Tales from a Mid-Lifer

Tag: Faith

  • Will Increased Thanks = More Joy?

    That is the question I look forward to researching myself over the next several months. I have recently returned from a 12-day spring break vacation/college touring experience with my family, and during that time, I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I know I’m late getting to the party,…

  • The Boston Marathon Bombing

    As today marks the anniversary of last year’s tragedy in Boston, I am re-posting what I wrote last year in response. After contemplating the horror of what happened, my youngest daughter came to the frightening realization that everyone is capable of evil. Boston. Last year on September 11th, my 14-year old daughter…

  • The Storm Inside

    The Storm Inside: Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You Are by Sheila Walsh was a pleasant surprise. I made the wrong assumption that this would be another “self-help-sort-of-book” with a Christian base, but it was sincerely so very much more. The book is…

  • I Didn’t Want to Leave Church on Sunday

    I especially didn’t want worship to end. As is often true for believers, sometimes the hardest weeks end in the most intimate worship.  It is something inexplicable to those who don’t know Christ. Praising an invisible God despite disturbing news and years of seemingly unanswered prayers. Those kinds of hard…

  • I Can’t Be All Things To My Kids

    Gulp. I said it. Once upon a time, I really believed I was all things to my kids.  That is probably normal for young Moms with small children. Or, maybe I was just an egomaniac, but I’m going with the fact that I was young and inexperienced. I hadn’t yet…

  • Normal Is Good

    After a fitful sleep last Thursday night, I stumbled into the bathroom half-awake on Friday morning. Going through my regular routine, I held a cotton ball in my hand, ready to use toner on my face. Just before I dunked the cotton ball, my eyes caught sight of the label:…

  • The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith

    What’s not to love about The Berenstain Bears series? The book, Keep the Faith, will not disappoint either avid Berenstain followers or those brand new to these books. Author Mike Berenstain (son of the original Berenstain Bears authors: Stan and Jan Berenstain) does a terrific job of creating an age-appropriate…

  • I’m Going to Read the Entire Bible – This Week!

    I have days when I’m disappointed with the amount of time I’m spending on worldly routine vs. the time I’m spending connecting with God. About six times a year, I resolve to “get better” with my spiritual disciplines. These (often unrealistic) resolutions usually go something like this:  Get out of…

  • A Teenager’s Crisis of Faith

    Recently, my three children and I ran into a lovely Mom and her 16-year old daughter.  My twins and her daughter attended the same small Christian school together from Kindergarten through 3rd grade. We hadn’t seen each other in about 6 years, so we caught up on each other’s happenings and…