Category: Self-Improvement
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Do More Better: A Standout Among Christian Productivity Books (It Changed My Life)
Does your life need more organization? Do you feel you could get more accomplished with a few pointers? Do More Better is a short, powerful book to help with just that.
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Planners vs. Spontaneous People: Honest Thoughts from a Planner
Published 4/7/19. Updated 4/9/24. Planners vs. spontaneous people. Like oil and water, those who like to plan their schedules in advance and those who operate with nothing but spontaneity don’t mix well, at least under natural circumstances. Planners, of which I am one, like to know what is coming up in the week or month…
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Can Christians have a sense of humor?
Can Christians have a sense of humor? Is it OK to have fun and be light-hearted as a Christian, even amidst the seriousness of living out the Gospel? This is something I’ve been thinking about, as I love to laugh, be silly and spread humor and “ridiculum.” It gives me great joy to discover or…
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Traveling New Zealand: South Island Majestic Beauty
Published 1/20/2019. Updated 1/19/2021. The first two weeks of 2019 found my husband Mike and I making a long held dream come true: traveling New Zealand via road trip – the South Island. The how and why of our ending up there went a little something like this. 2018 marked a milestone birthday for me…
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Update on Running Mileage Goal
At the beginning of 2018, I wrote a post outlining my plan for a running mileage goal of 500 miles during the course of the year. As of 12/29, I have logged 505* miles! Extremely pleased to have completed one of my goals for the year. The * caveat is to denote a couple of…
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Personal Reflections from 2018
2018 was a year like no other. Please disregard the fact that can be said about most years. 🙂 This year was unique; this post will explain why as well as a backstage pass into the reflections and lessons of yours truly. I am well aware that if you clicked on this post, odds are…
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Thinking Biblically (To Emote or to Reason)
“We are living in a time where people hear with their eyes and think with their feelings.” – Ravi Zacharias In a social media-driven world, how we communicate and think has been turned on its head from ages gone by. Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost not only some valuable interpersonal skills, but our ability…
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A Christmas Prayer
Originally published 12/6/2018. Updated 12/5/2020. This post is for any Christian like me, who sometimes struggles to not only get into the Christmas spirit but to fight through the cultural holiday distractions to focus on the meaning of Christmas. This is a prayer I will pray often as the big day draws near. Heavenly Father,…
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Theology of Gratitude
Gratitude isn’t just a seasonal feeling, it’s a spiritual posture. Thanksgiving flows from a heart aligned with God’s will, not from circumstances that always make sense. The theology of gratitude, then, is more than a topic—it’s an invitation to live every day aware of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and presence.
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An Easy Way to Make Your Boss Happy
Want to know an easy way to make your boss happy? Keep reading! When the boss is happy, he is easier to get along with, she may treat you better, and you may even find yourself getting promoted sooner. What is not to like? I recently learned a trick that goes a long way in…
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On Christian Hypocrisy: A Helpful Way to Identify & Sort Out Unseemly Behavior
Christian hypocrisy is a loaded topic. The accusation, “Christians are hypocrites,” has been uttered many times, often as a stated reason why someone has no interest in attending church or examining Christianity for themselves. What’s the deal with Christian hypocrisy? To be sure, it is not difficult to find people who claim to be Christians (“professing…
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When Is It Time to Replace Running Shoes? (A Personal Account)
When is it time to replace running shoes? Sometimes I can be slow to internalize things. I might need to learn a lesson a few times before it gets through my skull and into my decision-making process. Pair that quality with a frugal mindset and a hesitation to spend money on myself, and you have…
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Unpacking a Piece of the Most Important Commandment (If You Don’t MIND)
What is the most important commandment of Jesus Christ? In our Lord’s own words, when answering a Pharisee trying to entrap Him, was: “And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’” – Matthew 22:37 Many Christians can…
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Summer 2018 Adventure Highlights
Join me in a recounting of our summer 2018 highlights! Some quick background to start. I make no secret of the fact that summer is my favorite season. No, not because it is my name. It tops the list for me (and my husband Mike) because it is the short window of reliably warm weather…
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On Memorizing Scripture (My first ever vlog!)
I’ve always had a tricky relationship with memorizing Scripture. Have you? On one hand, I know it is a good idea. I’ve been immensely benefitted by the verses I have memorized. On the other hand, it is hard to do. I have often lacked the discipline, or perhaps also the right tactics for doing it.…
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Why I Blog
Why do I blog? I’ve been blogging for over 10 years. For nine or so of them, my posts were few and far between. I often had ideas I wanted to write about, but I found it very difficult to develop the discipline and make time to sit down and write. I’ve been trying to…
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Why is the Christian Walk Like Running? (Encouragement to Runners and Christians)
Why is the Christian walk like running? This is meant to be an encouragement to runners and Christians! The New Testament’s analogy of running to the Christian walk has become more poignant as I have reignited my love for running in the last year. As I wrote in a recent post, I am all fired…
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On (Almost) Reaching a Long-Held Running Goal
If you’re the type of person that would set a running goal, this story is for you. It’s about how I set an aggressive running goal, and *almost* made it. If you like to run, but don’t consider yourself a “serious runner” (whatever that means) or haven’t achieved your running goals, I hope this story…
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Why I Love the Bible (and Keep Loving it More All the Time)
As a Christian who is committed to growing in my relationship with God through Christ, I’ve been reading the Bible for many years. While I haven’t always been as consistent as I would prefer, I always come back to it after an absence, whether a day or a few months. This post outlines why I…
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What is the Ligonier Conference? A Summary of What I Learned
If you’re interested in apologetics and have wondered what is the Ligonier Conference, this is my experience as a first-timer. Over the weekend, my husband Mike and I were privileged to attend Ligonier Ministries‘ West Coast “Defending the Faith” apologetics conference in Redmond, WA. It was the first conference of that type we had ever…