A Full Plate Life
“Gratitude means thanks and appreciation…. [It] comes from the Latin word gratus, which means “thankful, pleasing.” When you feel gratitude, you’re pleased by what someone did for you and also pleased by the results. Unlike indebtedness, you’re not anxious about having to pay it back.” (www.vocabulary.com). When I chose the...
Provision and Gratitude
Tonight, I picked Dietrich up from youth devo and learned a valuable lesson. As is our custom, I asked him what they ate, which song he picked, if they sang a specific fun song, and about the devotional talk. During this discussion, Dietrich said, “History looks and sounds like...
Lessons from the Hiding Place
In addition to listening to books with Madilynn, I also enjoy listening to books on my way to and from my vendor events. I typically pick a self-development type book or something completely frivolous and entertaining (my music playlist is equally ecclectic). Occasionally, I pick a novel or narrative....
A Hammer and Sword
Every time I read through the Bible, I linger over Nehemiah. In part because of a lesson learned at the Euro-American retreat that changed how I saw this passage, but also because the remnant of Israel faced great opposition with little (worldly) hope of overcoming. By the world’s standards,...
Whispering Hope
In recent weeks, I’ve seen a theme emerge in the articles posted by the pages I follow and in my own Bible study. When I get deeply honest with myself, this message began during 2020, with times of isolation and separation. I draw comfort and encouragement from God’s word,...
In the Garden
If you are anything like me, the minute you read the title, a song comes to mind. This song plays in my head as I work in our small garden, along with a reel of memories of my Grandpa’s garden (which was almost his whole yard). I don’t have...
Living Arrows: Straight Shooting
I recently stumbled across another link-up that has inspired a rabbit trail of extra reading and research, though admittedly, part of it was accidental. On Sunday evening, the lesson was from Psalm 122, one of the songs of ascent. These songs were sung on the journey to the temple...
Joy-filled Superhero Training
As a homeschooling family, we don’t take a “regular break” for the summer. I want the kids (and myself) to have some kind of learning experience every day. This can take several forms. This week Vacation Bible School took the most space in our learning. For us, VBS is...
Super Heroes of Faith
This week we held a Vacation Bible School at our congregation. For a few years now (except last year when nothing happened), I’ve taught the memory verse/application station during our VBS. I enjoy the challenge of sharing Scripture on multiple levels. I also enjoy how much I learn in...
Remember All Day
Every Sunday morning, we attend Bible class and worship services (though this looked very different for most of 2020). At some point during the day, I ask the kids what they talked about in Bible class. One Sunday in October 2019, I asked Madilynn what she learned. Here is...