4 Lies You May Believe About Love

lies you might believe about loveWhat is this thing called love and where can I get me some?

Is it an idea? A feeling? A state of being? And if you can fall in it, can you fall out of it?

Most of what we believe or know about love is a paper maché we’ve pieced together from past experiences, movies, the media and social circles. And let’s not forget Disney, with its magic and princess happily-ever-afters.

But if we take a closer look at love, we may find our perspective has been skewed with a few lies along the way.
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9 Inspiring Books to Read this Year

I recently did something crazy. Last time this happened, I was a teenager.

I asked for books for Christmas.

LOTS of books.

I literally came away from Christmas morning grinning like a nerd, stacks of reading material in hand.

Or maybe that’s normal for you. But I haven’t asked or received a book as a gift in over a decade. And that’s because I’ve been a TV-aholic for the last number of years (Downton Abbey? Anyone?). Continue reading

5 ways to keep God first this year

5 ways to keep God firstLooking for one way to dramatically impact your year? Keeping God first will radically change your life. You’ll experience more joy, peace, vision, and fulfillment by the end of the year and see God move in ways you never thought possible.

But for that to happen, a little reflection is needed. Our tendency is to drift away from God instead of toward Him. If you keep God first in these 5 areas of your life, it will result in tremendous personal growth and change over this next year. Continue reading

Christmas: a story of promise

christmas of promiseWith all the holiday jingle and jangle, it’s easy to get distracted by all the trimmings. But I don’t want to miss Christmas this year. I want to focus on what matters.

I want to read the Christmas story with fresh eyes and renewed perspective.

Will you join me?

Because right now, this is a hard season. I feel overwhelmed. My personal life feels out of control. A reminder of loss, of dreams unfulfilled. Continue reading

How you can prepare for emotional disasters

how to prepare for emotional disasterLast week my cousin spent the day chasing plywood and supplies all over town in preparation for Hurricane Matthew. Store shelves were sparse, gas stations drained, and Home Depot was like Black Friday with the amount of frantic pushing and shoving.

My cousin spent nearly 24 hours securing windows and battening down the hatches. He was just praying his home wouldn’t blow away.

When faced with a natural disaster like the one we saw last week, one thing is for sure. People spring into action. Survival mode kicks in. Some evacuate. Others brace for a fight. But one thing we all have in common? Continue reading

Don’t Let Your Past Define You

How many thoughts do you have about yourself? And of those, how many are negative?

It wasn’t until I was suffering from soul-crushing anxiety and felt depleted of all motivation that I started giving my thought-life some…well…thought.Don't let your past define you

Who says my creative efforts are not good enough?

Who says I’m a major disappointment?

Who tells me that I can never change?

Or says I will certainly fail if I try?

Who believes that I am broken?

I do.

It’s me. My thoughts are to blame. Continue reading

2 Ways to Overcome Your Fear This Week

2 ways to overcome your fear this weekDon’t worry. Easier said than done.

Especially for me. I come from a long generational line of worriers. Anxiety and fear have been constant companions for most of my life. Fretting has become a common pastime around here.

How about you this week?

Because every time I turn on the news fear is being magnified. We fear terror. We fear race. We fear other religions. We fear diseases (Zika? Anyone?). We even fear the upcoming election.

I even find myself worrying ABOUT WORRYING.

Seriously? Continue reading