We often talk about the heroes of the Bible as if they were stained-glass figures—perfect, translucent, and untouchable. But if you look closely at the story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12-23 , you don’t see a curated Instagram feed of perfect faith. You see a messy, complicated, and deeply human love story. In Hebrews 11:11 , we are told: “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who

In the age of the #MeToo and #ChurchToo movement there seems to be a greater need for counseling, coaching, mentoring and ministry for women in the church. Rachel Rosser (LPC-S), carefully blends theology and grounded psychology in this article entitled: Counseling Broken Yet Bold Women. Rachel has many years of experience in ministry, along with her husband Doug, at The Parks Church in McKinney, TX. One reason why I have been drawn toward her work is because she seeks to con

As I was checking out at one of my favorite shops, Homegoods, I could sense a breakdown coming on. I just kept holding in my tears as best as I could but my hands were shaking and I felt exhausted and weak. Why had I come? What was I doing anyway? I mean, it had only been the day before that I was with my daddy when he drew his final breath on this earth. So, what was I thinking driving to Homegoods and trying to look just like any of the other shoppers in there? My world was

A BOOK REVIEW OF BEYOND TECHNIQUE IN SOLUTION-FOCUSED THERAPY: WORKING WITH EMOTIONS AND THE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP BY EVE LIPCHIK (by Misty Reynolds) If you have interest in learning more about the concept and process of providing solution focused therapy to clients, it is my pleasure to recommend Beyond Technique in Solution Focused Therapy: Working with Emotions and the Therapeutic Relationship by Eve Lipchik. This book is filled not only with instruction regarding the c

What do you see when you look at 2024? Thoughts of a new year are often filled with hope, excitement, or sometimes apprehension. Maybe you are expecting big changes such as having a child or a new job search or a move. Sometimes we are filled with apprehension about our own or a loved one’s health issues. Many people make resolutions, New Year’s resolutions which cause the gym to be crowded in January and February and that type of thing. Weight Watchers probably has its highe

The gift of hearing is incredible. I love to sit and listen to music, especially Christian hymns. On Sunday mornings, my husband and I enjoy listening and singing along to acapella gospel songs in preparation for worship just a couple of hours later. It is also a wonderful thing to be able to learn and gain wisdom from presentations in church, Bible classes, education, podcasts, and work. Our ears no doubt perform important service to us. Jesus said “ He who has ears to hear,

Have you ever stopped and looked around you? Have you ever inventoried your life and actually taken note of the people whom you spend most of your time talking and dining and hanging out together? We all know they say that raising kids takes a village, and believe me, as a single parent of twins for over a decade, I can attest to this. But I am here to tell you that “adulting” also requires people around you who support and encourage you and are there for you when life goes r

Just sitting here unable to sleep in these super early hours of the morning, reflecting on the happenings of the last month. Honestly, I don’t know about y’all, but for me, it’s been a lot. And as most of you know, with my autoimmune diseases, stress and fatigue are super toxic to my body and mind. My body seriously revolts in response to stress. My personal encounters have included serious health issues with my dad. A long hospital stay for him, and I was not sure at times

Hey there my long lost friends! Sorry for the late release of this blog, but life has been super busy these past few weeks. As most of you know, because I might have mentioned it a few (dozen or so) times, the last few weeks in our house have felt somewhat like a rollercoaster with emotional, financial, and even physical strains and challenges as we have worked really hard at getting two college freshmen settled in new environments. The boys and Ray have handled the process a

Words. They can be heavy. They can hurt. They can heal. They can help. Recently, I have seen up close and personal the impact of words on others. I have watched as carelessly used words have hurt friends and caused conflicts within church and friend groups. I’ve seen feelings hurt and open doors closed. Y’all, we need to be careful with our words because they are powerful. When I think of Bible verses regarding words and the importance of our language, I often think of cursin

What a month! Beginning this Friday, I will be, with the help of my family, getting the boys moved to college. MOVED. I have to stop and let that word settle in. I must be honest and tell you that I have already had a few “ugly” cries. It is not easy for mamas to let go of their babies, even when it is time for them to spread their wings. It has been a roller coaster ride, really this entire last year. We survived senior year, and that was a year of last “firsts.” And just no

The word “Hope” will be used frequently on this page and in these blogs. Why? We want to encourage people who have experienced despair....

I walked to the back of the church building where that obviously broken gentleman stood. I did not know him but I had learned enough. He was going through a divorce, was missing his children, his job was in flux, and his world was rapidly changing. I do not have any idea why, though now I do believe it was the Holy Spirit, but I felt compelled to assure him that he would be okay. He would not just be okay, but I told him that he would smile again. That he would be happy again

Memories are wonderful, often bittersweet reflections on past experiences and events. Now, as I am growing older, when I am walking through a significant life experience like Ray’s marriage proposal to me in 2020, our subsequent wedding, and most recently, the twins’ graduations from high school, I try very hard to “hyper focus” on the things I see, smell and mostly feel. I want to be as present as possible because I know that beginning the very next day, these important even

Do you ever stop and think about the way you treat others – strangers – out and about in the “real” world? Sometimes the closest a person will come to learning about God’s plan and promise for us for an eternity in heaven is simply the way that you treat them. You might need to read that again. Do we fully appreciate the magnitude of our everyday interactions? You are at the bank. At the grocery store. The nail or hair salon. The doctor’s office. How we treat others whether s

We are all broken and bruised and imperfect but trying our best every day to keep it all together. Serving our God. Nurturing our marriages. Raising our children. Honoring our parents. Maintaining our friendships. Loving our people. Mending our bodies and resting when possible. Working jobs. Furthering careers. Running households. Managing finances. We.are.busy! And yet, so often, we make it look so easy, don’t we? We work diligently to camouflage our messiness. Many times it

This morning I have been thinking about how life can be so frustrating when events do not unfold how we want or plan for them to. I don’t know about you, but there are times when I seem to just sit in that frustration and disappointment. Is that helpful? Not for me. Is it necessary? Nope. I would even venture to say that it is unhealthy in that it can bring about feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. None of that feels good. And even worse, sometimes we feel like God may

A Message to the Men: Find yourself a good godly woman. One that prays without ceasing, reads her Bible with interest and goes to church...

The apostle Paul said, "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to...

A few months ago we decided to begin a new podcast. What would we talk about? Our story, of course! Currently we have nine episodes. The...