By the Grace of God

Last week I wrote about living life daily and the difficulty that entails at times. I brought out the fact that Jesus said that loving God and loving others was essential to living a fulfilled life. As I tried to articulate my thoughts on ways to go about loving God and loving people, I read a devotional by John Piper from his book Life as a Vapor. I concluded that I could not say it any better and shouldn’t try. So the following is from John Piper.

A Life Well Lived

We all struggle from time to time with the numerous difficulties in living life on a daily basis. One day while driving I was listening to a program on the radio and they were discussing this very issue. One of the guests on the show commented that the hardest thing about life is that it’s daily. I thought, hmm… This is so true. How often do we have such a tough day that we seem to just barely make it and then realize we have to get up again tomorrow morning and do it all over again? Life has a way of beating up on us, wearing us down, and then….. and then we have to keep doing it.

Wonderful, Beautiful Conflict

What’s so good about conflict? Most people avoid conflict as much as they possibly can. Most people would rather be personally miserable than be in conflict with someone else. I remember years ago, my wife was angry at me (deservedly so) so I worked late just so I didn’t have to deal with the conflict when I got home. When I arrived home close to midnight, I saw the light was still on in our bedroom.

Trust Me For the Rain: Relying on God in Ordinary Circumstances

More than anything in this world, I wanted to be a Mommy. When you asked me what I wanted to be as a child, that was my answer. When I got married, we had our “life plan.” Five years into the marriage, we were going to start a family. My husband wanted that time to enjoy married life and to get financially stable. I was 24 when I got married, so I thought we had plenty of time.

It's Not About the Food!

Why can’t I lose weight? I have been on every diet known to man and can never seem to keep it off! If I were thinner I would be happier. Why can’t I just have willpower? Anyone who has ever battled weight has said or heard those things from friends and family. There is a biological component, as our bodies only need so much energy. Too much we gain weight, not enough leaves us with little energy.

Let It Go! Let It Go! Let It Go! A Guide to Managing Your Holiday Stress

As if we aren’t all busy enough, December rolls around and we try to add more activities to our already full calendar. Shopping for presents. Mailing cards. Baking cookies. Attending parties. Hanging decorations. Trimming the tree. Visiting Santa. Taking pictures. Getting together with family. Writing this article for my boss (just kidding!) And all of the little tasks that are included in each of these big ones. We sing about peace and joy, but allow the business of the holiday to rob both from our lives. And that baby in the manger? We forget about him entirely while trying to make Christmas happen.

Untangling Christmas

Was it fun to get the Christmas lights down from the attic this year? Any chance your merry preparations were slowed by the tedious project of undoing all those wires that magically get all tangled up somehow between January and the end of November?