Study with Friends Blog

I’m a first-class worrier! Ask me how I’m doing, and I can prattle off a long list of problems I’m facing, challenges I’m tackling, how busy I am, how tired I am, how overwhelmed I am… Poor me, poor me. I was having one of my ‘I can’t cope with this; the world is falling apart; how will I survive?’ moments, when a very wise and loving friend offered to pray for me.

One of my greatest joys in life is to be able to use the gift of writing to share lessons from God’s Word. I love to spend time hearing what it is God is saying in His Word & writing to relay to you, the reader, what His message is in this particular moment.  Isn’t it telling of the God we serve, to position men and women who’ve been so gifted to be used to share knowledge we need to be victorious and free?

I am currently parenting my youngest child through the middle school years, which I think we can agree are maybe not the most fun. There’s a lot of emotions and hormones running the brains of middle schoolers, as they start seeking more independence and making dubious friend choices. There’s a lot of teeth-gritting on my part as I remind myself that my other two kids survived these years, and that we will muddle through somehow.

There comes a time in every Christian parent’s journey of raising children, where we have a revelation. A loud voice booms suddenly inside our heads, shaking us to our very souls: “What if I’m not good enough for my kids?” Or more specifically, “What if my parenting isn’t good enough to save them?”

As we turn the corner on 2019 and begin another new year, I find myself in a sober mood. It’s early on New Year’s Eve as I write, and fitting to reflect on the previous 12 months. The holidays have always been a time of happy reunions and celebrations for my crew and 2019 was no different. But for many it’s a profoundly difficult time.

Why are we instructed to seek our bread daily, one day at a time? One reason, I believe, is to teach us to live in the day. When we train ourselves to look only for enough “bread” for the current day, it helps us focus on God’s provision for the day and to trust Him for that provision one day at a time.

I like roller coasters.  I like the thrill and the adventure, and since I am usually riding with one of my kids, just the whole experience of an amusement park day is something we really enjoy.  We look at each other just before the ride starts and say ‘this is going to be awesome.’ We […]

I like to think of myself as a Yes-girl. I’m flexible, willing to go with the flow, and small change doesn’t throw me for a loop. I can often say yes to last minute plans and go along for the ride. (Don’t get me wrong–as a mom of twins I now also thrive off of a routine and a schedule!) But I like to be the fun-loving gal who’s down for anything.

In my younger days, I took lessons in English horseback riding.  I will forever remember one of my instructor’s frequent sayings:  When on horseback, when the horse is doing everything right, “the hardest thing for the rider to do is NOTHING.” 

The amazing thing about walking on the beach is that fact that you leave your mark clearly behind. You can’t walk without leaving footprints. I tried. No matter how gently or carefully I tread, there was evidence of my presence to anyone who walked behind. The beach was covered in footprints – children jumping and skipping, adults with serious fitness goals, birds, dogs, and wanderers like myself.