GPS to a Joyful Marriage

I feel compelled to share a little, again, about my food journey I’ve been on this past year.  I just came back from the grocery store and marvel at the ease and speed in which I traveled down the aisles looking for my items.  Only a year and a half ago, going to the store was a major chore for me.  I would have hip pain and leg pains that would often keep me from going to the store.  When I did go, I might start out feeling alright, but after an aisle or two, I would wonder if I could make it to my car because of the pain.  The pain in my legs prevented me from sleeping on my side at night, and I had to sleep on my back. Sometimes even lying on my back hurt, but I learned to live with it. I’m amazed at how we put up with pain and learn to live with it.  Standing hurt, sitting hurt, walking hurt.  I lived like that for over ten years. For the first five years or so, it would come and go but became constant after that.  No one knew the extent of the pain I felt because I kept

There is nothing like spending a few days with a group of women who share the same passion of Christ to invigorate you.  Not to mention the special bond that forms when you wake up in the morning and share coffee in your pajamas.  I had the privilege to spend a few days in Kansas City this past week with some mighty women of God.  Surprisingly, I didn’t freeze as I feared I might.  (Really, who would ask a Florida girl to go to a meeting in Missouri in the middle of such a nasty winter?) Thanks be to God, it was cold but sunny, not nearly as bad as the previous week. I believe women have a deep need to spiritually connect with other women.  While our husbands can certainly be our “soul mates” and our “best friends”, there is a fellowship between women that reaches areas that are foreign to men. (And men are grateful we have our female friends for that.)  It’s an important part of our make-up that we need to nourish. This ministry that I’m a part of, Stonecroft Ministries, is a

Often times, when I have no clue what to write on my weekly blog, I search through my notes and papers to find a great Bible verse that particularly touched me or a saying I may have heard from another source.  God always leads me to just the right one.  As I frantically searched for this week’s topic, uninspired by my own thoughts, I came upon a lone piece of paper with these words scratched on it. “Church is supposed to be a transformational tool to grow closer to the Father – not a substitute.” Hmmm.  How true, how true.  But how many regard their relationship with God to be their time spent at church? We are subtly led to believe that we should be at church as much as possible throughout the week for whatever class, service, or activity that is presented. (Not a bad thing, by any means.)  Too many people hold their time in church, though, as their standard of Christianity, their justification for being called a follower of Christ.  They are more comfortable keeping Christ

Could somebody please tell me what happened to the holidays?  One minute I was complaining about Christmas commercials and songs appearing before Thanksgiving, and the next minute, it was 2014.  And to top it off, I forgot to post my article on my blog last week.  I had finished it a few days prior but then proceeded to entertain a house full of company for three days.  It wasn’t until after 2014 had already been ushered in that I realized my blunder.  I am a creature of habit and when I get out of my routine, I lose track of everything.  Anyway, I hope your holidays were blessed!  On to my blog post. Rick and I were driving home from a wonderful evening with friends, and the song “Escape” (The Pina Colada Song) came on the radio.  It was a number one hit in 1979 with a very catchy beat by Rupert Holmes. The song tells the story of a man who is bored in his current relationship and so responds to a want ad from a woman searching for someone who likes Pina Coladas.  “Í was