Several attempts at committing to the gym have failed. I get a good schedule going and something comes up to break my stride. Usually sick kids, doctor visits, and the like. I have a terrible time at jumping back in the swing. Sooooooo......with the best intentions I got a Concept2 Row Machine . Why rowing? Well because it uses your whole body....all except for your feet. I have struggled with Plantar Fasciitis for over a year. No that's not the same as plantar warts! It has to do with the …

Well… this week I will take down the stockings, remove all the candy canes, lights and balls from our "throw-back" Christmas tree, and put away the various reminders of Old St. Nicholas and all his friends. The angels will be carefully laid in their storage boxes and my manger scene statue will be padded and packed. It's kind of sad to put away all the visual reminders of the birth of our Savior, but it will also be nice not to have to pick up foil icicles from various parts of the …

2012 is over and the world didn't end in December, so I'd say we are off to a fresh start! I heard a great pre-2013 sermon preached by Pastor Daniel (taken from the book, "The Best Question Ever" by Andy Stanley) that would serve many to use as a guide for not only this year, but for life. I titled my notes, "Don't Be Stupid." That pretty much sums it up, but I'll hit the highlights below if you're interested in reading them. "We don't plan to mess up our life. The problem is …

We've been working hard as time permits to finish this 2nd CD. So far 6 of the 10 songs slated for this album are all just about completed. Fine tuning the tracks is a tedious job and you can't imagine the hours it takes to get it done. It's exciting for me to watch the songs evolve into their own sound and how Kim Taulbee's creativity takes all sorts of twists and turns in the music. I am constantly amazed when he opens a file and I see dozens of layers of instrument parts and vocals and background vocals and he somehow gets them all to work together to make what you will get to eventually hear on the final cut. Unless you witness this process first hand, you can just never comprehend the complexity of it all.

Pray for us as we move forward that God would bless this project and that we will finish in His timing and not our own. God's timing is absolutely perfect, and He continues to show that truth to me over and over again.

Peace be with you!

While tucking my 7 yr old into bed this evening....she remembered leaving her dolls downstairs and asked me to run and fetch them. Knowing she would just "play in bed" for another hour on a school night, I told her she didn't need her dolls. I told her that her kitty was waiting for her to settle down. (Her cat actually was sitting in the middle of her bed staring at her patiently while she waited to curl up beside her and snuggle. This is a nightly routine.) She quickly replied to me with, "uh..uh.., she only loves my hand." This made me think......

I wonder if that's how God feels about me sometimes. Does He think I only love His hand? His hand is the one that reaches out to 'do' for me, to 'bless' me, to 'comfort' me, to 'heal' me, to 'help' me in my numerous times of need. There is so much more to God than that. Do I take the time to let Him know that I know that? Or do I spend my time asking for His hand?

Proverbs 31:11-12 (NIV) 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. Her husband trusts her completely and never regrets it. Why? Because she is never spiteful and treats him generously as her own life. “Love covers a multitude of sins.” What was God’s intention for woman before the fall? Genesis 1:26-31 (NIV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may …

On the way to church Sunday morning I heard Natalie Grant’s, I WILL NOT BE MOVED. I love this song! The lyrics remind me of my life and how I hold on to the promises in God’s word that tell me: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” “The plans that God has for me are for a future filled with hope” “I am called and equipped according to God’s plans for me” “I am a child of God and He will never leave or forsake me” …

Jesus bears us upon his shoulders and holds us in His heart as He stands before the Father presenting us as a holy offering, a pure a spotless bride, making our requests and prayers known so that God may hear and answer according to His perfect will. We are not spotless and do not deserve this special treatment, but we have a Savior who gives us a grace we will never understand out of His amazing, unselfish love, which we do not have the ability to give nor comprehend. God is perfected love, and yes, He is good!

“I’m sorry.” How many times have we heard these words? How many times have we heard them leave our own lips? I’ve even written a song with that title! Apologies fly through the air with great frequency, and often as an automated response to realizing that our actions have caused a negative reaction, sometimes resulting in uncomfortable consequences. How flippant we can be in a half-hearted attempt to restore our own comfort. Recently I had a refresher course in the proper …

Isn’t that what the rest of the world demands of you? Fit in, conform, update; just be part of what everyone else is doing. You may dare to be different at your own risk. Rejection, mockery, ridicule, exclusion, or just plain being ignored are some of the risks you will take. The fear of being on the receiving end of these things is the most basic fear of not being loved. We all want to be loved. Those around you don’t know how to react when things are not “status quo.” They have …