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She asked me, “how is your blog coming?” Before I even thought, I heard these words come out of my mouth, “I am ignoring God right now.” What?! I can’t believe I told this woman. My sister’s Christian friend. That I was ignoring God! Then I thought, “is that really what I’m doing?” I suppose…

Is it only teenage girls who can belly laugh past 1am and no one else gets how funny it is? It was one of those trips I got to go on with my best friend from Junior High. A church skiing trip. Our parents’ Sunday School class hosted it and we had the adventure! From…

Rolling over, kicking covers off, pulling them back on, rolling again. Wrestling.  I’ve never been to a wrestling match. But many nights it feels like I’m being pinned or pinning myself. Tossing back and forth. Still never quite feeling the victory of the win.  Then my mind goes back to another struggle. Little arms and legs pushing against me. Me battling…

As I read my Bible today, this verse stuck out at me.  “The angel said to the women,  “Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.”  Matthew 28:5 NIV So many crazy things have been happening in the past year; racial injustice, political disturbance, a pandemic, and now…

“Christi, turn around and face forward.” Those are the words I often heard from my elementary school teachers.  I sat in the middle of class. Not too close to the front. Not way in the back. Just in the middle. The middle where I could hear every sound, whisper, and snicker from behind.  I was…

There was a small pond on my Grandparent’s farm that I spent time at while growing up.  I remember cattails waving along the bank. I thought cattails were the most interesting plant I had ever seen. I used to ask my Grandma to get me some. I liked how soft they felt.  They were so…

I dip my toes in water to check the temperature before I get into the bathtub, the pool, the hot tub or any body of water. I like to test the waters. To prepare my body or maybe to give myself a way out. “Oh, the water is too cold, too hot. I won’t get…

I like music. I’m eclectic in my selections. I like jazz, christian, country – old and new, 80’s and pop. All depending upon my mood.  The car is my stage, where I can sing loud and proud. To my ears I am a star.  It’s amazing the emotions that can come from singing. The lyrics…

I have always been fascinated by clouds.  I was one of those kids who laid in the grass, looking at the sky, seeing pictures in the clouds.  I was amazed, when in science class, I learned that clouds had names. Cirrus, Cumulus, Nimbus and Stratus. Even their names emanate a certain heavenly aura about them. …

When my oldest daughter was little she had an old calculator she liked to play with. It was one of those old thick ones, that was the size of our current cell phones. The batteries were removed, but she still liked to be able to push the buttons. She would put it in her play…

I love it when my bathroom is clean. When it sparkles, shines and smells fresh. Now I don’t like the process to get it that way. The scrubbing. The wiping. The sanitizing. I like the end result the best.  One day, I was standing admiring my clean bathroom. Enjoying the moment, because let’s face it,…

If you’re like me, the word cookie conjures up many memories. I can hear the mixer mixing the dough. Dry ingredients. Wet ingredients. Measuring. Mixing. I can feel the warmth escape the oven as the cookie sheet slides inside. Ready to puff up and spread out as the heat does it’s work. As the timer…

One of the hardest questions for me to answer is, “where are you from?” I was born in Corpus Christi, Texas but didn’t live there long. I counted up once that I moved close to ten times between the time I was born and graduated from high school. So I got good at packing. Putting…

It’s that time of year. Coughs, runny noses, fevers, germs! YUCK! As a preschool teacher, my system is bombarded by these microscopic invaders. So at this time every year, I always get a flu shot. For me, it has helped my system to fight the battle. When I got my flu shot this year, I…

As I read Psalm 40:2 NIV “He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud & mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm foundation.” I visualize a hand reaching down to me and saying “take my hand.” You know like the ones in the movies when…

I’ve always been drawn to houses with front porches. A welcome entrance to a home. A place of protection. A place to sit and relax. A place to enjoy God’s creation in the morning or the evening. A place for family and friends to gather. To talk. To just be. To just be. On a…

As the school year begins, there is an exciting anticipation, a kind of comfort of seeing people we have missed over the summer and of getting back into a routine. But at the same time, there is an unsettling in us. An unsettling that can be almost a kind of anxiety. How will this year…

It was a year ago tomorrow that I sat between a dear friend and a stranger. It was the conversation with the stranger that has echoed in my mind since then. I was seated in the highest row of bleachers. A set of bleachers that I have sat on many times for many years. Watching…

I was listening to a message from Pastor Rick Warren and he said that God gives us stepping stones to lead us on His path. I really liked that visual. It made me think back to some actual stepping stones I have walked on. One set of stepping stones, were placed as a sidewalk leading…

Growing up I remember asking mom a question. Sometimes I would get an immediate answer. Sometimes I wouldn’t get an answer at all and would have to talk louder. Then I would get a “What?!”answer, because she had been busy and didn’t hear me. But often I would get the “in a minute” answer. I…

The Upper Room devotion said, “the sooner we come to God, the longer we can honor God and walk with God.” When I read this, my Grandma came to mind. She passed away in 2015, but I think about the time I got to spend with her. I have been blessed to receive countless hugs,…

In the Upper Room devotion, the author says,” I will always be a Christian who is under construction…” As we enter the summer season, the season of road construction, it makes me stop and think of the comparison. We do not look forward to road construction. Oh, we know the roads need fixed. Can see…

I started creating this blog a few nights ago. I went to bed feeling so good about the title “Guided to Joy.” The next morning, I woke up with doubt creeping in. You’re starting a blog? For what? So your friends can read it? Who do you think you are? You’re not going to get…