Forks left in the sink. Wet clothes left in the washing machine. Cups and paper plates left in the living room. Lollipop wrapper left sitting on the counter where someone opened it. Shoes left here, there and yonder. Dog food bag left sitting on the counter. (And the most disgusting one: pee left in the toilet!!) These things scream at me that every one in this family is stopping short. Stopping short of opening that dishwasher and putting the dirty dishes you just used away. Stopping short of getting the laundry all the way done. Stopping short of taking your snack mess out of the living room. Stopping short by not throwing away the paper from the candy you are walking around eating. Stopping short of putting shoes back in their proper place because it is just too easy to slip them off and forget about them. Stopping short of finishing the whole job of feeding the dog by leaving the bag of food out on the counter. And stopping short of being a decent human being by not flushing the toilet for goodness sake! It all pushed me over the edge, and I came up with a theme for this season of life: TAKE THE NEXT STEP.  Don’t stop short; quit being lazy and selfish. Even if you are thirsty, the next step would be to ASK SOMEONE ELSE IF THEY WOULD LIKE SOMETHING TO DRINK. Or say you […]

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This morning I woke up with a full heart and tired eyes.  Last night we hosted the youth group, and I loved having everyone here! They ate pizza, wings, meatballs, chips and desserts and washed it all down with more Coca-Cola products than their parents would want to know. They played games outside and a new game called “Four On a Couch” inside. Some parents stayed, so Josh and I were able to get to know some folks better. I am always so happy to have people in our home. It just seems right and good. It was easier in Georgia simply because we knew more people and led a Sunday school class full of awesome families. The support system we had there was amazing, and I didn’t realize how good it was until it was gone. But God has used this new journey to pull me aside and be with Him…reminding me He is enough, He is the One who understands me perfectly and sees me all the time, the One Who loves me best. It has been so good for me. And so hard. In my Bible this morning, I was reading in Psalm 13 and saw written next to it in my handwriting, “All 2017.”  “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart […]

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