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What My Grandmother Taught Me About Faith, Family, and Unconditional Love
My paternal grandmother was truly my hero. Honestly, I want to be just like her when I grow up. She was sassy, loving, wise, and deeply rooted in her faith—and she had me in stitches constantly. When I was younger, I’d spend weekends with her. She introduced me to crime shows and gave me my love for reading the Bible. As I got older and life filled up with school, sports, and driving, she’d call and say it was time for a grocery run. She didn’t ask—she told—and I always said yes. Time with her was sacred. But what made her so incredibly special is that she wasn’t my dad’s…
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How My Aunt’s Unshakable Faith Changed My Life: A True Testimony of Trusting God Through Hardship
A Family Rooted in Love and Faith There’s something special about my dad and his siblings. As adults, they share a closeness that’s rare and beautiful. My dad is the oldest of six children, and I deeply love each of my four aunts and my uncle. But one aunt, in particular, has had a profound impact on my life—especially my faith. Faith That Doesn’t Waver My aunt was the kind of Jesus-follower you only read about—someone who walked through fire without ever letting go of God’s hand. Her personal story is hers to tell, but I can share how her faith shaped mine. She had two double lung transplants. Yes—TWO.…
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Keeping The Spark Alive
Keeping the Spark Alive with a Roadside Flower After eighteen years of marriage, it’s easy for the spark to fizzle a bit. Life gets busy—we’re wrapped up in parenting, work, farming, housekeeping, and, let’s be honest, just trying to survive until bedtime (or sneak in a nap). Somewhere in all of that, we can forget to pursue one another. Every now and then, my husband gently reminds me to reflect on whether I’m still pursuing him. He doesn’t do it with words. He does it with a daisy-looking weed. (Daisies are my favorite.) The other day, we were at our farm when he got back in the truck holding a…
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Why Coffee Dates with Friends Matter -Even if You Don’t Drink Coffee
One way I’ve been able to reconnect with friends is through coffee dates. I don’t even drink coffee! But we’ll head over to our favorite local coffee shop, grab a tea or smoothie, and sit there and chat—catching up on life. I do this with one friend as often as I can, which seems to be about once a year now. We sit and talk about anything and everything. One time, we even sat by the window watching people try to parallel park. It was just as fun as you’d think—especially with our commentary! It’s such a peaceful environment to connect. Today, I met up with four friends I used…
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Leadership is Hard
Leadership is one of the hardest roles a person can step into. No matter what you do, you won’t please everyone—and people will talk. Oh, will they talk. They’ll talk about things they think they know… and have absolutely no clue about. I once served on a leadership team where someone outside the group accused our leader of manipulating us—saying he pushed his own agenda and swayed our decisions. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. All he did was create a simple agenda of what we needed to cover—something he was trained to do professionally. He never told us what to think. In fact, most of our discussions…
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Take It From Me—Stress Is Not Your Friend Stress is not your friend, especially if you don’t deal with it the right way. It can take a toll on your body, mind, and spirit. It eats away at you slowly, and before you know it, you’re not acting like yourself—you’re overwhelmed, short-tempered, exhausted, and running on fumes. Unaddressed stress can sneak up on you and turn into something bigger—burnout, anxiety, and all kinds of physical stuff you don’t want. But the good news? You don’t have to let it win. So here are a few real-life, ChatGPT-approved, Randi-tested ways to deal with stress: Laugh—and Laugh Often Laughter truly is good…
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Parenthood Comes in Seasons
Parenthood comes in seasons. And I’ve learned that you don’t truly appreciate each one until it’s in the rearview mirror. This hit me especially hard after we had our youngest feral one. When my oldest three were little, people would say, “Enjoy it. You’ll miss them being little. You’ll miss the chaos. You’ll miss them needing you. Enjoy it now.” And they were right. I believed them—of course I did—but that doesn’t make it easier to actually enjoy the moment when you’re knee-deep in it. Even now, I have to remind myself that someday, I’ll miss this, too. The running in multiple directions at the same time. The messy house.…
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Lessons in the Wilderness: Trusting God in Difficult Seasons
Lessons from the Wilderness: Trusting God in Difficult Seasons Walking through the spiritual wilderness is never easy. You feel lost, alone, and uncertain. But those wilderness seasons—however painful—often carry the greatest spiritual growth. In this post, we’ll look at three powerful biblical examples of people who walked through wilderness experiences: the Israelites, Elijah, and Jesus. Each story teaches us something valuable about trusting God, relying on scripture in hard times, and remaining faithful when life feels dry and desolate. What Is the Wilderness in the Bible? In the Bible, the wilderness isn’t just a physical location—it’s a place of testing, waiting, growth, and preparation. Whether you’re going through grief, burnout,…
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A Heart To Serve: Where My Journey Began
I didn’t always have a heart to serve others. In fact, anxiety often made it hard to look beyond my own needs. But thanks to the steady example of my husband, I’ve learned that serving others is part of who I am—and who I’m called to be as a follower of Jesus. Christian Service Doesn’t Have to Be Grand Serving others doesn’t always mean doing something big or public. Sometimes it’s the small, quiet things that make the biggest difference. At our church, we use a Meal Train to support families who’ve had a baby, surgery, or other life event. I sign up the moment I see it. Bringing a…
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Esther
My Bible Study Today: Esther Currently, my Bible study is called “30 Days with Jesus – Experiencing His Presence Throughout the Old and New Testaments” by Lysa TerKeurst (one of my favorite Christian authors). Today’s focus was on Esther. The book of Esther is one of only two books in the Bible named after a woman (the other is Ruth). That’s significant—especially considering the time period in which the Bible was written, when men held nearly all societal power. Esther’s story stands out, and her role in Scripture is incredibly meaningful to me. Esther was a Jewish girl chosen by the king to become his new queen. The king didn’t…
