 

When this question was put to me recently, I had to do some serious thinking. I knew I didn’t treat everyone with the same love and acceptance — some people just didn’t look “worthy” or “safe” in my eyes.

In today’s society loving some people could be downright... READ MORE


Are You a Health Gambler?

8 Easy Ways to Invest in Good Health

Intrinsically we know that a lack of exercise and proper nutrition is detrimental to our health, and yet we tend to take the gamble anyway.  When we give little thought to our health — what we eat and how much, whether or not we exercise — we are essentially gambling with the life God gave us.

A haphazard approach to our health now will cause us to miss our preferred future—one full of strength and... READ MORE


What Is Worth Knowing?

Learning to Ask the Right Questions

Because we are human, we are creatures who know, who want to know, or who think we know.  But the question we must ask is what is worth knowing?

My kids have a 224-page book entitled Every Minute on Earth (Steve and Matthew Murrie, Scholastic Reference). This book is full of “fun facts that happen every 60 seconds.”  While it is interesting to know that in the time it takes to read this paragraph... READ MORE


Fail Forward

Can Good Things Come From Failing?

God, I prayed, no matter what the day holds, I’ll be thankful. 

I might as well have added, “Bring it on” for within 30 minutes I began to have one of the worst days of my life. The day concluded with me feeling like the definition of failure.

I felt like such a loser that I didn’t even want to go to God. But I knew I had to. And so I summoned all my courage and humbly went before Him.

I poured out... READ MORE


Healed By Panic Attacks

God Never Wastes our Experiences

My heart was pulsating so rapidly I could barely breathe. Sweat beads dropped from my forehead.  My hands became paralyzed in a contorted position.  I was unable to move them, even by force.  I began to hyperventilate.  I felt like I was dying, and the longer it continued the more I wanted to.

I was taken to the nearest emergency room.  Diagnosis: panic attack.  It was the beginning of a very long... READ MORE


Declare a War on Sloth

Fighting Laziness Takes Work

While no one wants to be labeled lazy, the sad fact is many of our youth today are just that. 

In fact, I have one such child myself.  Because my oldest daughter has a tendency towards laziness, I want to nip the problem in the bud before it becomes a life-long problem.

It’s easy to ignore my daughter’s lack of motivation, but by doing so I am doing her more harm than good.  Perhaps, if I am truthful,... READ MORE


18 Places to Fall in Love With Your Spouse

Successful Christian marriages may be best seen as a triangle with God at the top and each partner at the lower corners. The closer we draw to God, the closer we’ll be to each other.

Mignon McLaughlin once said, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” If you’ve ever gone a month without spending any real quality time with your spouse, you know how negatively it can affect your marriage. All relationships need to be nurtured, and none more so than our relationship with our spouse.

Marriage was created to give people companionship.... READ MORE


Open House

Worried about what your teens are up to? Make your house the "hang-out" house!

Refrigerator raids, loud mu­ sic, and a lot of horsing around may not sound like fun to you, but to your kids and their friends it’s heaven on earth. Yes, kids — especially teens — can be loud, expensive, and at times, can rattle your nerves, but the time, money, and energy you spend on them now is a wise investment, paying lasting dividends.

Studies and statistics show that teens without a healthy... READ MORE


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