Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

  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

  I want to start by saying this has been one of the most straining weeks my husband and I have experienced in a while. As many know, my husband's father nearly passed away this week. He has been sick for a few weeks. My husband had a feeling, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that he needed to get his dad to the hospital on Sunday evening. His dad had a doctor's appointment for Tuesday, but he felt like it needed to be right away. He was admitted into the hospital, and by Wednesday, his dad had sepsis. The doctors gave his dad eight hours to live. We watched his pulse and blood pressure plummet and waited for the inevitable. Meanwhile, we prayed that God would move. A miracle occurred, and he began to improve. He has been taken off the ventilator and is breathing on his own with a steady blood pressure. During all of this, my husband and I celebrated our 27th anniversary. Neither of us had hardly any sleep the first 24 hours. My husband only had 3 hours of sleep for 72 hours, so