• Beach Lessons,  Spiritual Growth,  Struggle and Loss,  Test,  Trial

    Sun and Clouds Together

    I love all beach sunrises, even gray days, because…well, we’re at the beach. But my absolute favorite is a combination of sunshine AND clouds.There’s just nothing quite like the beauty of seeing the colors as sunshine peeks through the clouds. Only a creator God can design this kind of beauty.  As I watched these views, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the beauty that comes through the sunny joy filled days AND the gray seasons of life as well.  Romans 5:3-5 reminds us that … we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope…

  • Blessings,  Trial

    A Breath of Fresh Air

    For summer gals like me, winter is long and oh so cold, and my skin oh so dry! So, when I get a day here and there during winter months with sunshine and warmer weather, the kind where I get to go sit (often with #MoDawg) on our deck and look for animals in the woods, I’m there! It reminds me that spring will come, even if not yet! It gives me a moment to just catch my breath, feel the warmth on my face, and breath deeply.  At times, I need this reminder of spring. Kind of like in the middle of a long season of strife or just…

  • Beach Lessons,  Blessings,  Lessons,  Spiritual Growth,  Test,  Trial

    His Love Rushes In: Fall Beach Lesson 2021

    Can you handle just (maybe) one more beach lesson from our trip in September? If not, just shut this post down! So, the last couple of days we were at the beach, it was misty some days, and socked in at times with clouds. But we decided even without perfect beach weather, we really enjoyed just being by the water, hearing the waves, and reading. So we got on the beach for at least for part of those days. I interrupted my reading at times just to watch the waves continue to hit the shore time after time after time. I’ve shared previously about the constant wave action reminding me…

  • Lessons,  Pandemic,  Spiritual Growth,  Test,  Trial,  What I'm Reading

    Behind the Clouds

    Years ago I was captivated by how God got my attention one morning as I drove to work in downtown Nashville. Reading Adore by Sara Hagerty I was brought back to that morning as she shared her own cloud story that led her to “adore”. No doubt I’ve written about this experience somewhere in the past, but I couldn’t help but relive, and write about, that morning again after Sara’s reminder! It was such a tough season for many reasons: my mom’s declining mental abilities, heavy work and travel load, family crises all piled up. This was also the week of our annual LifeWay Women’s Leadership Forum, our largest training…