Just A Mom from Ohio

What makes us able to switch overnight from asking for help to rejecting help in the morning?  She was so excited about this plan to wear a dress, jewelry, a special hairstyle and nails. Nails were done the night prior and hair started. Morning came and it was not happening. Not only was it not happening, it was going in reversal. Her and I are a lot alike and neither of us are morning people. Getting to school and work without disappointment and disruption is an obstacle. Thankfully this bump in our road became a teaching and reflection for my walk with Jesus and won't be wasted.  Just the night before I had started reading Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund . The subtitle of the book is The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. Something I read last night clicked this morning as I looked at my daughter. I imagined Jesus as he listens to our prayers, empathizes with us, weeps with us, and is with us as we ask for the next move and then we refuse to go. What did He do wrong to m

Driving on a warmish spring like March day in Ohio, I popped in an old cd. It was so familiar and engaging. It got me thinking about leaving behind some type of soundtrack of my life to grandchildren so they could "get me"  more than from someone else's faded memory. With each of the songs I would want to leave a note. By the end of the soundtrack, they could understand the way the world and the gospel intertwined in my life. Listening to the first few songs on this 20 year old cd reminded me just how many people could relate to those lyrics. My future grandkids probably could too. Often I write about music because I have always been able to connect to the lyrics, a beat, or a guitar riff quickly. I genuinely love music. I am in a season of reengaging with music again. I had been strict about the amount of mainstream music I allowed in but I was really missing something with a bit more edge. Now I've finally caved and subscribed to a music platform so I can choose the

Over the last year I've been finding myself sitting at Jacob's well trying to figure out what this living water is all about. The well is deep and it seems to be at the center of my existence. I'm not even trying to get there usually and I'm just there again. God keeps bringing me back. But why? What am I missing? What am I not understanding about the way Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman? Often I feel dehydrated. I literally wake up in the night so incredibly thirsty. Keeping a glass of water by the bed seems to be a requirement. Whenever I feel anxiety building up in my soul, the Word of God is like that glass of water. If I keep it close, accessible, and chose to drink it up frequently then I am less likely to feel parched. Another way I deal with anxiousness is to work out. It distracts me and the way my body hurts reminds me that I am alive and capable. Yet it requires me to drink more water and to refuel my body. If I don't drink enough water,

How would you answer this application question that was recently asked in a women’s Bible study: “How attached are you to your reputation? To your stuff?” In high school I wrote a poem called “Strange Popularity” and that phrase is one that makes so much sense to me. I was known more than popular. I was hardly noticed and then I was being talked about. It was uncomfortable to go from being almost invisible to being so exposed.  God has reminded me in life that my reputation is not mine to manage. I have no problems being vulnerable to a point it might alarm people. As I keep re-writing this blog, I recognize that I never could really manage what was said of me or how my life was going to go. If it wasn’t an option then, it hardly seems worth hiding now. However, I also am aware that at times our story can be taken and used in ways that do not end up reflecting well upon God. At the end of the day, that is truly all that matters.  Miriam Webster Dictionary defines “exposed” as being ope

 At the moment I am writing this it is nearing the end of the infamous "love day", the one, the only, Valentine's Day. Bam! You either love this day or you hate this day. Usually. Depending on what you may be focusing on. More often than not, I have been single on Valentine's Day. I wonder if that has shaped how I feel about Valentine's Day or really any romantic anniversary when I have been "attached".  I'm not that sappy. I tend to want to move past these types of days quickly. I don't want anything jinxed. This lady has trust issues.  Tonight I was so happy to have Bible study to go too. And that wasn't about my relationship status. Or maybe it is. My relationship with Jesus is growing as I study the Bible with these women. I'm noticing a hunger for the Word. It's awesome and sometimes intimidating. Application questions are no joke! In a larger group, I am aware of how unique and wonderful God made us all. Noticing all of the ways