When Your Children Hurt
March 6, 2025 by Gina Stinson
Filed under Daily Devotions, Family
By Gina Stinson
My seven year old has extreme stage fright. She takes after her mother. Recently, after practicing for four months on a Christmas musical, purchasing the traditional formal attire for such an event, and spending some extra time getting ready, she almost didn’t make it up on stage. As the children filed in to step onto the stage, I noticed her usually light complexion was a rosy shade of pink. At first I thought, she is just a little flushed. Then I saw the look that accompanied the blush. She was frightened out of her mind. Tears were streaming down her face. She wanted her mommy. She was scared!
I tried to encourage her to go ahead and get on the stage with the other forty children. She reluctantly continued up the steps. When she got into place she was still sobbing and looked like a frightened kitten. For a couple of moments, I wanted to step in and rescue her, make it all better, let her step out of the program, but rational thinking got the best of me and I decided to wait a few minutes and see if she could regain composure. And then it happened.
Seasons And The Church
March 5, 2025 by Norma Vera
Filed under Christian Life, Family Focus
By Norma Vera
I read an article by Kelly Bailey about the beauty that comes from the death of fall. I considered her concept and realized seasons speak volumes of Christ and His Church.
Spring comes gently stretching from her yearly nap with yawns of daffodils, and buttercups. Her anointing grace causes everything to bloom. The smells of Jasmine, honeysuckle, and orange blossoms fill the air. Releasing a mist of puppy love she sings, “O taste and see that the Lord is good!” All nature joins the chores as a new generation is born. With roars of laughter, she dances in the rain celebrating Life. When
finished she tags the hand of summer and goes to sleep.
The Firsts
March 4, 2025 by Nancy Burall
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles
By Nancy Burall
“Just four weeks ago, Nancy.” My cousin Pattie wiped tears away. “He was just diagnosed with cancer four weeks ago. And now Bob’s gone.” We were seated at their dining table. “Tomorrow would have been his sixty-sixth birthday. Monday is my sixtieth birthday. I can’t believe his funeral is today.”
A few weeks later, Pattie shared her heartache in view of the “firsts” she would be facing in the remaining months of the year.
Their anniversary spent alone, one month after Bob’s passing; the pain of a vanished celebration of their love. “The nights are the worst.” She set down her coffee cup. “The empty place where he should be is almost too painful to endure.”
Gated Community
March 3, 2025 by Kathy Carlton Willis
Filed under Daily Devotions, Humorous
By Kathy Carlton Willis
Yesterday the gates went up. Temporary walls providing safety and barriers. This was not a great divide between two nations. We installed baby gates to block off the guest bedroom and the family room, two areas where our almost 10-year-old calico, Libby, hangs out. Why? Because our 3-month-old Boston Terrier has learned to permeate the smaller barriers we previously used. So, we brought out the big guns. These gates will also help us house-train Jazzy.
It has been interesting to watch the behavior of our two pets since the installation of the dividers. Libby acts more confident and seems to be rubbing it in the face of her housemate Jazzy. Now that Libby has secure areas she sits like a queen on her favorite pillow, taunting the puppy spying from the other side of the gate. Jazzy is making new habits and enjoys the times Libby comes to the great room for some interaction.
How To Avoid Becoming A Resoluter
March 2, 2025 by Don S. Otis
Filed under Christian Life, Health and Fitness
By Don Otis
We are wired to want to change those habits we know are bad for us. Perhaps it is in our DNA. We establish New Year’s resolutions and then become discouraged when we break a diet plan, miss workouts, or simply give up. A few months ago in this column, we talked about “bucket lists.” These are life goals. They are things we say we want to do but never seem to get around to doing them. Many of us do the same with our first-of-the-year resolutions.
It is a foolproof axiom that health clubs get busy in January but clear out by April. The pattern is hard to miss for those who workout all year. Special offers bring new people into a facility but the hard work or broken resolutions kick in and people give up. We used to call these people the “resoluters.” They start the New Year with all the best intentions. Don’t we all? Then, when the going gets tough, or boring, or the challenges of life prevail, they give up.
