• riccardo mion swIiaSf5qhc unsplash
    General,  Spiritual Growth,  Test,  Trial

    7 Things to Do When Facing Times of Discontentment

    OK, I hadn’t planned on any more posts on this topic, but you know how it is…God seems to always test me on what I’m teaching and claim to believe. Shouldn’t come as a surprise. That’s what happened right after I spoke on this topic at a church and after I completed this series. If you missed it you can read that series here: part 1, part 2, part 3 and Part 4. The day after I spoke on this topic, I can’t even remember why, but I experienced  discontentment. My thoughts were…”what’s up with this?” and I felt as though God said, “Where is YOUR contentment?” It was a moment to prove what I…

  • StockSnap CPH555TGJ0
    Blessings,  Generations,  Lessons,  Unity,  What I'm Reading

    Retired Together…3 Issues and 7 Tips

    Some of you may know I retired in 2017 after 22+ years at LifeWay, serving as the women’s ministry specialist.  It was such a surprise and an honor to get to do this ministry. I loved my work and am so grateful for all God taught me. But, my husband and I knew that this was the year to retire. I turned 65 the September prior and God made it clear this was the time. God affirmed this in so many ways the last year I was there and my retirement was such a sweet time of celebration. I wasn’t retiring from ministry, just from serving in the capacity I…

  • jessica mangano dQIiBMcm5xM unsplash
    Beach Lessons,  General,  Lessons

    Finally, Retreat Time! 8 Tips for Retreating Often

    Yes, don’t you wish you were saying “retreat time” right now and heading out for a weekend at your favorite place…alone or with a few people? Me too! I’m so grateful for those week long stays at my favorite place, the Gulf Coast beach. Last year my husband and I began a new tradition: a month at the beach! Sometimes I have to schedule it around speaking engagements, or as I will do this year, fly from Perdido Key (via Pensacola) to the East coast, Miami! But that extended time of rest and reflection is something I truly look forward to. When I was in full time vocational ministry, that…

  • clint mckoy KZbngViE3v8 unsplash
    General,  Leadership Lessons,  Lessons,  What I'm Reading

    The Next Step

    Are you in a place of struggle today that seems useless and wondering what the next step is? Are you just biding your time, waiting for the next big thing to happen? Are you always looking into the future and forgetting that the sovereign Lord is in charge of your right now as well as your future? I am LOVING Priscilla Shirer’s Bible study, Discerning the Voice of God. Although I did the first version of this study many years ago (and it’s always been one of my favs), this is a subject I need to study again and again. If you’ve never done this study, I HIGHLY recommend it! If you’ve…

  • andrea tummons NLh54uTbftQ unsplash
    Leadership Lessons,  Lessons

    Accountable…Me?

    All of us have been disappointed by someone.  A parent. A pastor. An employer. A friend. I’ve also disappointed me! And I bet you disappointed yourself as well. It’s hard to watch the news without seeing another well known person fall. It could be us. So, let me ask you…who holds you accountable? Romans 14:12 (“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God”) reminds us that ultimately it’s God we are accountable to. But aren’t you grateful that God allows humans in the body of Christ to walk beside us on this earth? Those who love us, but aren’t impressed by us. Those who will…

  • ben white vtCBruWoNqo unsplash
    Blessings,  General,  What I'm Reading

    Prayer…a Different Perspective

    If you are like me, you have read many books on prayer. Authors like T.W. Hunt, Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Henry Blackaby, Jim Cymbala and so many others have had powerful books published for our spiritual growth. You have probably done Bible studies on the topic of prayer. And if you have been a Christian for a while, you’ve prayed quite a bit. Although Jesus gives His disciples a pattern for prayer in the Gospels (Matthew 6:9-13 & Luke 11:2-4), there is no one way to pray. At different seasons in life and with different needs, we pray as our heart leads us.  But one thing is true, we pray differently…