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“What is that smell?” Dan-with-the-sensitive-nose yelled. We had just finished our morning walk and kicked off our tennis shoes on the back porch. As we walked through the house, the scent became more disgusting. Yucky. Yucky. Yucky. Finally, Dan exclaimed, “I think it is my sock!” While he dumped the offending sock in the washing … Continue reading Toe to Toad

We have been created for relationship, with God and with others. If we experienced loving relationships with others as we were growing up, finding a place where we were safe and nurtured, then forming close bonds is probably easy. However, if our closest relationships produced a great deal of pain through abuse or neglect, we … Continue reading Created for Relationship

Strongholds have historically been defined as things which have a negative grip on our lives such as alcohol or tobacco--things which have become an ingrained habit. However, they may also be recognized as areas of life where you believe you must maintain control. Controlling behavior is usually accompanied with a dismissive attachment style where you … Continue reading STRONGHOLDS, WHAT ARE THEY?

I have worked with three women recently who have experienced AHA! Moments in their prayer time with the Lord. Somewhere between the ages of 8 and 16 they each embraced a malformed belief about their identity when they suffered emotional abandonment, as children. One believed, “It is up to me to overcome” when she was … Continue reading I DID NOT KNOW

Have you seen these advertisements which offer permanent pearly whites if you just let the dentist put screws in your jaw bone? What about the services which will instantly draw off all the fat you have spent years accumulating—implying that your skin will automatically firm up and not wrinkle. Any number of procedures offer to … Continue reading TRANSFORMATION

I was reading a novel recently and came across these words which, to me, express how the Lord can change shame and self-loathing into gratitude. See what you think. "I've learned that we all have things we would rather hide, that we would prefer to keep locked away. Even from God, if we could. Mostly … Continue reading Hiding is Hard Work

One day while walking the beach, I noticed strands which looked like piano wire littering the sand. My immediate assumption was that a load of wire had been dumped offshore and was now strewn along the beach creating a hazard. On closer examination, I noticed that some of the strands had a cracked yellow covering … Continue reading Malformed Beliefs

Are you feeling guilt or shame today because you could not join in the fluffy feelings expected of you on Mother’s Day? Perhaps your mother was absent a lot of the time when you were growing up. Perhaps she was so wounded that she never really saw you and you felt abandoned or responsible. Perhaps … Continue reading Sometimes Mother’s Day is Hard

Have you ever found yourself in a situation so discouraging or fearful or overwhelming that you believed God had dismissed your distress as unimportant? When we feel helpless, a natural response is to become angry. At those times when we are disappointed by God’s apparent lack of response to our dilemma, we may become angry … Continue reading Angry with God?

A group of women from our church went to the Texas State Capital to walk the grounds and pray for our state and our country.  Sitting on blankets under huge trees swaying in the breeze, clear blue skies and lots of sunshine--it was a pristine day. Focusing on our own hearts first, we began by … Continue reading Before the Prayer Walk