Courage

Sometimes you feel like you are surrounded. That there are circumstances that have built up around you and you cannot escape. That there is no hope in victory over your situation. Just crushing defeat. Maybe it is your finances imploding. Maybe your boss just seems out to get you. Maybe it is a medical condition. Whatever it is for you, there has always been one answer.

Frustration Can Come From The Smallest Of Places

As most of you know I am a mom of four children. Right now they are all teenagers. Many times I have struggled to be the mom I need to be for them. But whether I am having a rough day with life, or maybe it's something the kids have done, I will get extremely frustrated and ask God why he gave my four kids. I just can't handle it.

The Path To Prosperity Can Be Frustrating

OK, buckle up. Here we go. Yesterday, if you remember, I said I wanted to talk about prosperity for a few days. Prosperity in our financial lives, prosperity in our spiritual lives, emotional lives, and the rest of our physical lives. Because prosperity is a big word that can cover a lot of things. Not just money. In fact, if you only tie it to money, then you are being narrow minded about the possibilities, and repressing your potential blessing.

I Want To Be Free!

I have been working on become free from debt for a little over a year now. I long to be financial prosperous. I want to have all my bills paid and want for nothing. Who doesn't, right? What I am learning, however, is more than just the skills required to prosper with money. God wants to give us prosperity in our marriages, in our homes, in the way we love people, and at our jobs. In other words every area of our lives. So if we were to learn how to be prosperous with just with our money, we are not getting all that God is freely giving.

I'm A Big Kid

Picture this. You are a parent, and your small child wants a bike. He sees all of the big kids have one, and he wants to be a big kid to. So you get him a bike and start to put it together. He sees the training wheels you are putting on, and he says, "I'm a big kid. I don't need training wheels."

Trust Is Highly Overrated

Trust is still ringing in my spirit. What I am finding, is that I have to take the human nature version of trust out of the equation. Because trusting people is different than trusting Christ. That is where I have had the biggest issue.

Trust is (L)earned

The word trust has been really on my heart. I know there are times when I have had trouble trusting. The bible is full of examples of how we should trust God. Whether it is physical trust like trusting God with your kids, or emotional trust to trust God with your feelings. I am learning more and more about trust. We need to come to the point where we totally rely on God.

Stuff It!

Raising kids gives you the unique vision to see just how much influence everything that is not of God has on us. We tend to have a blind spot in seeing the influence on us, but when you are paying close attention to your kids, you see that influence a lot clearer. Well I have a simple fix for blocking out that influence.

Whispers and Hints

I have been asked the following question: "Does God ever actually talk to you?" It's a simple question with a complicated answer. If I just answer, yes, then it will likely paint a picture that the audible voice of God comes booming through my house telling me what to do. While I have no doubt that God can do that if He chooses, that is not how God typically chooses to talk to His people these days.

What Is Your Achilles Heel?

My family made the decision to start going to a full gospel church when I was 10 years old. I am not really sure why they made that decision, but it profoundly changed my life. I fell in love with the idea of God, and accepted Jesus as my savior pretty quick. I did everything that a Christian should do and started being careful about what came out of my mouth, and entered into my ears. I really wanted to live for Jesus, and learned early that He would talk to me if I really listened.

Despite my love affair, I had a really big weakness. A weakness that the enemy took advantage of.

Sometimes Parenting Stinks

Sometimes I am convinced that my kids don't like me. I am always up in their business, as they say. I grill them over what they watch on TV. I fuss at them for their choices in YouTube videos on their tablets. I am even restrictive on the friends they hang out with. I feel like the bad guy, but what choice do I have?

Wageing War On God's Terms

If you have not had the chance to see the movie "War Room", you need to see it. It's very good. Although you ladies might need to have a box of tissue handy. It made me realize just how much war is going on in our lives. It also made me realize how the war stories in the Bible with swords and arrows, relate to that spiritual war that is going on in the world around us.

What Do Your Trees Look Like?

My husband has been going on and on about how he wants some fruit trees. He wants to plant a few and then learn how to can the fruit. Which means, of course, that I will have to learn all about canning the fruit. When I walk past his computer, on the screen will inevitably be a website talking about fruit trees.

I am just waiting to come home from work one day and see one standing in my front yard. Oh boy...

Intertwining Coolness

This weekend I learned something that really made me open my eyes on what trusting God really means. This one little new tidbit of information maybe help you get through the next hair frizzing dip on the rollercoaster of life.

Great Expectations

I have always been one to have high expectations. If I make plans to go on a trip, I start planning and expecting for months in advance. I always get really excited about things to come. Tell me we are moving to a new state, and I start planning and expecting great things to come from the move. If I get a new job, I start planning and expecting good things to happen. I have had this trait since I was a little girl.

Until a few years ago, that is. When my expectations started to fall short of reality.

Listen Up!

Today's blog goes right along with yesterday's blog. We talked about putting the right tools in your tool box. Having the right tools to fix or build something makes all the difference. But would it not be nice to know when and how to use those tools?

Tool Time With Trudy

One of my son's is preparing to go to a technical college next year. He is only 16, but our state has a program that allows High School students to attend classes in specific fields as a way to give them a leg up on a career when they graduate. He wants to be a carpenter and build things. Their carpentry program will teach him skills in that area. Over the course of a semester, they will actually build a complete house. It's pretty cool.

Temptation, You're Such A Jerk!

If we are not careful, we can find that the enemy can really destroy many areas of our lives through temptation. It takes many forms. Something you saw on TV or Facebook, a hidden weakness in your life can suddenly raise it's ugly head, or it can even come from something said by friends or family.

Do -NOT- Conform!

For those that are new to parenting, or are not parents yet, here is a piece of advice. For those that have been a parent, you will certainly agree. Here it is: Prepare your hearts, because a surprise is often waiting around every corner.