Healthy Holidays & Beyond
With Thanksgiving and Black Friday safely behind us, we move forward now fully entrenched in the holiday season. Unfortunately, for many (most?) that means overwhelm from shopping, family pressures,...
View ArticlePhysically Healthy During the Holidays & Beyond
Our goal of Healthy Holidays and Beyond begins by addressing the physical aspect of the holiday season – the extra food, the neglect of exercise, and the realization that these choices can...
View ArticleSpiritually Healthy During the Holidays & Beyond
Focus Determines Reality In previous years when the holidays approached, my thoughts immediately went toward negative memories. The cat using the presents under the tree as a litter box. My parents...
View ArticleHealthy Relationships During the Holidays and Beyond
Relationships lie at the heart of holiday activity. For Christians, that first and foremost means an individual’s relationship with Christ. But we cannot escape the fact that Scripture also clearly...
View ArticleDefeating the Winter Blues
While debate exists over the cause and even the existence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), few doubt the impact of the dreary conditions of wintertime, especially those who live in areas with...
View ArticleSocialize Your Blues Away
Defeating the Winter Blues In the post “Defeating the Winter Blues,” tip #7 mentioned the importance of socializing for the purpose of helping defeat the winter blues. This post delves into that point...
View ArticleThe Cure for Loneliness
Many POWs tell stories about endless nights in dark, dank cells. They tell about discouragement over lack of compassionate human contact. Their stories reek of loneliness. Most of us might struggle...
View ArticleSome Days…
Some days, all my writing sounds terrible Everything I write makes no sense; in fact, it’s horrible. This isn’t writer’s block, I promise. I could write for hours. Just some days, the words only sound...
View ArticlePursuing Encouragement
Discouragement, like people, comes in all shapes and sizes. Regardless of the shape or the size or the person, discouragement stinks. Deflated. Struggle without progress. Stuck. Directionless. Yep,...
View ArticlePursuing Encouragement Through Scripture
During a season of discouragement, I can’t convince myself that it’s going to end. Current discouragement always seems permanent. When discouraged, Scripture often frustrates me. I understand little to...
View ArticleGifts to Give Someone Struggling With Depression
So, this post might be a little, well, depressing. But, with the Christmas holiday approaching, along with it comes the realization that the holidays seem to somehow amplify depression. How can this...
View ArticleGoing Backward So You Can Move Forward
Unfortunately, my history with backing up a vehicle is somewhat embarrassing. Here’s the rather humbling list: Backing into the school van during driver’s training while learning to parallel park...
View ArticleStruggle to Victory by Crushing Doubts
Note: I am participating in the writing contest “Writers Crushing Doubt,” hosted by Positive Writer.” This post is my entry for that contest. Overwhelmed. Overlooked. Taken for granted. Words that...
View ArticleStruggling for Simplicity
Do you long for simplicity? In the chaos and confusion of overwhelm and overload, do you instinctively know your life wasn’t meant to be this way? Our bodies crave simplicity. They long for whole foods...
View ArticleDiscover Encouragement and Overcome Discouragement
Discussing Discouragement Lack of progress. Politics. Stupidity. Illness. Aging. Unemployment. Failure. These things continuously discourage me. If I dwell on them too often and too deeply, I become...
View ArticleDepression During the Winter Months
The Pain of Change Depression used to be my standard operating system. It existed like an evil best friend I knew was bad for me but who also held together my destructive comfort zone. Strange how...
View ArticleHealthy Holidays & Beyond
For many people, the holidays mean overwhelm and overload. From shopping and family pressures to expectations of joy from self and others to eating too much and staying up too late, the holidays...
View ArticleReset. Focus. Prioritize. Encourage.
Reset When anyone’s cell phone seems to “glitch” as my oldest son calls it, my husband immediately says, “Did you turn it off and back on?” He knows that will reset the phone and usually result in a...
View ArticleDigesting God’s Word
Most of us read Scripture for our own specific purposes. We search for knowledge, inspiration, direction, comfort and wisdom. We have a problem, and we want guidance on how to handle it. Or, we’re...
View ArticleWorking Toward Balance
Escape? Don’t we all dream of escaping from life from time to time? A warm, tropical beach. A quiet house on the lake. Just a place where the noise of life stops, and we can hear ourselves think and...
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