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...
When Joy’s Fragrance is Most Potent
by Cathy Baker Last year I had the privilege of leading a writer's workshop for a retreat focused on caring for mothers who've lost a child of any age. I marveled at their strength, faith, and joy, despite the heartbreaking circumstances facing them every waking day. Someone who knows much about this kind of pain is Dee Dee Parker, an extraordinary friend of mine, who lost her 34 year-old...
Who Says God Wants You to Be Happy?
by Cathy Baker God wants me to be happy. Six words - a belief system, if you will - that, at one point, plunged my life into the proverbial place known as rock bottom. In the moment, it was blissful. Believing this lie—that God was more interested in my happiness than His holiness—eased my conscience, leading to sinful choices that continue to affect my family twenty-six...
Joy: The Forever Fragrance
by Cathy Baker Welcome to our NEW series! I can't imagine a better time to revel in the truths of joy as we celebrate Easter this coming Sunday. It's because of Christ and His resurrection that joy is not only attainable -- it is forever infused into the life of every follower. This month, we'll camp out beneath a canopy of truths about joy, dispelling common misconceptions but most of...
The Scent of A God-Infused Whisper + Tea Cup Giveaway!
by Cathy Baker Writing about the whispers of God this month has been both a joy and well, a challenge. I learned His whispers rarely tended to speak above a hush, and certainly didn't try to contend with the clatter of my cluttered days. Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 As we close out this series and begin a new one in April, {Whee!} I would like to offer a tea cup and...
The Scent of Smoldering Doubts
by Cathy Baker I don't mind being wrong. I just don't want to be misunderstood. (That makes sense, right?) Like, I'm perfectly okay if someone doesn't agree with my perspective on something as long as they understand my heart on the matter. This mode of thinking, however, has sometimes handed the enemy his sharpest darts of doubt to penetrate my peace of mind. Recently, one of his darts took...
The Scent of A Vulnerable Whisper
by Cathy Baker Upstairs I gaze out the window overlooking the city street, onto the sprawling tree just beyond the concrete boundaries. Her elegant arms stretched wide like a ballerina in the finest Grande pose. Its bare limbs, trunk, all things, exposed. Vulnerability rarely comes easy. I'm an only child, and for me, it's always felt more natural to hold things closer to my...
The Scent of A Scripture-Grounded Whisper
by Cathy Baker One thing I've learned about the whispers of God this month is that they cannot be manufactured, only experienced. So when I felt I was coming up empty for a post, I moved outside for inspiration. I inhaled deeply while walking past the scrawny, but intoxicating, Winter Honeysuckle shrub. I thought of my uncle Jim who, in his final months this side of heaven,...
When Meals Become the Scent of A Whisper
by Cathy Baker You are loved. It's the whisper that arose from the meals, texts, flowers, and calls I received last week after my outpatient surgery. The meal ministry, in particular, revealed preconceived notions buried deep beneath my own insecurities. When Carolyn, a longtime friend and former life group leader, asked if I needed meals after surgery I gave my standard answer:...
Cathy Baker
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