Blog

The grasshopper came off the oriental grass that blows against my screened-in porch. Off and on for hours that day, I admired the grasshopper's underbelly as he sat attached to the screen. If I had known then what I know now, I would have flicked him off the minute I...

We had a pretty well-behaved and happy young family at the time, but it seemed as if lying, laziness, arguing, selfishness, and every other bad character quality had taken over in our house. Some kids were arguing while others were throwing things in the house. It was...

Grocery store trips were always a challenge back then. On this particular day, the worst part was crossing traffic between the store and the parking lot. Along with my cart full of groceries and three other children five and under, I maneuvered the cart with one hand...

One day at the doctor’s office, our much-respected pediatrician said to me that our children were really good kids.  I think I just didn’t know what to say and responded with, “We like them!” He said that was probably the secret: liking our kids. Most of us have...

The home can be a beautiful place where the parents are loving and responsible, and the children are happy and thriving. The parents and children respect each other, and everyone works together and helps each other out. The overall atmosphere is light and cheerful....

For too long in my life I put aside praising God out loud, offering spiritual lessons as they came to mind, and putting my faith into words for others to hear.  These things were never gone from who I am, but inadvertently placed on the back burner. My husband is a...

We can have an excellent mission and a well thought-out strategy, but if we don’t execute that strategy, we are no further ahead. The execution, the actual carrying out, of your mission can be a grind.  I remember mine often was. My plan was neat and tidy, but there...

If you have taken the time to create a mission statement, congratulations!  Knowing where you’re headed is half the battle! Now it’s time to strategize. I feel like I should use the analogy of a target with bows and arrows and quivers and things, but since I have...

The day I brought our children home from school to homeschool them was not the day we decided on a mission or planned a strategy!  Beyond the, “I know I should homeschool our children,” and now starting to teach them to read, I did not know what I was doing! The...

Thirty years ago I found myself on my knees beside my side of the bed pleading for God’s direction. I had no idea how soon he would lead our family into a new 30-year journey. Our children were ages 5, 4, 1-½, and newborn.  My husband had just taken a traveling job...