Louder Than the Voices

 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...

 Happy Saturday morning! I hope everyone is doing well this morning. I must report back that our vacation was great and honestly, I don't think any of us realized how badly we needed it. We got back to reality Saturday evening and I think I realized, maybe for the first time in my life, how much a reset can truly help. Of course, problems didn't just go away while we were gone, we just put them on hold for a week. I had just this week made some decisions about Mom's stuff, some decisions that would have went against what the experts were telling me to do. I had faith over fear on my mind. Then, other things happened and I realized God was showing me I needed to go back to my original plan, so I thought I would share what I worked through this week. My favorite Bible verse since I was 11 has been Isaiah 41:10 . Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea I will uphold thee on the right hand of my rig...

 What if rest isn't a reward for finishing everything? What if rest is an act of obedience? As we prepare for vacation, God has been reminding me that rest is not laziness—it's part of His design. Robert's boss requires him to take two weeks away from the shop each year because he knows burnout serves no one. I realized I wasn't much different. I had every day of our vacation planned and packed with activities. Then when our lives were turned upside down, we made a different choice. We stopped buying tickets to shows, purchased three comfortable zero-gravity chairs, and gathered some good books instead. We're intentionally making room to slow down, breathe, and allow God to renew our hearts, minds, and spirits. Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is simply rest in His presence. I started really studying rest and came up with some things to share. #1: Jesus invited people to rest     Mark 6:31     "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get so...

  "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:7 I am still working on thank you notes, so many people have done so many things for us in the last month, it has been overwhelming, and overwhelmingly comforting. There are seasons in life when the words "thank you" seem completely inadequate. How do you thank the friends who sat beside you when your heart was breaking? How do you thank the family members who showed up without being asked? How do you express gratitude to people who carried part of your burden when you were too exhausted to carry it yourself? The truth is, sometimes "thank you" isn't enough. But perhaps that's because what we're really grateful for is something bigger than the people themselves. We are grateful that God placed them in our lives in the first place. Every card, every hug, every meal, every text message, every prayer, every pers...

 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:7 The last two weeks have shown me this verse in a way I never fully understood before. Grief is heavy. It shows up in quiet moments, in songs, in empty chairs, in routines that suddenly feel different. But even in the sorrow, God has been so faithful to remind me that I am not carrying this alone. I have seen the hands and feet of Jesus through family and friends who have rallied around us. Through prayers, messages, hugs, food, phone calls, and simply people showing up when we needed them most. Sometimes comfort comes through words, and sometimes it comes through someone just sitting beside you reminding you that you are loved. And somehow, even in the sadness, God keeps giving me little moments that make me smile. A memory of Mom will suddenly pop into my mind. A phrase she used to say. A song she loved. A funny story someone shares at just the right t...

 Good morning! Happy Saturday! This has been quite a week for me, lots of ups and downs, lots of work to get done, both at the office and at home and reality, it really was just a normal week with different circumstances. Funny enough, the same as always. I had to do an evaluation on one of our staff this week and it led me to wonder about what God's evaluation of me would be. One of the first things we do in evaluation is show the employee the job description as that is what you are being evaluated on, so I got to thinking, "What would God's job description look like?" I was drawn to two passages, a verse in Micah and a passage in Matthew. I am one of those "whole Bible" people who believes that both Old and New Testaments are relevant to our lives. I believe God would not have given us the Old Testament if He wasn't planning on us learning from it. So, without further ado, here we go: Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the L...

 We made it to another Saturday! We have had a busy week but I am thankful today for a slower weekend.  I still have plenty to do, and I even brought work home because I am going to be gone quite a bit next week for other things so I want to stay caught up, but the fact that I slept in until 5 is just a sign of a laid back day. And it is raining, so no long walks today, I am really feeling a good stretch workout coming on today. I worked my legs really hard yesterday and I am feeling it today so that is probably perfect.  Today I want to talk about something none of us like--rejection. We have all been there in probably every area of our lives; relationships, work, our walk with the Lord. We have all had times that we thought we were doing exactly what God wanted, or we had prayed about something and we felt like God was leading us into the next chapter of our lives only to have it all fall through. We think we are not only talking the talk, but walking the walk and boom,...

 Well, this week has not been what I expected at all. I had decided last week after my little "I don't want to do this anymore" meltdown that I would take a week off. Truth is, it has been a miserable week and I don't feel like I was myself at all. I was tired and bloaty, and had sugar issues, and it was just, well, bad. I fell asleep almost every evening on the couch, couldn't sleep well of a night, I even fell asleep one day at lunch. And I seriously feel so fat and bloaty that I am surprised my clothes will go on at all. Everything down to my double chin feels heavier. This was a failed experiment right down to the fact that I woke up at 2 and couldn't sleep, fought it for an hour and finally got up. So, it is 3:19 and here I am. I am literally aching to go for a walk and when 5 AM comes, I plan to be out that door. As much as I hate how I am feeling, I am glad that I am really missing my life. So, I thought I would do a Bible Study on the reset.  This week...

