April 30, 2020

Words from the Heart: Yes, Please!

April 30, 2020/ Linda Anderson

I have always loved Maggie Rowe’s words. When we both had speaking ministries in New England, I tried to attend any presentations she was giving. When she wrote a blog as a local ministry leader, I eagerly awaited her posts. When she and I had the privilege of being members of a small speakers’ group, I got to know her better. And I learned what made her words so true, so encouraging, and so powerful. They were straight from the heart. A very big, very sensitive, endlessly loving heart.

April 01, 2020

Mom to Mom: "Social Distancing" Style

April 01, 2020/ Theresa Nelson

I snuggled up in my favorite “prayer chair” with my “prayer shawl” blanket that a dear Mom to Mom sister had crocheted for me. Then I gasped in delight as I saw the sweet faces appear on my laptop screen, one by one. These were the precious women in my Mom to Mom small group who I had been missing during these days of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is Mom to Mom, “social distancing” style!

March 18, 2020

So Where Is God in All of This?

March 18, 2020/ Linda Anderson

This was the exact question a neighbor asked me yesterday as Woody and I were out walking.

Two responses came to my head, though I am not exactly sure what came out of my mouth at the time.

First, He is where He always is—in control, powerful, loving, and sovereign. Of course, that one statement raises all kinds of questions. Lots of “But why does He/doesn’t He . . . ?” So what I think I said to my friend was, “He is totally in control, the God He has always been. Even though I do not know—cannot know—what He is doing.”

March 01, 2020

Mirrors of Dangerous Grace

March 01, 2020/ Linda Anderson

Lent. Ashes. Sin. Grace. Four words rattling around my head these days. This week at our local Mom to Mom we had a poignant leaders’ devotional about Ash Wednesday—complete with a small jar of ashes before us. A stark reminder of our sin and death. And our need for God’s grace.

February 05, 2020

A Cord of Three Strands

February 05, 2020/ Theresa Nelson

As we approach Valentine’s Day this month, I have been reflecting on a passage of scripture that always makes me think about marriage. In Ecclesiastes 4:9 we read “Two are better than one” because they can help one another and protect one another. Isn’t that a big part of the marriage partnership? It means we don’t have to go through life alone. But we know that marriage partnerships require some effort to make them thrive and flourish.

January 15, 2020

“Extra Grace Required” People

January 15, 2020/ Theresa Nelson

Let’s face it, sometimes in life we have to deal with difficult people—at work, in our neighborhoods, in our churches, and even in our own families. Sometimes we find ourselves dealing with a difficult person in our Mom to Mom small groups. But in church circles, we don’t say “difficult people” because that could sound unkind. Instead, we sometimes refer to these individuals as “extra grace required” people.

January 08, 2020

Like Elsa, This Year I Will “Let It Go”

January 08, 2020/ Theresa Nelson

I have never been the type of person to make New Year’s resolutions. I guess I feel that any time of year is a good time to focus on self-improvement, so I haven’t made a habit of setting new goals at the beginning of a calendar year. However, I have a friend who chooses a theme word at the beginning of each calendar year and I have been intrigued by the concept. I like the idea of focusing on a particular word during each year —so this year, I have decided to focus on the word “surrender.”

December 18, 2019

You Never Know . . .

December 18, 2019/ Linda Anderson

This Advent Season, for some reason, I feel the mystery of Christmas more than ever. The mystery of the Incarnation. Such an unlikely story. Something, as C. S. Lewis puts it, we could never have guessed. God coming as a baby? Really? Favorite author Frederick Buechner says it best:

“. . . the child born in the night among the beasts . . . and nothing is ever the same again. Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of Him again. Once they have seen Him in a stable they can never be sure where He will appear or to what lengths He will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation He will descend in His wild pursuit of man . . .” (Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark)

You can never be sure where He will appear. You never know . . .

November 13, 2019

HELP! I’m Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner!

November 13, 2019/ Theresa Nelson

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” I know that popular song was written about the Christmas season, but when I think about “the most wonderful time of the year” I instantly think of Thanksgiving . . . my favorite holiday! I love hosting our entire family in my home for this annual celebration of family, food, and God’s faithfulness. Maybe you share my enthusiasm for this holiday . . . or maybe you dread the thought of hosting Thanksgiving because it just feels too overwhelming. Let me see if I can offer a few tips to make the day a little more enjoyable.

November 05, 2019

“But I’m Not Feeling Very Thankful”

November 05, 2019/ Linda Anderson

Even our children feel it. Watching his dad turn the calendar into November, our six-year-old grandson sighed: “Oh, November. There’s so much to do in November . . . like getting ready for December!”

The frenzy has begun. At our mall, Christmas carols are playing, stores are frantically replacing Halloween stuff with Christmas glitz, and even Santa himself has arrived. Our mailbox fills with catalogues, and Black Friday sales are already beginning online. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving (what was that, again?) is still over 3 weeks away.

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