Reading is like singing to me. I do not remember a time I have not done either one. Although there have been seasons when they were lacking, my life has been most fulfilling when they were present.
I have never been one who enjoyed being instructed on what to read (i.e.- school). But that fact aside, I am an avid reader. You may even say I am a voracious one to be more exact. If I have invested in anything to a great extent, I have invested in books and …

When I was asked to review a book by Andy Andrews, internationally known speaker and author of New York Times Bestsellers The Traveler’s Gift and The Noticer, I was really excited.  This man is certainly someone who has been leaving his mark on the world. In a time were heroes are made out of men and women who are esteemed as important because of what they do and how much money they make, this book was a breath of fresh air!  The stories were captivating, the illustrations were exceptional …

It was a winter evening in 2001. I was sitting in our living room in Nashville, TN when my husband walked into the room to find me sitting in a pile yarn and crying. I was trying to learn to crochet, and my skeins of yarn had gotten tangled and knotted. I was losing my cool as I grew more frantic by the minute when I looked up at my husband who lovingly asked if he could help. Calmly, he took the yarn into his calloused hands and …

It seems I will never learn the lesson to “never say never.” In my life, this lesson has played out more times than I care to admit and yet, I continue to forget that never is a mere stones throw away from reality. My list of “nevers” is long and actually quite amusing from this perspective! And it is supplying me with an abundance of crow to consume as we go through this lean economic time.
Let’s see, I said I would never marry and if for some reason I did, …

“Then [Ezra] told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.”
Nehemiah 8:10
Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week.  On that day at 1:30 PM PST, I meet with incredible people from all around this great land of ours and pray.  We are a group of people who …

Recently, my husband and I went through one  devastation most wish to never face, but far too many in our society today are having to work through.  We like millions of other hard working, big dreaming Americans have lost our home to foreclosure due to the real estate collapse.  This is probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to experience not so much because of the loss of the house, but because of the loss of relationship from some I thought would never turn on me, and …

“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruin?” Haggai 1:4

Recently, we moved into a new home, and this is an exciting time because it was an incredible provision which the Lord had given to us in our time of need.  And yet even in the midst of teaching a new series I have written called “12 Women/12 Weeks/12 Destines” to 12 incredible women with the intention of inspiring them to their greatness and to not use excuses,obstacles …

Do you have a dream which has not been fulfilled?
Is there a vision you have received from the Lord which has not come to pass?
Are you ready to quit and walk away from God’s perfect will for you?
Before you do, read this.  I want to encourage you to keep believing, not in the dream or vision, but in the One who planted it in you before the beginning of time!
I have a big vision, and  I am a big thinker.  In many ways this is a blessing from God, but …

I was excited to review “Gigi’s Big Break” by Sheila Walsh.  Probably because I have a little princess living in my home who reminds me so much of the gregarious Gigi, but also because I am a bit tired of the trite entertainment available for little girls today which seems to be built around vanity and self adulation.   This DVD was refreshing, humorous and memorable.
To start, I was impressed with the page illustrations.  They were vibrant and alive.  The animation seemed awkward at first to me until I realized that …

Most of us have experienced pain in our lives at one time or another. For some, that pain has been beyond what many of us could even imagine. We live in a fallen and sinful world which has a tendency to cause us pain. What makes it worse and even harder to accept is when the pain we experience is caused by someone we love and trust. Instead of being there to protect us, they turn into someone who hurts us. …