What comes to mind when you think of meditation? The first image that pops into my head is someone sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, palms facing up on their knees. The next word that comes to my mind is, hard. Because I tend to think meditation takes work. But I don't think "work" is what God had in mind for biblical meditation. What is meditation? Simply stated, meditation is thinking deeply about something. It doesn't necessarily take work, but it does take focus. Outside of the spiritual ... read more

I pray you are enjoying and reflecting on our Savior's birth! The New Year is a week away, along with the beginning of new things. For many, this includes reading through the Bible. It can be a daunting task, especially with the first few books of the Bible. Beginning in Exodus, God tells Moses how to build the Tabernacle. Then Moses tells the Israelites. After that, they build it! Leviticus can be technical. Then comes Numbers. Reading line after line, exactly how many members were in each ... read more

Not too long ago, I made a trip to Houston. I drove near The Galleria, a favorite shopping place for our family during the holidays. Each year we go window-shopping for a few hours. Sometimes we make a purchase or two and then go out to eat. Afterward, we look at Christmas lights. It’s been a fun, family tradition. As I thought about whether we’d be able to pull it off this year (our kids are young adults now, and not always available), I had that familiar “Christmas feeling” overtake my heart. ... read more

Recently I asked a group to give thanks for specific things. Each took a turn sharing. Except for one, who commented, “Shouldn’t we be thankful all year round? If I state that I’m thankful for one specific thing, it takes away the value of how thankful I am about other things.” True, we should be thankful all year round. But it got me thinking. Why should we be thankful for specific people, places, or things? I thought about it all day while the chorus “Count your many blessings, name them ... read more

Transformation. Change. We leave the old behind and embrace the new. The vast majority of social media posts with a #transformation hashtag are about lifestyle improvement. From weight loss to minimalism, people want to become a better version of themselves. Enter personality typing. It's been around for a long time and quizzes abound. It appears the Enneagram and personality typing is the new kid on the block. But the Enneagram personality typing system has been around longer than most ... read more

Where would we be without words? We use them constantly. We speak and think them. And we write and text them. Combined with music, they become the language of the heart. Even our body language translates into unspoken words. Crossed arms and a scowl can say, I’m mad at you. A gentle touch or a hug can say, I love you.  A few mornings ago when I came downstairs for my coffee, my sweet man asked me how I slept. I wasn’t quite awake, and I hadn’t found my voice. But I squeaked out, “Fine.” He ... read more

Are you a rule follower? There are rules for everything. Rules for games and sports. Rules for punctuation, and rules for completing math problems. Even rules for how we behave at work and at school. In some cases, the word guidelines might be more effective. Some of us simply aren’t rule followers. We want to do things our own way. No matter the consequences. We think we know better. And sometimes we might. But when we don’t, things can fall apart. For Israel, part of possessing the ... read more