Live in His Word

           As I have gotten older I realize that I am not as patient as I used to be. Over the last few months my family and I have driven to a few family reunions and I have noticed after being in the car a short time I am more than ready to be there. On the last trip my husband didn’t get to go and I was talking to him about how weary I was from being in the car and he said I was getting cranky in my old age. As I think back on that statement I think two things: one he is right and two he is brave. I think he felt brave enough to say it since he knew he was a couple hundred miles away from me and I had several days to forget what he said before I saw him again. We used to drive 12 hours straight through to see his family, but now I get in a car for more than 3 hours and I want to whine.        Another area I find I can get impatient and I think I am not alone is being patient with God. We want God to do ...

          Have you ever noticed that everyone thinks their way is the right way? We have a tendency to think because it is the way we like it or are used to it, it is the best or only way. When I had kids, I started turning my silverware tray upside down of how most people have it. I put it this way so that the little tray that is usually at the back of the drawer is at the front, because that is where I put the kids’ little spoons and forks and it was easier for them to reach. One time I had company, and I went to get something out of my drawer and noticed that someone turned the silverware tray back the direction “it was supposed to be”. I turned it back the way I liked it in my kitchen, and sure enough later I went back and someone had changed it again. This person really couldn’t handle the fact that I had my silverware tray the “wrong” way. After a few times of slamming the drawer closed in my passive aggressive style- trying to make...

            Most of my life, I had this notion that in order to be of value, someone else had to find value in me. It wasn’t enough for me to think that I was ok, or even for God to think I was ok- someone else had to affirm I was. I had to have enough friends or a boyfriend or else I was not worth anything. I think part of this thinking stemmed from when I was a child. It seemed I had the words 'pick on me' written on my forehead. One of the things that would happen is sometimes I had to sit alone at lunch. I mean there were other people at the table, but people wouldn’t choose to sit by me. For some reason there were days that someone more popular than me decided if anyone sat by me they could not be friends anymore so they had to choose between being their friend or being my friend. My friends all knew I would always forgive and be friends with them so they had to choose the other friend. After several instances like that, I ...

          As a little girl I memorized Psalm 23. Most good little Christian girls I knew did. I could stand there and recite that passage in King James with the best of them. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” My problem was, since I memorized it in the King James Version I was very confused. I couldn’t understand why the Lord was my Shepherd, but I didn’t want Him. This puzzled me for quite some time. Now I usually read it in the New Living Translation and it makes more sense to me- The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. I now know that it means I won’t be in want, not that I won’t want Him. I love the next few verses in this passage.     Psalm 23:2-3 “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”             These verses are a source ...

          Have you ever heard the statement familiarity breeds contempt? This is so often true. Have you ever noticed that when two people start dating they are very nice to each other? They put each other first and do everything they can to please one another. Then after they are married for a while and have to live life together 24/7 and share everything the story often changes. Why? Because what we become familiar with we put lesser value on.           I think we can do this with the word of God as well, especially with verses that are very well known. Take John 3:16 for instance. This is probably one of the most well-known verses of all time. We teach it to our kids, people put it on signs at sporting events, even non-Christians have heard of John 3:16. There is a good reason it is so popular and that is because this verse really sums up the Gospel, but if we aren’t careful we think of...

          I think I am a decent cook, but I know that I am not a great cook. I have been known to burn things a time or two and make stupid mistakes when I am cooking. Part of my problem is that I try and multi-task and I get distracted. If I had a dollar for every time I get distracted while I am cooking and then suddenly remembered I had something on the stove I would be a much wealthier woman. Another one of my problems with cooking is that I am not very adventurous. I have about 2 or 3 seasonings that I use on almost everything I make and I tend to make the same things over and over. If you come to my house for dinner chances are we are going to have lasagna. It is my go to company food. I know how to make a good lasagna, and know my recipe by heart. I always think I will try and be more adventurous with my cooking, but when I pull up recipes if they have more than about 5 ingredients, I usually just skip on to the next one. Every onc...

            This has been a crazy summer. In the last several weeks, we have had two storms that have damaged trees and buildings in our small town. When the storms come, one of the first things we do is turn on the television and check the local weather to see what they are saying. When there is a severe thunderstorm or tornadic weather, the meteorologist usually says something like, “You need to go to your safe place.” This means find the safest place in your home and go there.             Living in “tornado alley” we are trained from the time we are in grade school to have a plan for the storm. We even have drills in school to make sure we know exactly where to go and exactly how to act when the alarm sounds and the storm begins. In our day to day lives, we face many kinds of storms- some severe and some that are just a quick burst. What do we do when these storms of...