With Christmas wrapped up and neatly tucked away, we are almost to the end of January. But the hope that a new year brings is still fresh in our hearts and minds. Maybe this is the year you hope to find a new job, earn a degree, or travel abroad. Maybe this is the year you hope to meet that special someone or start a family. Hoping for a change, or for something new, is exciting. But when our hopes and dreams are put on hold, it’s hard to be patient. Proverbs 13:12 says “hope deferred makes the heart sick,…
Month: January 2019
This is our archive pageGuard Our Bodies, Lord
In my book, Becoming a Brave New Woman, I share one of the moments of exhaustion that we all experience at one time or another: I had weeks of back-to-back speaking engagements. On a trip to Colorado, I remember thinking, “Wow, this is great! My flight got booked with some breathing space. I’ll get there early, take a nap, shower and feel so refreshed.” I arrived at the Denver airport only to discover that my connecting flight was canceled, and I was stuck in the airport for five hours. I would have to dress for the event in the airport…
The Gift of “Newness”
Someone once said there are regulators on our lives that help control and shape our destinies. These regulators include things we often take for granted like energy, sleep, food, money, and time. Wise management of these regulators can mean the difference between an average and an abundant life. Another important regulator is what I call “newness.” Every 24 hours we are greeted by a new day at Midnight. Sunday morning brings a new week. On our birthday, we celebrate another new year of life. One way we human beings tend to “clean the slate” is by leaving behind the old…
Guard Our Emotions, Lord!
Several years ago, I was experiencing a season of hardships. The emotional pressure in my life had escalated – facing deadline upon deadline, bad medical news, grief over my father’s death, plus the daily stress of church leadership and family responsibilities. I sat in my doctor’s office in tears. All I wanted to do was escape, and drive to the beach to spend time with God. Only by talking to God, and having Him talk to me through the Word would salve this pain. I knew that I would be okay if I could just get to the beach and…
A Reader’s Record
This time of year, people are posting like crazy on social media the number of books they read in 2018. There are even some pretty cute videos and memes that you can use to illustrate what a productive reader you were last year. While it’s perfectly fine to tally up your reading year, I don’t happen to keep track, nor do I want to know how many books I read. On the one hand, the number would be interesting. On the other, I will more than likely be depressed at the low number of actual books. I read…a lot…like…
Guard Our Hearts, Lord!
One woman who had sat in a Bible-teaching church Sunday after Sunday for over 10 years told me something one day that took my breath away. She had been having an affair with her best friend’s husband! Those in her world had counseled her, confronted her in love, shown her care and compassion – everything possible to help her see the trauma she was causing two families – then one day she eloped with this man! When she arrived back in town, I saw her at one of our children’s sporting events. She was so excited. She was flitting from…
Feeling Thirsty for God
Most cats hate water, right? Nope. Colonel Brandon, my kitty, loved it when he was little. He would smack the water in his dish and watch it fly in the air, landing all over the floor. Who knows? Maybe he could see a rainbow of colors while he splashed. His joyful game usually ended when he knocked over the bowl, saturating the floor underneath. He’d walk away with droplets of water all over his face. When he got older, he used to sit with his water dish between his paws, as if he feared it might get away. His actions…
Buckingham Strong
On one of our trips overseas we were able to take a day and spend it in London, England. The highlight for me were the guards of Buckingham Palace. Those guards were so self disciplined, vigilant and stalwart—nothing could shake them from their duty! It reminded me of 1 Cor 15:58, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (CSB) I have always pondered, just “HOW can I be steadfast and immovable in a world that always seems to shake us…
A Chat with Author Linda Goldfarb
Happy New Year from Sarah Sundin in California! Today we usher in 2019 by chatting with relationship and personality expert Linda Goldfarb. As a novelist who loves using exploring personality types to craft my characters, I’m fascinated by what Linda has to share with us today! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too. Linda, tell us about your latest book. LINKED for Educators helps busy teachers understand how to accept and celebrate different personalities in the classroom instead of being overwhelmed by them. This super succinct guide equips educators with practical and readily applicable communication and interaction strategies to recognize, respond,…
New Year, New Plan
The roll out of each new year brings with it a sense of anticipation that the upcoming year will be as good or better than last year. Here are a few SIMPLE things that can help move your life, relationships and business or ministry forward in 2019. If you lay a strong foundation in your personal life it will reflect positive results into your professional life. In addition to what we share in our 7 Simple Skills for Every Man or Woman books, there are a few traditions and tools that help Bill and I make forward movement each…