Focus on Eternity

          As Christmas season approaches precious memories flood into my mind of friends and family that I no longer have the privilege to spend time with.   Every Christmas morning my grandparents from my father's side would wake early.  They would change from their night clothing and sit in the dark in anticipation of a phone call.  Sitting in the dark was a frugal attempt to save money.  Surely the sun would rise and daylight would not cost them a penny.  The phone call they would receive was as sure as the sunrise.  Our father's voice would welcome them to drive across town and join us for our Christmas celebration.       My brother, two years older, and I would find the extra-early morning inviting, unlike most days of the week when rising from our warm beds proved more challenging.  I'm sure Christmas morning holds fond memories for those who found little treasures awaiting them in bulging stockings hung by the fireplace, like us.  The tidy-wrapped packages

           When I was a child, I used to hate the word discipline.  Thinking back on it, I have many more memories of the physical and emotional pain that I experienced than an understanding of the truth behind the correction.  Harsh words spoken to a child can never be unheard; some words leave emotional scars so deep that they may never heal, even after the physical signs of correction have disappeared.  Lies are often disguised as truth when words are spoken in anger.  Those lies may cause us to believe things about ourselves that are harmful.  This article is not focused on bringing up unpleasant memories for the sake of making someone right and another wrong.  The intent behind this is to help us gain a better understanding of the word discipline and how God uses it to move us closer to His character.            When God uses the word "discipline", He is focused on refining us.  It is a process through which He is removing impurities and unwanted elements from ou

         This morning I started a conversation with my family around the breakfast table. Can anyone tell me what the word confidence means? I received blanks stares for nearly a minute while they contemplated my question. It wasn't so much that they couldn't answer the question, everyone at the table is well versed in the English language.  I think their silence had more to do with contemplating the motivation behind my question.  You could almost hear the cadence to the theme song for Jeopardy playing in the background.  Listen, can you hear it?       Who will break the silence?  Obviously me with my next question, "Can you use it in a sentence?"   My eldest daughter’s eyes brightened as my younger daughter continued to stare at her waffle.  She said, "I have confidence that I will do well on my math test this week."   Well, that news was pleasing, but I asked again, "Okay, so that's good, now what does confidence mean? As she further pondere

   The Gift:   A friend gave me the most amazing gift for my birthday.  For the past several years we've grown close through a small group setting that allows us to hold each other accountable.  You know you've met a unique individual when you notice how they strive to build an authentic personal relationship with the Lord.  Our conversations always gravitate to truly meaningful discussions.  There is no greater joy than witnessing the spiritual growth in another individual.      The gift she gave, a Prayer Bowl, was perfectly crafted for me. The purpose of this bowl is to provide a visible reminder for yourself on who or what to pray.  You insert a simple card into the bowl reminding you of the prayer request.  I've set this beautiful porcelain bowl as the centerpiece on my kitchen table.  Not only will this be a simple reminder for me, but it will be an excellent way for my family to participate with me on specific prayer request when taking their turn at mealtime

Departure from Faith      Recently I discovered an alarming statistic uncovered by the Barna Group, who describe themselves as a visionary research and resource company focused on the intersection of faith and culture. [https://www.barna.com/about/] They share that nearly sixty percent of young adults raised in the church decide somewhere between late teens and late twenties to leave the church.  I came across this statistic while trying to understand the influences that are affecting our younger generation.  If you are like me, you may have a friend whose child or grandchild has decided to move away from the Christian faith.  When I receive prayer requests from a concerned relative or friend, I often hear that conversations become challenging, making it difficult for the faith-following relative to remain involved.  Or maybe you've noticed that many of the families in your neighborhood or community no longer make it a priority to attend church.  It may also become appare