Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

  This weekend, I had the great opportunity to participate in a girl's retreat. As I led the Bible study with the older girls, we discussed what they felt was the hardest part of walking the Christian walk. They all agreed that sharing their faith was difficult, especially in today's world. There is a huge problem in our world with connecting to others. There is an anxiety and fear that others will reject us if they don't like what we say or do.   Because of this, most avoid connecting if it involves face-to-face contact. This includes sharing our faith. To help with this fear, I gave the girls some inventive ways to share there faith for introverts. I'll share them in case you want to use some of these. Here they are: 1) Write a positive scripture and the phrase, "God sees you and loves you " on some paper with however much money you feel led to give. I told the girls to use a dollar or two. Write for you on the outside of the envelope. Put it in an envelop

 I received the best gift this week. My coworkers gave me a beautiful set of wind chimes in condolence for my father-in-law's passing.  Everyone in my office know that plants that enter my care die very quickly. It's almost like they see me coming and wilt in defeat (or maybe my forgetting to water them). The wind chimes were a perfect gift for my new porch. As I sat on my porch swing and the wind swirled through the chimes, beautiful music began to fill the air. Isn't it amazing that ordinary pieces of metal, when cut and aligned correctly, can make such beautiful music? Isn't that like our lives? God creates us and orchestrates our lives to create a beautiful melody of worship to Him when He flows through us. Each circumstance and difficulty shapes us and our worship to reflect His faithfulness and goodness. I think of the worship song, Reason to Praise , that reminds us that whatever happens, God is still on His throne. So whatever I'm feeling, I still have a re

  I was able to go on an annual trip for professional development. I always enjoy the getaway from the craziness of life in general. While staying at a hotel, I discovered a fun sight. The toilet paper rolls had flower designs woven in the roll. The Kleenex had fan designs, and the towels were shaped into designs. I felt like I had stepped onto a cruise ship, minus the sea sickness. As I looked at the designs, I thought how amazing it was to create beauty and creativity in the most mundane of media. What if we did this with the everyday moments of our life? What if we found joy in matching socks and turning them right-side out? Instead of being annoyed at matching tons of socks, I found beauty in the task by praying that the steps of my family were ordered by God . In gathering used dishes scattered through my house and under couches, I found gratefulness that God provided daily bread for my family. In traffic and chauffeuring family, I found blessing knowing God provided transportati

  In the midst of school beginning, illness in the family, and the busyness of life in general, my sons and I found a moment to sneak out of the house and do a little grocery shopping. It took me a few days to work up the nerve to visit Walmart. I felt like I was maneuvering a bus through a third world country as I desperately tried to squeeze my shopping cart passed crowded aisles and  shopping scooters. I wouldn't have attempted that place, except for the fact they carried a sensory toy I knew one of my students would love. After loading the cart, almost being rammed by a guy who, unbeknownst to me, was racing me to a check-out line, and praying for strength, I arrived at the check-out line. At this point, my eyes were drawn to the gum section of the conveyor belt. Nestled among the mint and fruity flavors was a gum I could have totally used at that moment- Tylenol gum. For those getting excited about this, there is no such thing as Tylenol gum. Someone had shoved a travel pack

  Have you noticed that our world has a very short attention span? As a teacher, I see it every day. Social media and television has created the mentality that if I'm not entertained in the first minute, then I move on to something else. I call this "Scroll Syndrome." Do you have this? Ask yourself this. " Do I tell myself I'm only going to look at reels and videos for a minute, only to realize an hour or two has passed without realizing it? Do I find myself unable to focus on a reel for more than a few seconds if it doesn't catch my attention?" I'm going to be honest with you. Any animal video will catch my attention. I can't tell you how many dog videos I've found myself watching, simply because a snuggly dog looks adoringly at the camera. This syndrome makes for a difficult time if you are an educator, speaker, or pastor.  Your congregation or students are no longer there to learn. They are there to be entertained. The scroll syndrome no

 We had a missionary to Africa visit our church this morning. Some people snooze when missionaries speak of their callings, but my husband and I always love missionaries because we were missionaries for quite a few years before we became pastors. Some may not realize that missionaries within our denomination are required to raise a monthly budget in order to remain in the location they are working. Some denominations provide a budget for their missionaries. Either way, there is preparation made to pave the way for a missionary to move to their place of calling. They may need to learn the language of the people in their location or get a job to provide the opportunity to meet people. You may ask why I am talking about missionaries. In the Great Commission, before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told those gathered that everyone is called to be a missionary.  (Matthew 28:16-20) A missionary is someone who is sent to tell others about something. Our mission is to tell others there is hope