30 Days to a Better Relationship

Walking to the Kindred Spirit mailbox, I had a prayerful conversation about marriage. My marriage. The marriage of my oldest daughter. My friends share their ups and downs of marriage. I noticed a theme in my reflection of “contempt.” The Gottman Institute provides marriage resources and research on contempt in our marriage. Personally, I’ve witnessed…

The Sacred: 63 Years of Marriage

This post is to honor my mother and father in 63 years of marriage. I was cooking and getting ready for their meal, when VCU called about an issue regarding my course that I teach. I told her I needed to continue cooking while we talk. “We are celebrating my parent’s 63 years of marriage…

Take a hike!

We all find ourselves searching for opportunities to experience something other than our new reality. I’m grateful beyond belief that I continue to have a job, and I can work remotely. Working remotely has been incredibly efficient for some aspects of my job. I can get up early and work all day from my office…

Hunger Satisfied

I’ve attended a handful of classes with “Life in 10 Minutes“. Today, they offered a virtual session. Our goal was to use our senses in writing. Elizabeth asked us to think of an event, a place, or time, and we built in different aspects of writing while using our senses. What joy to have this…

Loving Kindness

Praying this for you… May God be gracious to us and bless us     and make his face shine on us. Psalm 67:1 I am a big fan of Audible. They offered a free download for a guided meditation on loving kindness. I’ve done the meditation at night to pray for loved ones and those around…

The God Who Sees

What we pray for will be revealed. What we expect and the reality of what is before us will often make us question if our prayers have been answered. The married couple becomes disenchanted when the bills pile up and the car needs repairs. The pregnant mom becomes overwhelmed when the reality of no sleep…

He Restores

When you were born, what was going on in the world? I love those birthday cards that highlight your birthday with the number one song on the charts, this day in history, and famous people who share your birthday. Psalm 139 reminds us that we were created and fearfully, wonderfully made by God. He created…

Fully Known and Loved

Do you believe what God says to you? Yes. We believe, but, as the person begs of Jesus on behalf of his son, “Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). The story behind the verse: After the boy’s father further explained his son’s condition, he said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us…

Do What Makes Your Soul Sing

Do what makes your soul sing! I heard that line in the movie, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Do we truly have the freedom to choose what makes our soul sing? If you are like me, your life is a mixture of personal choices along with events that were out of your control. You…

Our Stories Are Changing

Stories have always intrigued me. A good storyteller who can hold your attention can bring renewed understanding on any topic or new material. We remember the content because we were emotionally connected to the story. I read a blog that highlighted Chick-fil-A’s new employee training. Part of your training consists of a short video reminding…