Real Life is Better Than Fiction

Captivating Captivating is defined as "to capture and hold our attention." Think about what captivates you. Movies we watch can certainly captivate and hold our attention. I read a lot and have friends who read a lot. We often share titles that sucked us in and wouldn't let us go.  But what about God? Are we captivated by Him? Does He hold our attention? In a world where attention spans have a limit of about 30 seconds, there is not a whole lot that keeps us interested for any length of time. I as a person am not captivating, but I want my books to be. I want them to draw readers in and captivate them with the presence and holiness of God working in the lives of ordinary people. If you are a believer and keep your eyes open to see the hand of God at work, you know it's an amazing thing that can capture and keep your attention. Even those who have ADD attention spans, every time you turn your head to look in a different direction, you can see God at work....

Valuable Sometimes as a mom it's hard to feel valuable. It's often a thankless job. Nobody sees even half of what you do. Work is often paid for with a screaming baby, a temper tantrum throwing toddler, a temperamental teenager, and a husband who just wants his dinner. I once read an article that said stay-at-home moms "should" be earning $162,581 a year. Where are my mom friends who see that in their bank account? You know something? Our mom value is not in money. Being a mom is the highest calling God gave to women, not climbing the corporate ladder. I am not dissing moms who work outside the home. Each one has to make choices as to what is best for her family. This is for all those who choose to stay at home, those who sometimes feel value less. Our value was in the little lives you are molding each day. Your payment is all the sticky, syrupy kisses and the I love yous from the lips of those to whom you gave life. Our value is raising ch...

Radiant I once knew a girl whose face was always radiant. I have never known anyone like her before or since. After I got to know her better I realized the cause of that radiance. It was God and His presence in her life. She had grown up as a missionary kid in the Philippines and told story after story of how God had been so real in their lives in such a dark place. Her face, and probably the faces of her family as well, had to stand out in a place where witchcraft and demonic activity were so prevalent. Her smiling face would give makeup companies a run for their money. She never wore any. I can't help but wonder if there were times she and her family were in the presence of God. This young woman makes me think of another radiant face; the face of Moses when he looked upon the back of God upon Mount Sinai. Moses wanted to look upon God and in a word, God said Moses couldn't handle it. Got covered Moses in the cleft of the rock until He passed by. God pulled His han...

Victory The word "victory" takes me back to my childhood in a couple of ways. From grades 5-9 I was a cheerleader in our small Christian school. Most of our cheers had the theme of either school spirit or victory. Everyone wanted to win – the team, us cheerleaders, and the entire student body. The times that victory did come we were all excited. We jumped up and down. We clapped our hands. We shouted. Victory was sweet! A person from my childhood that reminds me of victory was singer George Beverly Shea. Remember him? He would often travel with Billy Graham and sing at his crusades. I had the opportunity to attend a crusade my senior year of high school, and I was not disappointed when Mr. Shea stood up and sang "Victory in Jesus." His rendition was, and still is, my favorite. I would often call into the local radio station during request time and ask they play that song. (He and Joni Eareckson Tada were my regular requests. Am I dating myself?) How d...

Journey My parents instilled a love of camping in me at a young age. That little baby in the stroller, that's me! Journey is a word that can evoke a lot of thoughts and feelings. A journey can be physical, mental, or emotional. Sometimes a journey we take is all about reaching a specific destination, yet other times it's all about the getting there. We all take journeys from time to time. Maybe the word brings to your mind family vacations. My family would often go camping when I was a child. To pass the time the car my brother and I would play a game he made up called "open your mouth and close your eyes and I will give you a big surprise." The rules were pretty much self-explanatory. One time when I opened my mouth and closed my eyes he fed me dirt from the floor of the car. I didn't want to play the game anymore after that! Many times a journey needs planning. I tell my writing students that they should know the beginning and the ending of their ...

New Anyone who knows me knows I homeschooled my kids from beginning to end. One of the aspects of that I enjoyed most was seeing the light shine on their faces when they learned to read. It's fun to see people's reactions to new things – whether by sight, sound, taste, or feel – especially with children. Watching a child as he or she puts letters together to read a word is an amazing thing. Their eyes light up in recognition and realization. I still have the set of books my mom bought for me when I was leaning to read. (Not sure she really understood what she was starting with that book purchase!) I used those same books with my own children and am keeping them for future generations. I enjoy visiting new places, trying new food, making new friends. Every time we have a new experience, we open the doors of our minds and hearts. When my oldest daughter had the opportunity to go to Europe and see new things, she came home with a couple thousand pictures and a whol...

Gratitude Gratitude is something we are not exactly full of these days. We would much rather show ungratefulness with all of our petty complaints. And what do we complain about? Big things? Sometimes. But more often than not we gripe about such minor issues like the temperature being too hot or too cold. Have you ever known someone who complained about everything? Did/do you like to be around that person? The complaining person can be almost toxic. They bring us down and make us want to complain more. There was one time I was going through the checkout at the store. The cashier complained about the company that employed her the entire time. Apparently she needed to be out of her apartment that day and wasn't allowed to take the day off. My cynical mind didn't want to hear her griping. I'm sure she had more than a couple hours' notice to vacate her apartment. As usual, my mouth was at work before my brain. "You should be glad you have a job." ...