We were building our house in Raleigh when Hurricane Fran whipped through North Carolina. We went to bed in our apartment that night expecting to dodge the worst of it, but awoke to devastation on a level I had never before witnessed. Seventeen large pines had mercifully missed my son’s bedroom as he slept and lay on the ground beside his room. The foundation of the house we were building, and had so carefully placed between two large oak trees, was filled with a hundred year fallen beauty.

We had gone to bed sending up prayers for our neighbors in South Carolina, thinking we were safe. They were missed, and North Carolina was slammed. How could the weather forecasters have missed by so much? (Read More)

This week I found myself having to say “no” when it would have been easier to say “yes.” While wrestling between what I thought I should do and what I felt uncomfortable doing, I heard myself telling a client, “If you know the right thing to do, that is the thing you must do.”

Dealing with someone else’s decisions can seem amazingly clear. Bring in your own personal world of emotions and the right decision can become anything but apparent. How do we filter out the debris so that we can make wise choices? (Read More)

How does God look at His children when they intentionally or accidentally sin in the worse way? Is He fed up? Sometimes it is hard to forgive ourselves, or know how to treat ourselves, or others after we’ve messed up.

Larry and I had a great friend who is now with the Lord. Ken was Larry’s house mate and trainer when he joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ. Our first born children were born the same week, and were good friends when we lived in California. He had a winsome spirit and smile, was a talented worship leader, and gifted Bible teacher. He was also a polio survivor. (Read More)

A young wife confided that when her husband won’t listen to her, she takes off her blouse and says, “Now that I have your attention, would you please listen to what I have been trying to tell you.”

Husbands complain that their wives aren’t interested in sex and wives complain that their husbands don’t listen to them. Are the two connected? I believe they are and learning to meet each other’s needs brings satisfaction to each.

Women, in general, need to feel emotionally connected before they want to be sexually connected. Men generally don’t need this preamble to sex. This means good sex requires selflessness from both parties. (Read More)

We returned from out of town to an army of ants marching through our laundry room and over our kitchen counters. I don’t care to share my living space with these annoying pests.

Even though I don’t like ants, their visit benefited our family. They reminded us that we are vulnerable to ant invasion and even a lone ant now prompts a quick scan to make sure no inviting crumbs or spills are around. They have motivated renewed diligence in keeping even the outside of containers wiped clean. I am not sure if they are after water, food or a cool house, but I’m taking no chances and remind the family when they start to leave food out, “Remember the ants.”

It occurred to me this morning as I was wiping down cabinets that, “Remember the ants” works for my mental and spiritual health also. Dr. Daniel Amen, author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, calls our Automatic Negative Thoughts-ANTS. It is a good acronym. Can’t you just picture those black negative thoughts marching around inside your head? (Read More)