We watched as he carefully stacked the rocks inside the jar one-by-one until they brimmed the top. He scanned the crowd and politely asked if we thought the jar was full. In uncanny unison we all said yes. But we were wrong. Then he added pebbles, and after the pebbles, he added sand--until finally the jar was full. The pastor then went on to explain that when we take care of the big things in our lives first, the little things will fall into place, just like the rocks, the pebbles, and the sand. But my life didn’t seem to be working like that. I couldn’t help but wonder, “What if the ... Read the Post
Joeboy
One day in my early teens, a group of the neighborhood boys went out to the school to play basketball. I had no idea that this particular game would be reflective in my life for the next six decades. The two best basketball players in our community lined up to choose teams. I went there hoping to be selected by one of the team captains. I was a tall, gangly young boy who, because of my upbringing, had not been allowed to play basketball with the neighborhood kids. My father was very strict and did not want us doing anything that would take us away from our relationship with the Lord Jesus ... Read the Post
The Gift of Grandparenting
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers” (Proverbs 17:6 ESV). Children who benefit from our unconditional love are knit in the core of our hearts and souls. We may have difficulty expressing the emotions in words, but our actions show the extraordinary link. One reason God established the family is to teach us love, sacrifice, and the strength of relationships—done His way. And those grands don’t have to be blood-related to receive our affection. With open arms, and often free from the parenting tasks of discipline and meeting basic ... Read the Post
His Provision
Quite often, I have struggled with thoughts of lack—be it in my finances, career, time, relationships and health. Recently, I have lacked inspiration to finish writing my latest novel. I am not a deadline person. I do my best work under pressure, but I usually do not set an exact date of completion. This time is different. I have until Labor Day this year if I am to release my novel on time. The deadline loomed over me, adding additional pressure to an already tense situation. I couldn’t get motivated. The desire to write was there, but no ideas of consequence would come. I ... Read the Post
An Accidental Highway Adventure
I’m a small-town girl from the beautiful island of Grand Bahama. I currently live in Dallas, Texas, where it really does seem like everything is bigger, especially the streets. In the Bahamas most of our streets are two-way streets, so there are no multiple lanes of traffic to navigate. Also, our speed limit for most roads is 45 mph; although, I admit, we do take liberties with that speed. Life on my island moves much slower than here in the big city. Where I lived on the island was less than a 10-minute drive to the school I taught at and getting caught in traffic meant reaching work in 15 ... Read the Post