Growing in Grace and Truth

I love to garden!  Whether it's planting and tending my herb garden, planting in the raised beds, or filling up our large garden, it always excites me.  For the last two years I took the time to plan out the exact garden we wanted on graph paper. I  measured out each crop into needed space leaving enough room for the rototiller to come through between sections.  I made sure companion crops would be planted near one another so we could have the best possible outcome.  All of the seeds were purchased and organic fertilizer had been ordered and was ready to use.  Summer of 2023 arrived.  We were able to plant everything according to plan.  All the raised beds were full.  Trays of herbs were growing and would soon be added to the herb garden.  The large garden had been tilled up by Tim and time was taken to measure out each section before all of the seeds went in.  Sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, different types of melons and beans all fi...

What comes to mind when I say the word success?  Lots of money?  Big houses?  Marriage and kids?  Top of the ladder job status?  Owning the latest and greatest of everything?  Those are all things that this world would use to describe success.  If the world took a group of people and had them check the boxes of each of these they had, the would say the greatest and most successful is the one who checked the most boxes and had the most zeros in their net worth.  The lowest on the success list would be the one who checked the least.      It's been a year since my Aunt Sandy took her last breath here on earth and joined the Savior that she loved so much.  When it comes to checking the world's success boxes, she would not have checked even one.  Matter of fact, she would have been considered one of the least successful people in this world.  She only had the money she needed.  She never owned a home.  Her j...

 Recently I had the opportunity to share with a group of young moms.  What a blessing!  I decided it to share it here in hope that it will be a blessing and encouragement as you labor day in and day out to raise your children to love Jesus with all of their heart and to love others as Christ does. Blessings mama.  Know I am praying for you! As I thought about sharing with you and I was thinking about parenting tips. I asked myself, “What am I glad someone shared with me and what do I wish I had known when my kids were younger?” Of course, there is much more to parenting than what I will share here, but here are a few I thought were important to me. For you as moms: Holiness is your goal not happiness - This is a piece of advice I was given at my first baby shower.  It can sound a bit harsh but it is a great piece of truth.  You see, many times parents don't want to upset their kids. It starts out at a very young age. A toddler doesn't want to do so...

 I've been thinking a bit about true friendship.  A good friendship is a blessing and brings strength in life but what does that kind of friendship look like?  How does the world define it and how does the WORD define it?   Our world sure has twisted and messed this up. Even down to grade school peers can pressure one another to turn on a friend simply because of what they are wearing, if they are socially “unacceptable” or if they don't act exactly how others think they should act. Many comply so that they will not be rejected themselves. Once you hit junior high and high school it can be even worse. Teens can be cruel if they let themselves be. One minute they are friends and the next they are turning and gossiping to others about the same friend. Or they may simply back off friendships because others pressure them to do so and they want to be accepted. Years ago one of our kids experienced this type of rejection and it was incredibly painful and hard on t...

I recently had the amazing opportunity to attend the birth of my first grand daughter.  I'm smiling even as I recall the whole evening.  It was beautiful from start to finish.   Even after having four children of my own, I am still amazed at the life that God creates and the incredible way that each baby enters the world. There are a couple moments from the evening that are embedded deep in my heart.  The best was the moment my granddaughter joined the world and they laid her on my daughter's chest.  Such a precious and beautiful memory. The other moments came earlier in the night as I watched my daughter and my son-in-law, Derrick, interact. As I watched,  I was overwhelmed with all the warm fuzzies.  The strength of Elizabeth's contractions was increasing and the two of them were standing hand in hand swaying in unison as if they were in a slow dance.  When the labor increased, Elizabeth would wrap her arms around his neck and lean into him...

 "The sweetest sound, the highest praise, Is the letting go of this life You gave. Our greatest prayer, an act of faith, Is an open hand; Lord have Your way. Take it all - every hope, every dream, every plan. Take it all - every weight, all the shame and brokenness. Jesus, I surrender all - every victory and loss Take it all, take it all 'till all I have is open hands." "I'm not afraid of what I'll lose. My greatest joy is finding you, finding you."   It's so easy to sing along with this song by Laura Story and Mac Powell. But what about actually following through in your heart? Offering everything to God with open hands.    Recently, I was challenged in this area. An opportunity came up that would drastically change our lives. Everything about it was good and appealing and in all honesty, would fulfill a dream in some ways. As Tim and I talked and prayed, we concluded that we should take the first step with this opportunity and see what God w...