I’ve been wanting to write this blog for the past few weeks. And you would’ve thought that with more time on my hands due to the shelter in-place order, I’d be typing non-stop. Nope. Writer’s block? “What do I say?” I wondered. How do I encourage others in a way that doesn’t sound super-spiritual or trite?

So I woke up this Easter morning and asked God for help. Go figure. Why hadn’t I done that before? And then I felt His Presence confirm that today was the day to put fingers to the keyboard.

The day began in darkness and rain and I thought, “What a solemn Easter.” But as the morning progressed, the clouds quickly moved and revealed the brightest blue sky. I could feel my .........

Let's Face It - Marriage Can Be Difficult

Most of us have heard the common statistic that more than 50% of marriages end in divorce, but I don't think most of us know how long it really takes for the average couple to seek help when the relationship is not going well.

And, if you have been married for any length of time, you know that marriages have their peaks and valleys - especially after the couple starts a family and is dealing with the stresses of parenting and less time to spend with each other.

Did You Guess Correctly? 

If you took our quiz it asked:

"How long does the average couple wait before asking for help with marital problems?"

A. 7 MONTHS
B. 1 YEAR
C. 3 YEARS
D. 6 YEARS

The Gottman ......

Remember last month I shared how taking away an eleven year old’s smart phone could enhance her spiritual life? Well, today’s story is the sequel.

Jo continued to be in a talkative mood on the ride home from Caitlyn’s, and soon after her revelation about talking to God, she blurted out, “You know Mom, I think I understand why God tells us to praise Him all the time.”

I listened in disbelief and great joy. “Why does He say that, Jo?” I asked my budding theologian. “Well, Mom He wants us to realize that no matter how bad things get, they could always be worse. Take for example yesterday when Caitlyn’s head collided with my tooth (where does she get this vocabulary?). It really hurt. ............

Our eleven year old daughter, Jo got an Instagram account without our permission, and received the harshest consequence – her smart phone was taken away. As a result, she was “forced” to engage in “old fashioned” pastimes – reading, coloring, visiting friends, and thinking.

One of the most amazing blessings, however, came to light last week when I picked her up from a sleepover with her dear friend, Caitlyn. It was on the car ride home that Jo informed me that since losing her cell phone, she had been very lonely and had started talking to God more. Was I hearing her correctly? She continued to tell me how much she was enjoying her new “hobby” and realized that the more she talked to ............

My dear sweet friend, Roz Turner is a pastor’s wife at Calvary Chapel Villages in Central Florida. She loves Jesus with a deep passion and has a strong calling to minister to His people through counseling and writing. I am honored to share her post, “Early Morning Revelation” with you today.

 Early Morning Revelation

I overcome by Your power -- not by my ideas about power

Iam energized by Your strength-- not according to my concepts of strength

I stand by the faith of the Son of God -- not with my perceptions of faith

Iam sustained by hope in God -- not by my theories about hope

Iam preserved by Your Word -- not through my interpretation of Your Word

My mixer works by electricity, not .........

From September 2013 to October 2014, I woke up every weekday morning at 5:00 am to have devotions and powerwalk on my treadmill. I was very proud of myself and loved to brag about my daily discipline. Then in October 2014, I had minor surgery and was told by the doctor to “take it easy” for a few weeks. Well, weeks turned into months and months turned into a year. I tried unsuccessfully to resume my workout, but would last only a few days and then slump back into lethargy. The Bible says that pride goes before a fall, and fall I did…right off the exercise bandwagon!

As 2016 approached, I was often heard telling people, “I don’t exercise. I don’t believe in it.” (more bragging.) Even on New.........

Last month I shared the story of our Christmas vacation to New Orleans, and how our eleven year old daughter was paralyzed with fear because she believed we were going to be robbed and killed. What I didn’t hone in on was my own bad attitude. Well, here goes!

I whined and griped before, during and after the trip and even attempted to use manipulation to derail the plan all together. I did not defer to God’s will. I didn’t even seek it! I just let the flesh take over. And as Joanna’s panic soared, my example as a Godly woman plunged.

What could I have done differently?

First, I could have gone to God with my negative thinking BEFORE expressing it, and asked Him to replace my perspective with His. Secondly, I ...............

Two days before Christmas a few years ago, my husband and son decided that we were going to drive to New Orleans for vacation. Keep in mind, we have no family or friends there. It was going to be a road trip for the sake of sheer adventure. Let’s just say that the female folk in our family (my eleven year old daughter and I) are not adventurous, and the moment we heard about it, immediately started brainstorming alternate plans. There was no need to seek God’s will, I thought. It was just a bad idea.

Later in the evening as I was talking to a friend on the phone about our “dilemma,” she informed me that New Orleans was not the safest place to visit, and that it was filled with bars, vagrants, pickpockets and .....................

Last year I was going through a really difficult few months. One evening my husband and I were driving to the bookstore and he noticed I wasn't talking much (highly unusual behavior for me) and he asked,

"What's wrong?"

"I think God is trying to kill me." I answered seriously.

"Why must you always be so dramatic?" He asked.

"I'm not even kidding. He really is," I insisted. "I think He wants me dead."

"Okay?" my hubby replied, thinking that I had just launched off the deep end.

The Bible speaks a lot about death to our flesh – “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him…” (Romans 6:6); “Now if we have died with Christ, ...............