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30 Day Praise Challenge, Week 2
I don’t always feel like praising. Last week was one of those weeks. Every day it seemed like something else went ‘wrong’ causing frustration, weariness, anger, and a general feeling of defeat. There was no major crisis. Just a lot of bed-wetting, crying babies, disobedient children, and a busy schedule. Sometimes it’s the littlest frustrations in life that rob me…
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30 Day Praise Challenge, Week 1
Have you ever read a book and felt like the author wrote it just for you? That’s how I have felt each day as I’ve read through Becky Harling’s book, the 30 Day Praise Challenge, over the past few days. There are specific things in each day that we are encouraged to praise God for. I’ll share with you a…
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Day 31 :: The Conclusion: Carrots and Trust
The other day we went out and picked the last of our beans from the garden and some carrots that have been growing for months. We’ve never grown carrots before, and we weren’t exactly sure when to pick them. We ended up with quite a crop! It was interesting to pull the carrots from the ground. The tops would be…
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Day 30 :: Productive or Fruitful?
My mom and dad visited a few weeks ago. I love it when they come because it always refreshes my soul. As we always do, we started talking about life–the good, the bad and the ugly {at least my ugly}–and we began to talk about thriving. {Yes, my mom reads my blog}. She shared with me some of the things…
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Day 29 :: You have to close your eyes to really see
The furniture is dressed in a fine layer of dust. A trail of toys makes its way up the steps, some sort of game the girls are playing. Shapes and blocks left over from a therapy session lie scattered across the living room floor. There are spots on the kitchen floor, a mixture of grape juice and spaghetti sauce, I…
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Day 28 :: When you just want it to be normal
Many times after our son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome I found myself thinking, “If only things could be normal again.” I finally uttered the words to my husband and I remember him gently, and yet forcefully, saying, “Lauren, this is normal.”I find that it’s easy to wish for life to be different than what it is. To look forward…
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Day 27 :: Prayer for a Full Life
Do you ever take a moment before closing your eyes at night to refresh your soul? Is it possible that by turning your thoughts heavenward you could enter into a more peaceful night’s rest? In the quieting of our hearts and minds we find a perfect peace that can only come from time with the Lord. And our bodies can…
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Day 26 :: Bake Something with Pumpkin
It’s fall. The season for mums, pumpkins, sweaters, snuggling with your honey, and soup {not necessarily in that order}. And this morning when I got up it actually felt like fall. Our house is currently 65 degrees, so I had to turn on the heat. Those little babies upstairs need some warmth! One way to thrive? Get in your kitchen…
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Day 25 :: Does it Help?
After yesterday’s post, I had a couple of comments on my personal Facebook page that I wanted to share with you. I think you’ll be able to relate. The first, a friend of mine who serves as a missionary in Niger, shared about how reading status updates affected her attitude. This is what she had to share: So true!! Even…
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Day 23 & 24 :: Social Media & How it Can Affect our Ability to Thrive
Today’s post is a combination of Day 23 & Day 24. Our internet was out yesterday afternoon when I had planned to write my post, so I was unable to get Day 23 up in time. Thanks for your understanding! We read a friend’s Facebook status and instantly we feel jealous and discontent because we’re struggling with something or don’t…