Gratitude
Gratitude is the sweet fragrance of an opening heart. -Anne Belton Continue reading Gratitude
Category: Be Encouraged
Christian living, Inspiration, Relationships, Discernment, Spiritual writers
Go to Give
It had been months since we had last seen Ned and Dena – a delightful, fun-loving couple with their three precious children. They had been so welcoming to us in our last setting – inviting one of our children to a birthday party literally on the first day we met, and often including us in fellowship gatherings at their home. Their presence in our lives … Continue reading Go to Give
To see or not to see
As a teenager, I attended a large revival. It was actually called a crusade and held at the coliseum of Mississippi Delta Junior College in Moorehead. Several prominent lay people from various denominations in the delta had pooled resources to launch the idea. Churches from a wide geographic area were invited to help sponsor and support the event providing choir members, volunteers and buses to … Continue reading To see or not to see
Those who help us live
When 9/11 happened my day was so full of raising small children and caring for two elderly family members that even though I wanted to crawl into a hole and weep I had to live. I have been thankful ever since for those who help me live even when my heart is heavy. Take a moment and think about who are the ones who help … Continue reading Those who help us live
Bayou Mornings
Before there was chaos and confusion, disease and distress, poverty and powerlessness there were bayou mornings. Continue reading Bayou Mornings
identity
Who am I? I am restless, pacing, wondering, reaching. I want to know who I am. Years of care, love at its best, have been lavished on me and yet, I am trying to slowly sort through these feelings that often lay heavy on me. It’s not that I don’t want to be loved, to be embraced, but sometimes I feel caught by it, overwhelmed … Continue reading identity
My Two Cents on Parenting
I’ll be honest I’m not a big fan of “parenting” books. I’m not even a fan of the word “parenting.” It seems pejorative to me, as if raising children is a “project” that we can master and complete. What mother or father’s task is ever done?
In Search of Community
Kathleen Norris commented once in an interview that we create community wherever we are. The thought caused me to pause, because I realized that so much of my understanding of community had been based on my rich, rural upbringing in the Mississippi Delta. A place where farm-life, church and going to Parker’s Drug store and the Post Office (along with a variety of other places) were so intertwined that it was hard to distinguish one from the other. Continue reading “In Search of Community”
Praying for families with Incarcerated Loved Ones
A few winters back my husband assisted with an overnight shelter at Virginia Wesleyan College for the homeless in Virginia Beach. He had the simple task of visiting with the guests – men who had come for a hot meal and to seek refuge from the cold. One particular individual relaying bits and pieces of his story indicated that he was originally from the Mississippi Delta. Excited to make this connection, my husband shared that his wife (that’s me) was also from the Delta. And then he went on to ask the next, most obvious question, “Where in the Delta?” Continue reading “Praying for families with Incarcerated Loved Ones”
Fill Me With Joy
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
– Psalm 16:11 (NIV)
A question was posed on a forum last fall about finding joy. There were many wonderful, heartfelt responses. I posted my own thoughts and shared them on Facebook, but I wanted to put them here so I could remember and find them.
After all, who can find anything on Facebook?! Continue reading “Fill Me With Joy”
