• Heartprints

    Did You Ask the Right Questions?

    Day after day we have opportunities to ask questions and hear the hearts of our children as they struggle with tough relationships both inside and outside the home. Getting them to share their hearts by asking them specific questions and follow up questions will teach them the importance of debriefing themselves and their feelings.

  • Harvest Blessings
    Heartprints

    A Holy Harvest

    Fall is finally here and with it the harvest.  There are many kinds of harvests. One of them happens, not in the fall, but because of the fall, the fall of man into sin. Words are like seeds. Once spoken they are planted in the hearts of the hearer. They too produce a harvest. Words can be a harvest of blessing but unloving words produce a harvest of hurt.  I remember running to my mom crying, just a little girl hurting inside, crying because of ugly words. I was broken hearted by caustic remarks. My mother, taught me a little rhyme that she had used as a child: “Sticks and…

  • Heartprints

    STOP IDENTITY THEFT

    I was recently given a list of 301 things I am in Christ. I was blown away by all the things God says about those who follow Him. Then I was reading Lysa TerKeurst’s Blog. She mentioned her favorite gift from a friend was a box of Scriptures typed out with her name in them, things that God has done for each believer. It got me to thinking about many people I know both young and old who suffer from identity theft. I am not talking about the financial kind either. Spiritual identity theft! Satan attacks daily beating down the most vulnerable with his lies about who we are. If…

  • Engage

    Make Your Heart and Home a Place of Grace

    True welcome and nurturing homes seem like a thing of the past. Our homes no longer hang signs of “Welcome,” instead they communicate, “No Soliciting.” I often tell my family before any get-together, “Leave the drama at the door” for fear of tension, confrontation or unpleasantness. When did I start avoiding messiness?   Our culture seems to encourage self-preservation as opposed to taking chances, risking and investing in others. But Jesus said, “Love each other as I have loved you.” Instead of avoiding the hard, we need to take the risk, make messes and love each other with no conditions.    This holiday season, we have the opportunity—a gift—to incarnate…