At the end of his letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul gives these instructions: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18 ESV). To me, these are some of the most challenging words in the Bible. See,…
I love the holiday season. I love the traditions, food, festivities, presents, and intentional bonding time with friends and family. But while these things often bring joy, they can also lead to added stress. Increased family time is not always for the faint of heart. This time of year, it seems the concept of family…
Thanksgiving break, a three-day reprieve from classes and practices (unless there is a game Saturday) used to be filled with packing and cleaning and traveling and extended family. But the year I spent throwing up in the middle of the night from exhaustion put an end to our Thanksgiving travels. It was a hard decision,…
November is a time for pumpkin pie, turkey, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, kiddos dressed up as pilgrims and Indians, and family get-togethers galore. Or, as I call it, stress. Pure whack-my head-against-a wall-throw-myself-on-the floor-and-assume-a-fetal-position stress. Yes—where most people are thrilled beyond words to begin the holiday season, I am going to be flat-out honest: there…
I know almost everyone blogs about being thankful in November. I am not here to say it’s a bad idea, nor would I ever fault someone for it. In fact, I try to practice gratitude on a daily basis. But to blog about it in November just wasn’t my cup of tea. That is, until…
Raise your hand if you ever find yourself trying to “make everyone happy.” Yeah, I thought so. Me too. And while this tendency can, I am sure, strike men, anecdotally it seems more prevalent among women. It also might be probable possible that mothers tend to pass this curse inclination on to their daughters. I’m…