Busy, Happy Woman LLC

I have been married a little over six years so it has not been too long since I was navigating the sometimes perilous waters of dating. One dating experience came to mind this morning, and it prompted me to launch a new blog feature "Pearls of Wisdom." From time to time I will share practical life experiences and observations that may be useful to those who read them. The Date I don't remember his name. What I do remember is that he was a well-respected teacher, outwardly financially stable, intelligent, and good looking. We had communicated for a bit and decided on a date. He enjoyed cooking and invited me to share one of his home-cooked meals. His home was neat and inviting. His home had a wood-burning fireplace and there was a cozy fire burning. Engaging and pleasant, he easily kept the conversation going. As I watched him cook, he explained that a bit of orange juice helped bring out the flavor of spinach (a tip I have continued to use).  I found myself wondering ...

Last week I wrote about how grateful I am for the mercy of God. When I look back at my life, there were so many opportunities where I could have made better choices. So much of the pain that I have experienced was because of decisions I made. Even after I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I kept making mistakes. I wanted to do better but kept repeating the same patterns. Tears and prayers, tears and prayers were a cycle that I knew needed to be broken. Here's the wonderful part: God saw and heard that I wanted to change. Through His guidance, I sought out a Christian counselor and that was the beginning of understanding why I was making certain choices, and that I had the power to get off the destructive "hamster wheel" that I had been on for so long. I discovered that I had been "programmed" to believe certain things about myself that were in direct conflict with how God sees me. The counselor pointed me to Scriptures (the Bible) that helped me see that "I am ...

Today is an absolutely beautiful Sunday. The sky is a clear spring blue, the sun is shining and a light breeze is making every breath fresh and exhilarating. It's the kind of day that makes me smile and reminds me of God's mercy and grace. Mercy, in the biblical sense, is God's divine decision to not give us what we deserve. To avoid sounding "preachy," I am going to make it personal. God did not give me what I deserved. For so many years I attended church, was active in the church, but was not really living a lifestyle that reflected God's standards for living. I was "picking and choosing" the parts of the Bible that fit what I wanted to do, and making excuses for my actions that were in contradiction with biblical teaching. I was also very good at seeing, and pointing out, the "speck" in someone else's eye while ignoring the "beam" that was in mine (Matthew 7: 3).  God showed me mercy. He did not "throw me away" ...

Faith (belief in God and His power to transform) is the foundation upon which every Believer stands. I once heard someone say "Faith is what makes 'hope' real," and that simple statement resonated with me. Mark 10: 46-52 tells of a man that had faith, and his faith kept him focused when the people around him tried to silence his cries for help. Jesus was leaving Jericho and a large number of people were following him. A blind man was sitting by the highway begging (in those days, the blind who had no one to care for them had to depend on the kindness of others to survive). The blind man heard that Jesus of Nazareth was in the crowd. This news immediately changed his focus. His calls for alms (donations) ceased. He began to yell out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me."  For some reason, the people who could have helped the blind man get to Jesus, decided that the blind man had no right to draw attention to himself. The Bible says "and many charged hi...

God looks favorably on the humble. Pride, on the other hand, is something that God warns people to avoid. Proverbs 16:19 says "Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." Proverbs 29:23 takes it further; "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit." King Hezekiah is an example of how humility can be replaced by pride, and the staggering consequences that unchecked pride can bring.   In 2 Kings 19:14-20, king Hezekiah's heart is humble. He understands that God is the One who can intervene on his behalf. A strong enemy has sent the king a very threatening letter that demanded the king surrender and pronounced doom if the king resisted. Instead of mobilizing soldiers or turning himself and the people over to the enemy, the king went to the temple, spread the letter out before God, and prayed. Because the king placed his confidence in God, God spoke to the prophet and the pr...

Amazingly enough we are almost at the end of the month of February. I don't know about you but it seems as if time is moving very quickly. It seems like "yesterday" that we were wishing each other a "Happy New Year!" I also don't know what the beginning of this year has brought your way but I do know about supply shortages, rising prices, continued political controversies, violence in the news, and many other things that are not in line with producing a "happy" year. Circumstances can have a powerful impact on our well-being.  However, there is something that can help us maintain our focus and spread happiness even through the tough times: our attitude. "Attitude" is "a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior (Dictionary.com)." In my January 1st blog, I shared a way of thinking   that can positively affect our personal well-being (Philippians 4: 4...

Recently, one of our church members was involved in a fatal car accident and I was asked to give the eulogy. I dearly loved this woman of God and was honored to speak at her "Celebration of Life." The title of the eulogy was "The Question Is." I put forward and answered questions that I knew were in the mind of several of the attendees: "Why did this happen?" and "Where was Jesus?" were two of the questions.  At the end of the eulogy, I asked everyone a question: "Are you ready?" I explained that the question "Are you ready?" is the most important question all of us have to answer... 1  Corinthians 15: 52 says that a day is coming when God will cause a heavenly trumpet to blow that will be heard around the world. When that trumpet sounds, faster than we can blink, those who died in Christ will be raised up and given a new body. And those of us who are still here, and living for Christ will also be changed and meet the Lord Jes...