On the Tablet of My Heart

Storms come.  Sometimes there are warnings, and we are able to prepare in advance.  Sometimes storms take us by surprise.  The same is true with the storms of life. I remember learning this lesson as a young child in Sunday school. Our teacher taught us the song, " The Wise Man Built His House upon the Rock ," and shared Jesus's words from Matthew 7:24-25, "Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." Before the age of ten, I knew that if I built my life on the Word of God, I could not be shaken.  But life does have a way of shaking us, doesn't it? My child-like faith was a pure and beautiful thing.  But then middle school hit.  Peer pressure and an identity crisis swirled like storms.  I scrambled for relationships like life rafts, only to...

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up." Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 As I read through these verses and those that follow, do you know what I don't see?  I DON'T see a single verse that says, "A time to fear." With the recent developments, many are experiencing fear, or at least high levels of anxiety and concern due to the new coronavirus, COVID-19.  If we aren't frightened by the virus itself, we are concerned about the economy, the schools and businesses closing, how we are going to care for our families, or - at the very least - where we might be able to purchase toilet paper! Believe me, I'm not trying to minimize legitimate concerns, but I do want to offer an alternative perspective.  First of all, realize that fear itself can be pandem...

I knew it had been months since I'd published a blog, but I have to admit I was shocked when I logged in today and saw it had been over a year! It wasn't for lack of ideas or inspiration.  In fact, God taught me numerous lessons throughout 2019 that I have filed away in the " I need to write about that " compartment of my brain. No, the cause can be attributed to one simple truth: my plate has been too full. Being a full-time mom, housewife, teacher, youth leader and college student has left little time for anything else.  All year I've kept promising myself that I'd finish my Masters degree in December and then get back to my writing as soon as 2020 hit. Cheers! Here's to keeping promises to yourself. Fullness .  That's what I want to write about today. Each year I pray about a word that will represent the year ahead.  This year I had some ideas, yet none seemed to fully fit what I felt God was placing in my spirit.  After going through several o...

"We're all broken." I uttered these words today, in the early morning hours - in a dream, actually - and then woke up with the idea of brokenness burning on my mind.  As I studied Scripture and meditated on the topic, I believe that God revealed to me three stages of brokenness. These stages are progressive, which means that moving from one stage to the next brings greater levels of healing. Because of that, we can take comfort in knowing that, regardless of our circumstances, we are never hopelessly broken. Restoration awaits! The three stages are directly related to three types of vessels described in the Bible. II Timothy 2:20-21 likens our lives to vessels: "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use and prepared unto every good work...

It's been a while since I've written. Not because I haven't wanted to. Not even because I haven't had any inspiration. Simply because I haven't had time. As a full-time mom, wife, teacher, college student, and youth leader its hard to find the time for anything more. My schedule is crammed tighter than most people's jeans after three Thanksgiving dinners. And I know I'm not the only one feeling that way. My middle school students often tell me they didn't get their assignments finished because they...(you guessed it)...didn't have time! My mom, who has been retired for just over a year now, shared with me the other day about something she'd been wanting to do, but hasn't been able to find the time.  It seems no matter what age or life situation, we are all feeling pressed for time. Recently my phone started giving me fits. It all began when I was trying to record my thirteen-year-old son's first wrestling match.  Apparently three minu...

My dad doesn't ask me for much; he's more of a giver.  So when he asked me to sign my son Joshua up for 4-H so he could take him to skeet shooting lessons, I put aside my fears of already being involved in too many activities myself and signed him up.  After all, dad was really the one committing the most time, right? As it turns out, 4-H offers numerous opportunities for kids to learn engaging, hands-on activities with real-world application.  I had to select classes ahead of time that Joshua might be interested in for the entire year. There was so much to choose from that I had to limit myself! One of the first ones that caught my eye was dog training. About a year ago, Joshua's dog that he'd had for as long as he could remember was killed by another dog. We'd gotten him a new one, but, although he liked her, there just wasn't the same connection.  I knew right away this class would be good for them.  Little did I know it was also going to be good for m...

Its June.  We're half way through the year.  No doubt, its an odd time of year to choose my "Word of the Year."  I can remember back in January seeing friends and family post on Facebook the words they had chosen.  I was totally on-board!  I mean, a word instead of a resolution?  What English teacher wouldn't give that a try?  Funny thing was, though, no matter how much I thought about it, I just couldn't seem to find a word that really fit.  Of course, by February, I had stopped searching.  School was in session. Grading, lesson planning, my own college classes, and responsibilities of being a mom left little time for reflection or introspection. This morning, though, without even looking, I found it.  Renewal!  My word of the year.  I was reading in the book of Titus and found this Scripture: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,  he saved us,  not because of works done by us...