Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

I started a new round of workouts this morning - and I'm whooped! With the move, living in a hotel and the moving-in process, I had completely given up "exercising" for over a month. Oh yes, I've gotten in some good workouts just moving boxes around, but nothing that really challenged my body the way an organized workout does. So, needless to say, I found muscles I forgot I had. Just a couple of minutes into my routine I was ready to give up and crawl back into bed. Those few hours of sleep I just finished would have been a really good excuse and who needs to do a full workout the first day anyway? But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 Isn't it easier to stop when things get uncomfortable? Why keep pushing your...

This is what we woke up to earlier this week. They're dining on our new grass seed. And yes, they're all still out there - I guess they've all received pardons for this year's meal! I pray you have a fabulous Thanksgiving Day. And let's all strive to stay in an attitude of gratitude for the rest of the week...month...year...decade...until Jesus Christ comes back for His Bride. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I knew exactly what I was going to the store to buy. The menu for Thanksgiving is set and I needed just one thing - the decoration for my dessert. I knew where to go and I knew what to get. But when I walked down the aisle where I had seen what I saw...it was no longer there! The seasons had changed and I was now looking at Christmas trees and penguins. Not in my plan...but really, really cute! Oh well, next trip. So my brain had to switch over from prepared-mode to what-next-mode. That's when I saw them. I don't know if these are new or if they're just new to me. These bite-sized beauties are tiny graham cookies covered in chocolate and drizzled with peanut butter. Now, this is my favorite combination in the entire world, so to be able to take a handful at a time is a wonderful notion. And these will be the perfect decoration for my Thanksgiving dessert. I think they'll be even better than what I had in mind, and I can enjoy the leftovers, too! Stay...

I'm now one step closer to being settled into our new life in Iowa - I've opened my etsy shop back up! Yes, after days and days of toting boxes down to the craft area of our basement (lots and lots of boxes), I can finally get back to work. Or is it play when you love it so much? Hmm... If you go to the shop this week, you'll see lots of black and white. There's a reason for that, so don't adjust your screen. I challenged myself to do something completely different for an entire week. I'm using one set of papers, in just two colors, just to see how many different styles and combinations I can create. It's a lot harder than it sounds! But the results have been amazing! Two sets of cards have already flown out the door (Thank you Cherie!) and I'm so excited with the traffic that's coming through. It's been a long few weeks with all of my crafting supplies packed away, so be ready for lots of new stuff. It was like a really weird Chr...

Unless you stay in your house all day - or you live under a rock - you have to be out and about in the world. There are all kinds of people around us: saved and unsaved, devoted and wishy-washy, dependable and undependable, faithful and not-so-much faithful. We come in all shapes and sizes, for better or for worse. It's challenging for a Christian woman to stay victorious and faithful to God when the world around us isn't. Scripture tells us to do a lot of very difficult things in the face of opposition. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 2 Corinthians 6:17 There's no choice to just blend into the crowd or take the easy route - to simply do what everyone else is doing and hope we don't stand out. We will be noticed when we come out from among the world. Separation can be a frightening, lonely experience when we're just trying to be loved and accepted. But following...

Yep, this is what the two garages still look like. Moving is hard work, but we're making some steady progress in getting settled. A few boxes a day and we'll be done before you know it! Know anyone who needs cardboard boxes? The whole process of setting up a home can be daunting. Just the unpacking alone seems endless, let alone finding a home for everything, keep things clean and still finding time to eat and sleep. Maybe less of those last two than anything else... When you're feeling overwhelmed, you quickly lose your focus. You're unpacking boxes and decide to take some things to another room. While you're in there you think of additions to your shopping list. So you leave that room and go look for your list...but where did you put it? Oh, and that trash needs taken out, the phone company needs to be called and you still need to go check the mail. Where did your focus go? And what did you actually accomplish in the last hour? Seek ye first the kingdo...

The Internet installer didn't show up until the next day, leaving me waiting without word. The telephone company had to send a repairman out, too, which meant a couple more days without communication. I know my shoes are in a box...somewhere. We still have to register the cars, get new driver's licenses and get all of our insurance worked out. For every one thing I check off the to-do list, it seems like four more get added. And they all seem like inconveniences. No, I never assumed I'd walk right into our new house and our new life in Iowa would just begin without incident. But while working odd hours at the newspaper and trying to get the house turned into a home, anything extra just makes me sigh. And then God does something miraculous. In the middle of another evening of unpacking, breaking down boxes and cleaning the driveway, He paints the sky with the most beautiful array of colors. The mundane is instantly replaced with awe and joy because of a simple bl...

Usually the word "squirrely" has negative connotations. It's typically a slang word to describe someone with questionable character, someone odd or a little crazy. But this weekend I want to give the word "squirrely" new meaning. This little guy couldn't see me taking his picture through the front door. He could hear a little noise and was alert, but because of the angle of the sun I was completely invisible. He was aware of my presence, but went about his business of finding lovely things to eat. This weekend I challenge all of us to have this same squirrely attitude. Yes, there are things behind the door that we can't see - evil, the unexpected, people who would see us harmed, maybe even a tragedy or disappointment. At this moment we're aware there's something out there, but we just can't quite see what's happening. We have two choices: be afraid or be squirrely. We can hide inside and cower in fear. Or we can be victorious in...

We are still not in our house. Through postponements and questions and paperwork and heartbreaks, we are still living in a hotel. There is joy in someone to clean up after you, but there is still longing for home. There are simple pleasures in someone else's roof over your head each night, but there are desires for a place and a purpose. You take those blessings for granted until you're uprooted. Normal has been exchanged for new adventures, familiar faces traded for people you've never met. Suddenly you are out of your routine, unsettled and aching to have that normal life back. It will be different, the house will be different, but life will seem stable and permanent again, if you were just in that house. But home isn't about a house. Yes, we will move into our house in just a few more days, but I'm still home. Not because we're back in my hometown or because this is where my family is. I'm home because I'm in the presence of the Lord. Abide in...