 Happy Saturday before Easter! We have had a wonderful three night revival at our church in preparation for Easter. We have had great messages, 1 from a young man that has become family in the last few years and 2 from people I have known literally my whole life. Growing up, there were three boys that lived next door. Thankfully, I was a huge tomboy and normally, wherever they were, there I was too. We had such a good childhood and we spent as much time at each other's houses as we did at home. One of those "boys" preached last night. It is funny, you know how you see those memes of people all grown up, but what you still see is that kid? That's me but it is in a good way. Our dad's are both gone, mine has been for over 45 years, and Jon's just a few years, but I couldn't help but think about our "cloud of witnesses" last night that was looking down watching me leading singing, and Jon preaching. I could see our dad's saying, "our kids a...

 Good morning all! Hope you are having a good weekend. I am looking forward to this one, it is going to be busy, but should be good. Our local high school musical is on our schedule for tonight, but lots of things in between. Work has been hard this week but I believe I got many things accomplished. This has been one of those weeks though where I have spent time feeling like I don't fit in. I know that sounds funny when someone has been someplace for almost 26 years, but it happens and I have had some mind battles with it. So, I turned to God and asked what am I doing wrong? There were a couple things that He pointed out that I really was having a bad attitude about, so He redirected me. And there were a couple things that He truly told me, to just keep going. I want to share a few verses He led me to. Let's start out with 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. Highlight= God's special possession. Explain=...

 Good morning! Happy Saturday! It is already beautiful outside and I am excited to get to do a Family day today. We are St. Louis bound after while. I had some real heart to hearts with myself this week and realized I had let some backsliding come into my health life, so I decided to do a devotional on just that. Today, we are going to look at Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. Highlight = walk, stand and sit. Explain = this is a progression, it isn't about people, it is about patterns. When you walk, you start doing something, when you stand, you linger in it and when you sit, it becomes part of who you are. This is not sudden failure, it is slow drift and it is harder to notice. Apply = This week I realized that snacking had become a serious problem in my life. I was letting a couple snacks fit in my workday and here lately, it seems like I was nibbling stuff every evenin...

Happy Saturday! Today is "projects at our house" day. At the beginning of the year, I set a schedule in place to work at Mom's one Saturday, Robert's one Saturday, our house one Saturday and then have a fun day one Saturday. I am so excited about the work that is getting done! Before I go to bed tonight, the mess that my garage turned into over the winter months is going to be cleaned! Andrew and I added a bit to my stairwell project last night, I have two more pieces for it coming this week, Andrew needs to put the new light switch in, and then it will be the way I want it. I am loving what I have so far. So, this week was one of those weeks that something was heavily debated on facebook and it brought me back to the book of James. I know I have given a devotional like this before but I think outside of the gospel message itself, that you will have eternal life if you accept that Christ died for you and rose again, conquered death and went to Heaven to prepare a plac...

 Good morning! Hope you had a good week. I can honestly say mine hasn't been bad, and I have gotten a lot of work done but I have spent the week feeling very behind. We were in the process of moving my office last weekend and I have a thing about messes and working when there are boxes and stuff just sitting around me. I get distracted. So, I was already behind on my work but when the guys moved my desk on Monday, I had to spend the rest of the day getting my office unpacked and back together. I knew that was important to my productivity. I am getting ready to head to the office today and try to get a better foothold on things there. I almost broke my promise I made to myself to stop working on anything ERBA related on Sundays. I didn't and there were times this week, I regretted it but we made it and that is all that really matters.  I thought it would be fitting to do our Bible Study on Matthew 11:28-30. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you res...

 This week has been one of those life-changing weeks for me. This was my third year of going to DC and advocating for the program, and more importantly our customers, that I love. Every day, I thank the Lord that He lets me do this job. I thank Him even more that He led me to it and showed me what I was made for. When I was looking for a job, I answered a blind ad in our local paper. Actually, Andrew was the one who found the ad first. I wish I could remember it word for word but they were looking for an energetic, kind person for office work. Andrew thought it fit me to a tee. 2 weeks later I was working in the Olney outreach office as the Assistant Outreach Worker. 3 days in, a person came in and needed help but the way our pots were set up at the time, we couldn't help her unless she had already received help earlier in the year. When I asked why, I was told, "those are the rules", well, I realized right then that someone needed to change that and I started wanting to ...

 Happy Saturday again, man, the older I get, the faster these weeks go. Here we are again. This last week has been a crazy one and this next week is going to be too, two totally different things though. I am in the middle of trying to move to a different office so my normally very organized, clean office is barely walkable, then I spent Tuesday in a training, Wednesday presenting a training and Thursday playing catch-up and be ready to be out of the office for a week both. Yesterday was officially a day off to get organized for my trip, but I wound up working a lot of it anyway. So, today, we are off on our monthly family day but making it an early enough day to get home to finish packing. I ordered a new suit for my Capitol Hill meetings, it was supposed to be here Wednesday, then yesterday and it still isn't here. Anyway, just add a little stress in there. I also started officially training for a new 5K this week Getting started back to training reminded me that we are all in tra...