So, we’re continuing on in the “Seek the things above” series for Wednesdays … and actually, this time delving into a verse I mentioned last week, but as one of the comments from that post was mentioning an interest in a printable of this verse, I wanted to dive into it a little more. Luke 9:23 … it’s such a fundamental passage to follow Jesus, and we have heard it so many times. And to us, the cross immediately makes us think of spiritual things. But have you ever thought about the fact that at the time that Jesus said … Read more

Well, a little while back, I asked you all what are your favorite road trip games, and mentioned an upcoming vlog about it … so here it is! (If you’re reading this in a reader or email, and can’t see the video above, just click here) By the way, after the little ending segment, there’s a bonus clip of us playing one of the road trip games. Keep in mind … the emphasis of that game is more on cacophony than being on key. Leave your thoughts and comments below – I always get excited when I get a … Read more

Crumbs or feasting? Well, it depends on the setting. It is so easy in our society to get caught up in the material things. More money, more things, bigger houses, newer stuff. And yet, when we get all that, are we happy? If we put more effort into our house than into our home, our family – will it be a happy place? That is what I love about this verse. It reminds us that it is not what we own that gives us joy and peace and happiness: “Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full … Read more

Boston Skyline Photograph by Elizabeth Thomas Photo I’m really loving living in a city again. I love the busy-ness of a city, the variety of experiences. We explored Chinatown last week and tried some delicious new kinds of food … there was a strange bulbous brown thing on top of one of the dishes that turned out to be some sort of delicious marinated egg. Plus, I finally got to try bubble tea .. in mango, my favorite fruit! Our little girl turned 5 within a few days of arriving in Boston, and her main present from us was that … Read more

We were discussing this verse the other day, and it really struck home. Life is busy, and there are always so many things to capture our attention. And while there is nothing wrong with doing our jobs, fulfilling our responsibilities, or even enjoying the lovely things in this world, if we get so caught up in it that we’re not remembering that this world is not all that there is, then something is wrong. I remember one time hearing someone talk about keeping a proper balance between what is urgent and what is important. Some things are both important and … Read more

For this week’s “Seek the things above” post, I want to pose some questions which I hope will be thought provoking. Why do you believe what you believe? Is it because it is what you’ve always heard? What your culture commonly believes? What your parents taught you? What your preacher, priest or pastor told you? How do you know what they told you is true? Does the Bible tell us we’ll just get a feeling about it – or does the Bible teach us to study his Word to know his will? What about the Bereans? When the apostle Paul … Read more

Six years ago this weekend was when we said “I will”. When we got married, we said “I will” instead of “I do”, because we were committing not only what we agreed to for that day – but for all days to come. I remember when I was a younger, deciding what I was looking for in a spouse. I wanted a man who would love God more than he loved me, but who would love me more than any other woman in the world. No one said marriage would be easy, and it hasn’t always been. There are ups … Read more

I’ve never had a smart phone before – and I really wasn’t trying to get one. I kind of figured it would be a long time until I had a smart phone, and that was fine with me. But when we needed to get new Massachusetts phone numbers, we shopped around and it was actually cheaper to get a data plan for the number of lines we needed – and the smart phones were free! Sweet. And now I get to enjoy the real reason I wanted a smart phone: Instagram. I went on a quick trip up to Maine … Read more

Our trip to Boston was won-der-fulllllllll. I am so looking forward to living there soon, Lord willing! While we were gone we took lots of pictures, naturally, and we also made some travel vlogs while we were driving. I was hoping to post one of those today, but due to technical difficulties with the video, I’m going to have to postpone that one. So instead today, I want to share with you one simple travel tip: go to the library! First off, it can be a good idea to visit the library before you leave and check out some books … Read more

(Sorry for my lack of blog-posts last week … I was in Florida! If I was more organized and had planned ahead more I would have had blog posts pre-written and scheduled to post while I was away. But .. well, that didn’t happen. But the week in FL was awesome – it was a road trip with my extended family, I got see my siblings at college, attend a week of Bible lectures, and see my brother in the Spring musical. WooT!) And now I’ve returned from the 80+ degree weather back to the chilly snowy days of February. … Read more