Finding courage and strength through songs of praise became a living reality to me during a time when I felt emotionally and physically depleted. I filled my home with worship music during those difficult days, but I also basked in the beauty of worship songs sung in church every Sunday morning. The sound of six… [ read more ]
Posts Tagged: focus
Choosing Our Perspective in Hard Places
Life being what it is, we occasionally face tough situations over which we have no control. Every time this happens, we get to choose the perspective we want to hold: we can either focus only on what we see and understand, or we can focus on what we cannot see or understand. The first… [ read more ]
3 Truths about Finding Joy
How do you define joy? My favorite definition is one by Kay Warren: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.” This… [ read more ]
How to Remain Hope-filled and Thankful
Numerous articles about giving thanks have appeared in my inbox this week. So have articles that speak to COVID fatigue and weariness, especially in light of increased restrictions. Illness, isolation, financial stress, increased domestic violence, and loss have taken a toll. We’re all wondering when this will end, and we’re all wishing it will end… [ read more ]
When You Feel Depleted
I’ll be honest—I’m feeling a tad depleted. A culmination of things have led me to this place, the most significant being my mother’s death and the necessary busyness during the eight weeks prior. But add to that the craziness of 2020, right? You know what I mean. The pandemic has ripped away normalcy… [ read more ]
Keeping our Focus Where it Belongs
We’re home! We totally enjoyed being involved in what God is doing in people’s lives in Romania and Poland, but it’s nice to return to the familiar. It’s also nice to return to our marina community and to get caught up with what’s been happening in our friends’ lives. Gene spent several hours… [ read more ]
3 Ways to Maintain Focus (and Avoid Taking Tumbles)
Last spring Gene and I spent two days traveling to Vancouver Island by boat. We moored at a marina in Sooke and then drove to our son’s place where we spent the weekend. The strangest thing happened at bedtime on our first night there: When I raised one leg to step into my… [ read more ]
My One Word for 2017
Several years ago I began the tradition of choosing one special word at the start of a new year. Actually, it’s not so much about me choosing the word—it’s the word I believe God gives me. One year the word was “joy.” Oh my—I learned a lot about counting difficult experiences as opportunities for… [ read more ]
Making Time to be Still in This Busy Season
In this crazy busy season we sing about silent nights when all is calm. The irony is that we feel anything but calm, and finding time to be still seems nigh to impossible. But it’s one of the most important things we can do for ourselves and ultimately for others. Last year someone gave me… [ read more ]
How Does Busyness Hinder Us From Living the Deeper Life?
My days are now consumed with writing content to teach at a missionary training center in the Middle East next month. The theme: Creating a deeper life. I spent Saturday focused on the topic of busyness and how it hinders our developing a deeper life. As I prepared my material, I found it pointing directly… [ read more ]
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