3 Reasons Why I’m Giving Up Blogging …

…on Thanksgiving Day.

So, truth is, I’m not giving up blogging, not totally. I just won’t be posting next week. This was such a fun blog last year, I decided to repost for those of you who may have forgotten my holiday and turkey sentiments, and for the benefit of my new readers.

As you know, I post an article every Thursday by Girl Friday. But I won’t be posting next Thursday. It’s a holiday.

Here’s a countdown of the 3 reasons why.

Reason #3

I love Turkey. It’s true. I do. Have you ever answered this question with friends, “If you could choose a last meal, what would it be?” Our Thanksgiving feast each year is one of my favorite meals. In fact, it’s first choice for my last meal. Second on the list is pasta. The peak of comfort food.

Envision this mouth-watering spread: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, broccoli casserole, mac & cheese, corn, sweet potato casserole, cranberry salad, and home-made yeast rolls. Don’t forget the pumpkin pie, my Grandmother Clarkston’s lemon pie, and banana pudding! Smack your lips together and dream—there’s no meal like this one.

Along with my mom and sisters, I’ll start early in the week planning. Cooking. Making preparations.

Read More…

God Doesn’t Fit in Our Proverbial Good Box

Who determines good and bad? In people? In actions? What goes in each proverbial box?

The Good Box

Goodness is widely defined as the state or quality of being good. In relation to humans, it involves right behavior and avoiding evil.* And if we dig further, the noun for good has two meanings:

“That which is morally right; righteousness.”

“Benefit or advantage to someone or something.”**

But who decides what’s morally right? So how do we determine what’s beneficial? We loosely use the terms with multiple interpretations.

And while all people everywhere don’t always agree on the specifics, common threads exist.

Throughout childhood, experiences and people colored my viewpoint.

Karen, I’m disappointed in you…bad girl.

You’re being such a good girl.

Good behavior brought rewards, but bad behavior caused imminent punishment.

Read More…

He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not

“He loves me, he loves me not.” I plucked the white daisy petals, deciding the outcome of my childhood crush.

Daisy Petal Hope

Years later during a Sunday church service, daisies on my dress stirred those memories as I waited for my pastor-husband Mike to call me to the platform. He’d asked me to share the long journey of praying for my father to come to Christ. First we watched the Billy Graham video Hope for America—a Message of the Cross.

While I waited for my cue, the white-and-yellow daisies on a background of black seemed to blossom on my dress. The Lord put an image in my heart of plucking flower petals, representing a young girl’s hope for love. The image conveyed a message.

As a young girl, I longed for love—especially from a father. But my father left for several years. Starting in childhood we form beliefs about love. Beliefs about God often shape what we think about love.

There may be unbelief in God’s existence. Or we may believe there’s a God but form wrong thoughts about His character in these three ways.

God is...

Read More…