Louder Than the Voices

 Learning to Rest Before We Run Empty Happy Saturday! It has been a big, scary week for me! I started a new adventure, pitched an idea to our tourism council that means a new project and hosted a meeting yesterday that one of funders experience. I am really, really glad for a change of pace this weekend and I am taking full advantage. IT led me to this next topic and another series so we can break it down. Today we’re starting a new four-part series called Self-Care Isn’t Selfish . Over the next four weeks, we’re going to look at what self-care really means and why it matters, then dig a little deeper into caring for the three parts of ourselves that God has entrusted to us—our bodies, our minds, and our spirits . For a long time, I think I misunderstood self-care. I thought taking care of myself was something I could get to after everything else was done—after the work was finished, after everyone else was taken care of, after the house was handled, the responsibilities were met,...

 Good morning! As we've walked through this series together, I hope one thing has become clear. The goal of a Money Diet isn't simply to get out of debt. It isn't just to have a healthy savings account. It isn't about becoming wealthy. The goal is freedom. Freedom from worrying every time another bill comes in the mail. Freedom from wondering how you're going to make it until payday. Freedom to enjoy the blessings God has given you without guilt or regret. But there is another kind of freedom that I believe is even more important. The freedom to be generous. God actually began teaching me this lesson years ago while I was sitting at a Women of Faith conference listening to Luci Swindoll. She shared how she had struggled with worrying about money and wrestled with God over tithing. She couldn't understand how He expected her to give when there never seemed to be enough. But as she trusted Him, she discovered something that completely changed her perspective. She...

 Good morning everyone! Happy Saturday! I am excited about today because I get to go see my cousin Anissa. We had lunch a few weeks ago and I am thrilled for the reason we are getting together today.  While we were visiting, she had mentioned that one of the regrets she had was saying no when her mom asked her if she wanted her grandmother's rain lamp. You remember the rain lamps? It was normally a bronze hanging lamp that had a statue in the middle and what looked like rain running down little lines around it? Well, she made that statement and then said, I don't know what happened to it. I was able to say immediately, "it is sitting in my attic, and it is yours if you want it." She said no, but on our way home, she texted me and said if I meant it she wanted it. It does need a new motor, and that and the fact that I just didn't have a good place for it anymore had sent it to my attic. I am so excited that it is going to be used again and I am so excited that I wa...

Happy Saturday! Hope you are all having a wonderful start to your weekend. This week, we continue our Money Diet series. I called this one counting the cost and I have been doing a lot of this recently. There are a lot of things going on in our lives money-wise. Things are popping up with Mom's estate that we weren't expecting, Before Mom died, we had planned on doing some upgrades to our house, which has taken weird turns several times now and I am trying to save for a vacation next year that will be a stress free as the one this year was. So, onward... We got home from Branson on a Saturday evening. We had already discussed that we wanted to do this again next summer so, I wanted to figure out a budget that would pay for another nice trip. We had an advantage because this time we have a year to save and last time, we only had about 6 months. Our vacation wasn't free, We saved for it, Robert contributed his share, just like we had planned months earlier. We did spend a lit...

 Good morning! A few weeks ago, we did something that was pretty special for our family. For the first time since Robert became an adult, we took a family vacation together. When he accepted his new job, he told me, "In six months, I get a week of vacation, and I want us to go to Branson." My response wasn't, "We'll figure it out when the time comes." It was, "Then we need to start saving now." Because he was making a good income, I told him that if we were all going to enjoy the trip, he needed to contribute one-third of the cost. So together we sat down and created a budget and a savings plan. It fit right alongside my own budget and savings goals. By the time vacation arrived, we knew exactly how much money we had available. We enjoyed ourselves, saw the shows we wanted to see, ate good food, and made wonderful memories. Did we go a little over budget? Yes. But here's the difference--we weren't putting those memories on credit cards that...

 Good morning, Happy Independence Day and Happy 250th America! Today America celebrates 250 years of independence, it is  a day that reminds us of the courage, sacrifice, and determination of those who fought for freedom. As Christians, we can celebrate our country and be thankful for the liberties we enjoy. We should pray for our nation, honor those who have served, and be grateful that we live in a place where we can openly worship God. But Independence Day also invites us to ask a deeper question: What does freedom really mean? The Bible teaches that while political freedom is valuable, there is another kind of freedom that every person needs. Freedom From Sin Before Christ, we weren't truly free, we were slaves to sin. John 8:34 says, "Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin." He broke our chains, He paid our debt, He opened the prison door. Freedom to Live Differently Christian freedom isn't permission to do whatever we want. It is the ability to become wh...