When this book was first published, I heard it was great, but wasn’t in a good place to read it because I had a five-year-old little girl at the time. As soon as I realized what could happen, I put down the book and finally picked it back up when she was ten. Paul Young has written and incredible story and though it was initially self-published it for his family. Mainstream media caught wind of it and, well, you know {Read More}
Thought #6: Forgiveness is necessary for a life of freedom
6 January, 2013 by 1 Comment
Forgiving someone who has done you wrong is very difficult for some people. Our human instinct tells us to hold a grudge against people who have hurt us. But we are all sinners, and we have all hurt someone in one-way or another. What if no one ever forgave? The world is bad enough as it is, but what if we held a grudge against every single person who’d wronged us; and what if everyone who we’ve ever hurt held {Read More}
Thought #3: Stuff is just stuff
3 January, 2013 by 2 Comments
This lesson has been a hard lesson for me to learn. We moved into a new house in April of 2007. A big, clean, empty house. Our forever house. To fill with children and grandchildren…and of course the Vaughan Zoo. So how is it that a mere five years later you’d think we’d lived in this house through at least three generations? But the closets and drawers are full, and my hubby’s business is storage warehouses, so naturally we have {Read More}
The Great Depression, the Road to Freedom
4 July, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’ve often said that anyone who has not experienced true depression cannot really understand it. About four years ago, while still in the midst of my depression, someone recommended The Shack by William P. Young. As soon as I realized the youngest daughter in the story disappears, I put down the book. Marlee was five at the time and it was more than I could bear to read. But since God lifted my depression, I picked it back up and {Read More}
Make-a-change Monday~Freedom to Fly
18 June, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’ve written a few blog posts recently about freedom. With Memorial Day just behind us and July 4th ahead, we see much in the news about the freedom of our country. I’m thankful every day for the soldiers who fight for our country’s freedom. But for each of us personally, what good is the freedom of our country if we aren’t free within ourselves? Freedom is a big word. Personal freedom is like a hot air balloon. There are so {Read More}
Freedom
7 June, 2012 by Leave a Comment
What does the word “freedom” mean to you? You’ve just been released from prison? You are finally out of that abusive relationship you’d been in? You are free from the bonds of an addiction? You’ve finally paid off those student loans from school? You finally got out of your three year old daughter’s room that she locked you in with the lock you put on {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~What are you afraid of?
2 June, 2012 by Leave a Comment
There really is an app for everything. My kids were playing with my phone the other day asking me things like, “Do you know what Astrophobia is? Or what about Didaskaleinophobia? Katasaridaphobia?” They found an app that listed all known phobias. A smorgasbord of all of the crazy—and not so crazy—things people are afraid of. Did you know there are over 500 identified and named phobias? Here’s a small sample: Astrophobia– Fear of stars or celestial space. Katsaridaphobia– Fear of cockroaches {Read More}
Does our sin separate us from God?
30 August, 2011 by 1 Comment
Two years ago, I attended a “Women of Faith” conference, and was very intrigued by one of the speakers. Her name is Ashley Smith. A few years ago in Atlanta, she was instantly place in the spotlight as she was abducted and held hostage by Brian Nichols, a convicted killer. Her book, “Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero,” was an amazing account of every thought and action that took place during the seven hours she was {Read More}
