Love… One Sip At A Time // A Valentine Tea Party
I started hosting tea parties in an older home propped as pretty as you please on the corner of a quiet street. A family of four in a two-bedroom, one-bath home made for a tight fit, and tea parties felt downright snug, but no one would change a thing. Some teas were scripture-based, and others celebrated holidays, but every time, the room filled with the scent of scones, floral tea, and...
3 Action Steps For Those Days When Disappointment Strikes
Since returning from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, my days have had more twists and turns than Disney World's Thunder Mountain. On my ride home from the conference, I could barely see the ground for all the clouds. Two weeks later, I was sniffing dirt. Two weeks after that, I was back to downing coffee, tweaking chapters and polishing an introduction,...
Balancing Summer Months with Your Calling
Notice the title doesn't say How to Balance Summer Months with Your Calling. That's because I'm still learning. But I hope by sharing my struggle we can face the fact that it's not easy and that's okay. So how do we leverage the blazing days of summer for God's glory? I remember being a mom of young boys during the summer months while also teaching a Women's Sunday School class....
Three Ways to Quietly Serve Others
I've been spending time in John 21 lately, and not because I'm a breakfast lover. If you read this post you know I have a lot to learn about being a servant. My heart bends toward awe as I study the ways Jesus quietly served Peter and the other disciples on the beach that morning. Yes, food was involved but Jesus, spoken from a heart of love, also asked a question that required them to face...
Because I’m Probably Not the Only Mom Seeking Validation
Ah, validation. Receiving it frees us. Desiring it paralyzes us. Seeking it in the wrong places {spouse, children, job, fame, employer) eventually crushes us. But finding it in the right Person? It can will change your life. I know because I've sought validation all my life⏤maybe everyone does. First from our parents as defined by two words, "Watch this!" Then, the teenage years hit and we...
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...
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] ...
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...
Cathy Baker
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