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Defining Moments
We all have those defining moments that can push us forward or take us back. Sometimes those moments are caused by our own insecurities. Sometimes they’re inflicted by others who for whatever reason feel the necessity to break you. Sometimes they are victories won from within the strength we never thought we had. Sometimes they…
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Gimme a “K”…Gimme an “E”….
I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what my beautiful niece was starting to cheer spell. So I listened as she kept going. Gimme a “T” and another “T” and then it dawned on me. She’s cheer spelling her last name. Kettell. Pronounced (Kah-tell) I have to admit, I was taken back as…
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Internal Bleeding
I was watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy yesterday. It was an older episode and since I’m no doctor or any other type of medical professional, I have no clue how medically correct it is. I just really like the show. In this episode, there had been a train wreck. A woman was in the ER,…
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Will You Love Me?
Have you ever tried to “win” someone’s love? You went out of your way to show them you love them by being there, by paying attention to what they like and surprising them with those things? Have you ever dropped everything to go and help them and yet, you get nothing in return? Your pay…
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I gave him permission…
I saw the signs…friends pointed out the signs…I ignored the signs. I wanted him more than those things I thought could be overlooked or in my mind…fixed. Surely he loves me enough to want to change those things, why he even asked me to help him overcome his jealousy. Awww!! How sweet, see, he wants…
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A gift to bring
As a child growing up in a dysfunctional home, I found various things and places to fill the absence of love, to find my happy, to make the world go away. Television became an escape from the reality of all the yuck. I especially loved the Christmas shows that came on once a year. Unlike…
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I love you more than my phone…
I saw you today. But you didn’t see me. As you passed by me in your truck you couldn’t have seen me because you weren’t looking head and eyes up, you were staring head and eyes down. You don’t know me and clearly you don’t care about me or else your eyes would have been…
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Broken Bird
Prayer between my Heavenly Father is sometimes frustrating. Some days I feel like…am I asking the right thing, is this too petty, is this too much, is this too little? Other days I just shake my head as I let Him hear my heart and then I go about my day. Then, there’s this prayer…open…
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One
It took one God to create the entire earth into being and everything in it. It took one serpent to entice one woman to eat one fruit from one tree and pass that one fruit to one man to create sin. It took one brother to kill another brother to create murder. It took one…
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Just As I Was
A friend of mine once lovingly told me after I had decided to follow Jesus, “you don’t get to pick and choose what you want to follow, you pick up your cross and you follow Him.” I would like to say after she told me that, I did exactly that, but I didn’t. I’m a…
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I Looked For You
As a child, I looked for you in my parents. I looked for you in the fairy tales I read, in birthday parties, presents, mystical characters and dolls. As a teenager, I looked for you in my activities, my crushes, and still, my parents. I looked for you in me. I looked for you in…
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Losing My Religion
Maybe it’s not a blog post I need to write. Maybe it’s just putting down all the various thoughts running through my head. I prayed….maybe not the right prayers…I sought…but didn’t really know what I was seeking or who for that matter I was asking these things of. People I was surrounded with called him…
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How much for that cake?
That moment the number came out of my mouth, not once, but twice, not only was my heart threatening to jump right out of my chest, but my knees were a shaking and when it was said and done I couldn’t get back to my seat fast enough. Our church was having a dessert auction…
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No shirts, no shoes, no service…
I saw an article recently about a woman who was refusing her floral-arrangement service to a same-sex couple who wanted to get married. Instead of the couple going on their way to find a business that would do so, they took a stand against her and her beliefs and took it to court. They “won.” …
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Be Careful Little Eyes…
First off, let me just say I am in no way any kind of expert in the topic of porn. I am however well versed in the way it affected various stages of my life. Growing up I can remember a magazine that sat on the back of the toilet in our home. I want…
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Christmas through the tears…
As I watched Christmas celebrated through millions of posts made on social media, I came to one conclusion….everyone appeared to be high on merry!! Maybe that’s just the kind of stuff that came across my feed. Maybe you saw something different…or felt something different. Maybe you lost a loved one this past year or years…
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Stay away from my husband…
Even though it was a voice I had never heard over the phone or ever before for that matter, I knew she was hurt, angry, and territorial despite her trembling voice which gave away the fear behind her words. I was doing something upstairs in my bedroom when my son came in and handed me…
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Anger Awakened…
A little over 24 years ago, I wrote this story. At the time, I believed in God, but I didn’t have a personal relationship with Him. I didn’t even know that was possible. As you read this, I hope you see that even though my marriage failed, God never gave up on me. He kept…
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Back to the Beginning
I began filling out my passport application. I’m going along quite nicely until I get to the part where it asks the date I got divorced or widowed. I had to think really hard on the date I got divorced, and I can’t quite pinpoint the exact date. Earlier in the application process they asked…
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Let go of my hair…
“I think we need to step it up.” Those were my exact words years ago to my friend. We were walking home in one of the “better” neighborhoods one night. I’m not sure why, but I turned and looked behind us. I saw 2 figures walking quite a ways back. For whatever reason, a few…
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How I weighed and measured myself…
Society sure can put a lot of pressure on a person to look a certain way, but for me, society takes a back seat to how much pressure I put on myself. After I graduated from high school, I decided to join the military. I chose the Air Force and made my way to the…
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I grew up in Elmira…I moved back to “Hellmira”
I was born and raised in a city called Elmira, situated in upstate New York. The town is nestled in the folds of gently rolling hills that display a gorgeous array of color during the fall. It was this vibrant display of reds, yellows, golds, and greens that I missed all the years I was…
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My life as a Cow…giving my milk away for free
We’ve all heard the saying…”why buy the cow, if you can get the milk for free?” But, who really pays attention to that nonsense? I have to say, I wish I had. As a young girl I can honestly say I didn’t value myself or the wisdom of my elders. After all, there was no…
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You Never Forget Your First…
Pick a first…any first in your life that you can remember from the time that you could….well, remember. You’re first kiss. The first time you held hands with a crush. The first time your heart was broken. You’re first roller coaster ride or plane trip. The first time you “knew” what you wanted to be…
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A Rest at Jacob’s Well
One of the awesome things I get to do in this season of life is lead a group of amazing women as I volunteer with Proverbs 31 Ministries On-Line Bible studies. I can’t even begin to describe what an honor and privilege this is and has been. I tell you this because we are studying…
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Lackluster Faith
I’m so stinkin’ excited and honored to be a guest over on my friend Jamy Whitaker’s blog today!! We met through Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies and we actually got to meet in person at the She Speaks conference last year. I love the way God orchestrates life!! I invite you to click on the…
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Filling my bucket…
I remember this little song I sung as a child called, “There’s a hole in my bucket.” It was a song between Liza and Henry and how to fix their bucket and in the end, after going over different options on how to fix the bucket, Liza told Henry to “use his head.” You…
Blessed to be Broken
God's not finished with me yet!
Blessed to be Broken 