Is Bad Ever Good?
June 12, 2010
Job loss, financial crisis, rebellious children, disappointments, rejection, unexpected illness–the list goes on. The list that is, we call bad. Is bad ever good? Can anything good come from a bad situation? That depends. Read more
When Can Silence Hurt?
January 25, 2010
Most of us have heard that silence is golden. But sometimes silence can hurt.
We held one of those infamous garage sales at our home recently–the kind where you clean out closets, drag out forgotten things from under beds, and purge the garage of stacked “stuff” that won’t fit into your house. It’s always fun to meet interesting people who stop by to view your wares. Occasionally, they’ll stay long enough to share personal stories.
This sale was no exception. An attractive boomer-age woman who came by told us of an experience that happened to her mother years earlier. This is my paraphrase of her story:
Her mom had just moved to a large metropolitan area and was hoping to meet and make friends in her new home. She joined several organizations, including a local church. But no one would befriend her. No one even spoke to her.
Is it my deodorant? My clothes? The way I talk? A hundred questions raced through her mind, but she found no answers. Women seemed to avoid her as if she had a contagious disease. No one spoke to her or invited her to their home. Read more
Can You Build a Marriage with Bricks?
January 18, 2010
Have you ever tried to build a marriage with bricks? Encouraging words might help you do that.
Today’s post is from a guest writer–my husband, Larry:
“To encourage or ‘edify’ literally means ‘to build a home.’ The writer of Proverbs said wisely, ‘A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver’ (Proverbs 25:11, NIV). As you edify your mate, you are constructing your marriage, buiding a rock-solid foundation for your home out of love and consideration. How do you do that? Read more
RX for The Gift of “Blurt”
January 11, 2010
Do you have the gift of “blurt?” Ever find yourself sticking your foot in your mouth?
We were keeping our two-year-old grandson Caden recently, and we noticed he kept sticking his foot (sandal) in his mouth, biting his shoe, while riding in the car seat.
“Yuk, Caden!” I’d say. “Don’t put your foot in your mouth!” I’d yank it out. Then he’d look at me with mischievous eyes and do it again.
Five Words That Can Change Your Life
January 4, 2010
I love words. Words can change your life. Words are my vocation, partly because of some encouraging words I received when I was only a senior in high school.
Years ago, a stranger clipped my senior picture from the local paper and enclosed it with a hand-written, encouraging note in the mail: “You have a beautiful smile.” Just five words–and a simple gesture that took maybe five or ten minutes, but can you guess I started flashing my pearly whites after that? Read more
