I’ve been thinking about expectations this week. What am I really expecting of God? How am I living this out in my life? You may not know this about me, but I’m big on making the stories of the Bible live in my life. What do I mean by that? Every time scripture is read, I try to be really attentive. It doesn’t always happen, but I’m trying. I’m more intentional about keeping my focus on the Word of God. Because I need for it to be real in my life. Each time I hear a sermon, I’m looking for practical ways to use it in my everyday life. I…

I love love.  I really, truly do.  I’m a sucker for the traditional romantic gestures.  Send me flowers.  Make me a compilation of the best love songs.  Feed me an extravagant meal by candlelight.  Fly me to a tropical location on a whim.  I’m here for it. When you hear the term, “my first love” who comes to mind?  The super saints will instantly holler “Jesus!”  They’ve been saved and filled with the Holy Ghost all their lives, so they don’t have carnal thoughts.  They don’t think of the boy who wrote a note with 2 boxes.  The note that said, “Do you like me?  Check ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”  They…

Gather round children.  I’m going to tell you a story.  Although it might seem fictional to you, I can assure you it’s very real.  The story took place on Monday of this week.  The rain was falling.  Fitz, my cat, was cuddled at my feet as I typed on the computer.  I was working on completing blogs for this week.  I was searching for a picture to match Tuesday’s blog when I ran across a picture that I didn’t remember seeing before. Two people appeared in the picture.  A young girl with beautiful, long hair striking a pose in her fashionably ripped jean shorts.  Behind her, striking an equally enthusiastic…

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t like failure.  It unsettles me.  It makes me feel less than.  You may have realized that I’m super critical of myself.  My idea of failure is sometimes different.  But I have a perfect example of a time that I failed miserably.  It’s not debatable.  It’s just a fact. I’ve been driving since I was like five.  No, my feet couldn’t reach the pedals.  But ya’ll know I was raised in the country.  It was just us out there.  When we were almost home, my mama would put me in her lap and let me “steer” us to the house.  I was thrilled! My aunt…

Studying my Sunday School lesson takes me down different avenues.  Countless concepts jump out at me and command my attention.  While going over the lesson this week, I was entranced by the Greek origin of the word hypocrite.  In the Greek, it means actor.  It was a description of the people who perform on the stage.  They put on different masks to fit the character that they were responsible for portraying. How interesting!  We retained much of the meaning of the word in the English language.  People often classify members of the church as hypocrites.  They believe that we’re actors.  We put on our church masks for Sundays and tuck…

Sometimes, I’m clumsy. I have dropped glasses and bowls, and they have shattered. My next move is to yell out a warning to anyone in the vicinity. “Get back! I broke something. There are sharp pieces everywhere!” Then I pull out the broom and dust pan and sweep all of the pieces up and put them in the trash. After sweeping, I’m still cautious. I might have missed a shard of glass. I don’t want to step on one unexpectedly. Back when I started this blog, I shared that at times I’ve felt broken. Shattered even. Beyond repair. I’ve spent much of my time lately focused on improving my mental,…