One summer, when our boys were just little guys we took them to explore Meramac Caverns, a local cave and popular tourist attraction in our state. As you’d expect the cave was dark, but our tour guide carried a large luminous flashlight and the walkway itself was well lit.  At one point in our exploration we came to a place where there was no lighting and only the guides flashlight lit our way. The guide stopped, gathered our small group together and began to talk about the g

Trials come to each of us. We all must endure our seasons of adversity, and most of us realize that the storms in life can teach us a lot in ways other things can’t. For starters, they can build our faith and trust in God. They often keep us “on our knees” in prayer, and that can be a very good thing. But what about when God allows trials into our lives that seem overwhelming and never ending. Think Job.  I’m sure Job felt that his trials were unending and overwhelming, and y

Trust God. They are just two little words that we’ve undoubtedly heard over and over again throughout our lives. But for a whole lot of us trust doesn’t come easy in anyone or anything — especially God. Why is that? Maybe it’s a societal problem and we’ve been programmed to mistrust until proven otherwise. Maybe we’ve been hurt, abused or betrayed by people near and dear to us, and so we struggle with trust. Maybe we feel as though God let us down. Perhaps He didn’t answer th

How would you live today if you knew it were your last? Would you live it any differently? Would you live it to the full? Would you squeeze everything you could out of every precious moment? Would you spend it focusing on the positive instead of the negative? In other words, would you stop sweating the small stuff? Yeah, I think most of us would when faced with the certainty that our time here was up. The thing is, and not to upset anyone, but today could be our last! There i

“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”   -Psalm 91:11-12 Do you believe angels are watching over you? I do. I believe angels are in our midst! Since I was a just small child I have had dreams of my guardian angel so I’ve never doubted the existence of angels. But when that guardian angel  literally saved my life, her presence became even more real to me. Si

Not to be morbid here, but have you ever considered what your family and friends will say about you when you leave this world? This thought crossed my mind recently as I contemplated my own mortality. I haven’t been feeling well of late. I have Mitral Valve Prolapse — a condition caused by the many years I suffered with the eating disorder. It doesn’t bother me all the time, but I’ve been stressed lately and the MVP is rearing its nasty head giving me all sorts of problems. B

Ever imagine what it would’ve been like to walk with Jesus? I often have. I can only imagine the profound effect watching as He healed the sick, raised the dead, or gave the Sermon on the Mount would have had on my faith and trust in Him.  While we obviously can’t physically know what this experience might have been like, there is another way.  We can still have a personal encounter with the Lord in the Gospels through a form of Ignatian Prayer known as; Imaginative Prayer or

Lord, Why is surrendering so hard to do When all it means is falling into You? From “Surrender” a poem by Belinda Rose We admitted we were powerless to overcome our weaknesses – that our lives had become unmanageable. – The First Step, Alcoholics Anonymous Imagine we are gathered together in a small meeting room. We watch as a young bearded man with long dark hair scribbles across the right side of the chalk board the words: The First Step to Serenity: Surrender. What Will

If there is one thing in life that’s certain it’s that nothing stays the same. Our circumstances and our lives change … whether we like it or not. The same can be said for many of the people in our lives – they come and go. Change is good, but not all of us embrace it. Many of us resist the new and unknown much preferring to cling to the comfortable and familiar. But the truth is, change happens whether we cling to it or embrace it. All things pass away, and for that we reall

Is there someone in your life that doesn’t believe in God, or questions whether He even exists at all? I imagine we all have such a person in our life. Someone that we pray will one day come to know, accept, and love the Lord as we do. In my life that person is my oldest son. He is a professed agnostic. I don’t argue with him about his beliefs. Instead, I quietly pray for him. As a contemplative I love the silence. I love nature walks, sunsets, starry nights and luminous full

I’ve known for most of my life there would be a book about my experiences with the eating disorder. My Mom always encouraged me to write my story so it might help others going through something similar. At 19, I had the director of an eating disorder non-profit tell me to write a book because I had a powerful story to tell that would help others. Years passed and no book. That is, until the miracle healing! The thing is, the book wasn’t ready to be written all those years ago

It was roughly 10 years ago that I had a profound spiritual encounter that by God’s grace stilled the Voice of the eating disorder and lifted the depression that had been a part of my life for nearly forty years. After that experience my thinking changed because I had changed. No, I had more than changed because in that extraordinary moment when the Holy Spirit fell on me I wasn’t only healed, I was transformed. That moment of unspeakable grace was my resurrection – a resurre

“A hug is two hearts wrapped in arms.” Author Unknown I admit it. I’m a hugger. I give hugs often and freely! I think hugs are so important to me because I grew up in a family that didn’t express affection, and where hugs were seldom given. In fact, I don’t recall my Dad ever giving me a hug. Growing up without such affection taught me the value of a hug, and expressing love and affection to people in my life. All people need warmth, nurturing and compassion, and not surprisi