Hope gets stirred up during December through the anticipation Christmas gifts. Kids look forward to having their favorite toy or video game to be under the tree. Families plan get-togethers for their …
Simplicity in Christmas
Simplicity becomes harder to grasp during the Christmas season. We are bombarded with so much advertising beginning before Black Friday. Shopping with the deadline for the best price brings …
Prepare for Christmas
It's time to prepare for Christmas! Over the next few weeks I'll be blogging "Words for Christmas." Each post will highlight one word, offer inspiration and give practical tips for preparing your …
The Importance of Thanks
What fills your heart? Gratitude or gripes? Is it words of thanks or complaints about the lack of something? Studies have shown that gratitude makes us healthier. In one study, one group of …
Praise in Personal Worship
How can we incorporate praise into personal worship? Praise honors God for who He is. He is worthy of our praise. With so many distractions that bombard us everyday, it's hard to focus and remember …
Need Balance?
What do a tightrope walker, a ballerina, and a gymnast have in common? Exceptional balance. They also have overall strength, but their exceptional balance comes from the core strength. As a noun, …
Prayer: Where Would We Be Without It?
Prayer. Where would we be without it? When I wondered what to write about in this blog post, I reviewed my past week and realized that one thing I had done often was pray. I'm not saying this to …
6 Simple Stress Busters
Stress affects us in so many ways. We get cranky, tense and nervous. It impairs our relationships. It affects us physically. Life can seem like a tangled mess. Here are 6 simple stress …
7 Verses to Improve Perspective
Perspective changes according to how close or how far we are to the situation. If we are too close, the situation can look larger than life. If we are too far away, we can overlook details. On a …
Epic Grace
There's a lot of grace on my desk today. My coffee mug and recent book I read remind me to keep looking for God's grace. That's what I love to do on the GraceNotes blog. The book, Epic Grace: …
Taste and See
"Taste and See that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8 Our physical senses help us navigate the world. The Lord has given us taste, sight, hearing, touch and smell that let us know what is going on around …
Blessings in the Busyness
Blessings. Busyness. Those two words summarize the last few weeks. I am thankful for it all. I've had to choose to look at the blessings and not be overwhelmed with the busyness. Sometimes it was …
What is Your Anchor?
What is your anchor during change? Transitions are inevitable, yet so many of us resist them. We get comfortable in our way of doing things. When life is predictable we know what to expect and can …
A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine
"A cheerful heart is good medicine." Proverbs 17:22 What makes your heart cheerful? Here are some things I've seen lately: the late summer return of hummingbirds that provide …
Silence the Whispers of Deceit
Beware of the whispers of deceit. These are subtle lies that worm into our heads bringing condemnation, guilt and insecurities. They cause us to question if there is anything good about us. I wish I …
The Battle of Good Intentions
Have you ever felt like you had good intentions but didn’t get the desired result? It can be in a simple thing like baking a cake and leaving it in too long. The timer dings, but you turn it off for …
God is Able
Have you ever tried to cross from one side of a river to the other without a bridge? It takes longer and can be dangerous. Sometimes it is impassable. How can our hearts reach to God when there is …
God’s Heart
Driving on the Interstate, I caught of glimpse of love in the clouds. Can you see the heart? It reminded me of the extent of the love in God's heart, which is higher than the heavens. These verses …
Spiritual Sluggishness in the Heat and Humidity
Stepping outside, the heat and humidity caused my glasses to fog over, temporarily blurring my vision. A few seconds later my sight was once again clear. The heavy air was oppressive. I also …
Spiritually Dry and Thirsty?
Has your spirit ever felt spiritually dry and thirsty? Have you had a drought in your walk with the Lord? During those times, it’s easy to slip into a ‘survival mode’ of not growing, just trying to …
