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Can Dreams Really Come True?
Back in the late 1960s, our East Texas school district made some interesting adjustments, or at least that’s how this third grader interpreted the situation. Instead of neighborhood elementary schools, the district divided the students up by grade instead of where they happened to live. Housing all of the third and fourth grade students in the former “black elementary school”, the transition from segregated to integrated schools happened without much fanfare. Because of the way my mother had raised me, I didn’t really think much of the change. What I didn’t realize is what was going on in that small town behind the scenes. A local eye doctor still had…
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Patsy Clairmont and Me
It was a dark and stormy night… No, it was a gloomy, rainy night… Ok, maybe just a dark night in a rental car driving on a winding road I’d never traveled before with another woman I had just met a few minutes ago. It was an adventure I had been looking forward to for several months. A trip to meet Patsy Clairmont at her home for a writing workshop. I’ve loved Patsy Clairmont since the early days when her speaking engagements were aired on Focus on the Family radio broadcasts. I’d read her books and seen her at many Women of Faith events. Recently, I had become one of…
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Our First Date
After letting everyone know that I married my first date, it occurred to me that folks may be interested in our first date. Fitting for me, even still, our date didn’t go exactly as I had planned. It was a Saturday, October 10, 1975, and I had just gotten off work at my grandmother’s dress shop. The rest of my family was out of town, due to return sometime that evening. When my grandmother dropped me off at home, I realized that my house key was missing. Oops! How was I to get ready for my very first date when I couldn’t get into my house? Fortunately, I brought home…
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I Married My First Date
It was a steamy August afternoon when I spotted the tall handsome senior drummer the first day of marching band practice. One of my giddy fellow freshman girlfriends pointed him out to me, since she had a crush on him. Of course, he had no idea any of us wide-eyed ninth graders existed as he strutted on the field a head above all the rest of the band. The summer sun had kissed him in the color of bronze, and his long locks of brown still celebrated a break from the school dress code. Wow, I thought, how could my friend ever think he would notice an awkward fourteen year…
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God of All Comfort
Who do you trust to keep your precious child? That was my dilemma upon finding out I was pregnant with our first baby after six years of marriage to my high school sweetheart. Everyone in the tiny, one-street-light town of Corrigan, Texas had one and only one suggestion: Shirley C. Talk around town was she and her husband had lost a daughter, Cindy, in a tragic accident, but they had forgiven the driver and decided to have another child, a girl they named Hope. Well-known for her calm and peaceful spirit, Shirley baby-sat one little girl, Lindsay, in her home, while Hope and her older brother, Paul, were at school…
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Worry Like A Raven
I get asked all the time about my tattoos. People want to know why I chose them or what the significance is to me. I wish I could say that every single line of ink on my body had some deep meaning…but they don’t! Sometimes flowers are just pretty and make me happy! However, there are certainly quite a few that do hold meaning. One of my most recent additions is a raven on my wrist. It rests between two pre-existing tattoos. Above is the first tattoo I ever got – the one that started it all – a very small, simple “J14:27” for one of my favorite verses; “Peace…
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Sinful Opportunities
I realized something today. I need to accept my biggest weakness. Accept that the sin that I keep turning to time and time again is something I will continue to struggle with. It’s a cycle really: I repent sincerely and am forgiven, then end up committing the same sin. I tear myself apart. I think this is partially because when I sincerely repent, I have every intention of leaving that struggle behind – cold turkey. The next time I give into that same temptation I feel like a quitter, a failure, or even a traitor. I need to accept – just as we all do – my struggle. If I…
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You Do You, (Christian) Boo
Whether we like it or not – titles usually come with preconceived notions. Lawyer? Argumentative. Homeless? Lazy. Rich? Selfish. Christian? Judgmental. Whether these assumptions are true or not – they do exist. Oftentimes as a Christian we may feel the need to explain ourselves as to not be clumped into the “self-righteous” category. How do you find that happy medium of being successfully in but not of the world? The answer is crystal clear in scripture: “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take…
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Fragile Hearts Beat Strong
“Jesus replied, ‘what is impossible with man is possible with God.’” Luke 18:27 You may assume this verse is solely referring to miracles but, in its context, it’s actually referring to matters of the heart. Things that seem difficult or even impossible are made possible with divine intervention. This includes loving the unlovable and forgiving the unforgivable. Society has a way of twisting the truth, don’t you agree? We are taught that being meek automatically makes you weak – and that weakness is something to be ashamed of. One definition of fragile is “delicate and vulnerable.” Delicate is defined as “very fine in structure: of intricate workmanship or quality”. An…
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9 Blessings to Pray Over Your Children
How often do you pray for your children? As parents, our kids are always at the forefront of our thoughts and actions. We are always loving and caring for them, nurturing, teaching, leading, motivating, encouraging, protecting, helping… The list goes on and on.. Countless hours are spent getting involved in their lives, assisting with schoolwork, supporting their dreams and aspirations. Money is spent on music lessons, sports gear, tutors and coaches that will help them grow and achieve their full potential. We do all this because we love them, because we want them to prosper. But we may get caught up in all the planning and forget that the most…
