Real Life is Better Than Fiction

Anew Have you ever made a mistake? You don't have to answer; I already know you have. I have. Lots of them. I once stole a pack of gum from the grocery store. Let's just say I was so overridden with guilt it was obvious that the life of a criminal was not in my future.  One of my mistakes - cleaning out the bathroom cabinet with my trowel When I was a child and made mistakes my parents were there to guide or punish or both, whatever fit the situation, but the older I got, the less parent involvement and more God involvement there was/is. When I do things now that are wrong, the Holy Spirit is there to prick my conscience. "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for the who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:10-11). ...

Kinchin This is quickly becoming one of my favorite words this year. It was a word I actually had to look up the definition. It means "a child." It is such an appropriate word for me. I have found myself surrounded by children since I was a child. I had barely graduated from high school when Randy and I were asked to be middle school youth leaders. Since then, we have raised and homeschooled our own three children and worked together with children in various ministries within the church through the years. I have had a constant flow of babysitees through the house, teach at a homeschool co-op, and work in the nursery at church. One of my favorite kid-centered ministries is cooking three meals a day for a week over the summer for our church's youth camp. There is no better way to make friends with teenagers than by feeding them. Doing one of my favorite things for kids with one of my favorite adults. In all honesty, there have been days of working with ...

Truth Have you ever had anyone lie about you? I have. I can be hurtful. I've had co-workers lie about me. I've had people close to me lie about me. I've even been lied about by people I've gone to church with. Shock and surprise were only a couple of emotions I felt. The nicer ones. Admittedly, there was anger as well. And wonder. Why would people lie? I had to take these issues to God in their turn. I could have ranted and raved and attacked those people, but I figured God was a better option. I knew truth was on my side and that God would work out each situation in His time. And He did. Anne of Green Gables is my favorite movie of all time. One scene has Anne in a heart-to-heart with her teacher after yet another fiasco. Her teacher tells her, "The truth shall set you free." While this was a new concept to Anne, it wasn't actually new. It's a verse found in the Bible. John 8:32, "Then you will know the truth and the truth wil...

Laughter Laughter is good for the soul. Studies also show it's good for the heart physically. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Proverbs 17:22). What more reason do we need to laugh? When I think of laughter, I can't help but think of the song "I Love to Laugh" from Mary Poppins . You can't help but laugh and sing along! The times I laugh the hardest are when I'm with my sisters. I don't exactly know what it is about them, but they bring the laughter out of me. Maybe it's because they know me better than almost anyone else, and I can let me guard down and be myself. I laugh so hard, I usually have to make a quick trip to the bathroom. My sisters aren't usually too far behind with their own bathroom runs. As we get older, our bladders just aren't what they used to be. We laugh when we stay up past our bedtimes playing silly games with our families. I think one time we laughed the hardest was when we ...