After You Blow It, Do You Hear the Voice of Conviction or Condemnation? Here Are Five Ways to Tell the Difference
All I wanted to do was study my Bible that morning. I'd eaten breakfast early and washed the dishes before sitting down to have some study time before we headed to church. Brian likes to sleep in whenever possible but on this particular morning, he woke up a little earlier than expected. When I say earlier, what I really mean to say is that he woke up just as I'd started my study. I greeted...
Tiny House Tuesday // Foundational Truths
As we begin building our tiny house, I'm learning that one of the first things that must be determined is the foundation. There are options, after all. If you want to travel with your tiny house, you'd opt for a trailer. If you want the option to move it at some point in the future, it would most likely be built on blocks or some other propped up way. And if you're serious about staying where...
Why Everybody Needs God in the Dark + Enter to Win a Free Copy
Only a handful of years had passed since my divorce when I studied the book of James. My heart was raw, as were my tears. Wet ink melted onto more than one page in my Bible but one verse stood out: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2, 3 [emphasis mine] ...
The Tiny House Dream is Becoming a Reality!
I've loved small spaces for as long as I can remember. The secluded corner in my backyard where wild violets grew, my aunt's 16' Bambi Airstream, the treehouse coop by the lake, and the edge of my grandmother's concrete back steps where I baked magnificent mud pies if I do say so myself. I recall the first time I spotted a tiny house on HGTV in 2013. It would become the catalyst for countless...
When A Puppy Breaks One Heart and Heals Another
It didn't turn out as expected. Not even close. When Rupert, our twelve-year-old Lhasa Apso, attacked me in 2016 due to neurological issues it was a traumatic time on many levels, so we knew it would be a while before we decided to get another dog. But last November we put a deposit on the first male pick of a Shih Tzu litter two towns over. Like Rupert, Henry the Shih Tzu would also...
How Keeping a List of Victories Can Help Gain Freedom Over Fear
The invasion began three decades ago. Everyone else was at work despite the snow-covered roads. I felt pressure to be there so I bundled up my oldest and headed down the road. I drove for miles without any issues until I rounded a shady curve on an exit ramp to I-85. We slid to the side of the road. As I was getting out of my car to meet a gentleman who had stopped to help, a woman driving...
Why Be Yourself When You Can Be So Much More? + Starbucks Valentine’s Day Giveaway!
Be yourself, but always your better self. Karl G. Maeser I received the call on a blazing hot afternoon⏤family was coming for an overnight stay. While I was thrilled with the idea of seeing them, I began stressing over details that multiplied quicker than the bunny next door. At one point, I was convinced that my innate Southern hospitality would override the anxiety. I mean, surely I could...
We Love Our Church So Why Are We Leaving?
“This is our time on the history line of God. This is it. What will we do with the one deep exhale of God on this earth? For we are but a vapor and we have to make it count. We’re on. Direct us, Lord, and get us on our feet.” –Beth Moore Our time with Summit seems too important, too intertwined with our lives, to settle for a simple goodbye. Summit Church Upstate in Greenville SC has...
Hibernate in Prayer to Awaken Your Soul in 2018
There once was a man who loved Jesus with his whole heart. He also loved his family, served the church faithfully, and gave sacrificially, often in secret. When an evangelist joined his family for dinner the night before a revival, this man confided in the evangelist that he felt uncomfortable praying aloud in church. So, what did the evangelist do? He called on this man to pray during the...
5 Ways to Settle the Soul Before December Begins + A Free E-book Reminder!
I want it to be different than the year before⏤you know, the way I go about celebrating the Christmas season. Every December begins the mad dash to buy gifts, decorate rooms, pick out a fresh Christmas tree, make never-ending grocery lists, mail invitations, start new traditions and bake favorite foods. And yet, one thing I've learned this year is that if I don't take a few minutes each day...
How to Pocket Your Prayers
I'm thankful the act of prayer isn't limited to bent knees, closed eyes, or hushed silence. Prayer is simply conversing with our heavenly Father. I use the word simply because, in the past, I've made it much more complicated than I believe God ever intended. Guilt whispered if my prayers weren't long enough⏤whatever that means⏤or if I failed to use what I call "pretty" words. Let's face it,...
CATHY BAKER
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
I RECOMMEND FISTBUMP MEDIA…
POETRY CHIC
