Category Archives: My Thought Closet

Posted on

Why You Need a Hero for Your Heart

As a kid, the last thing you want to hear is, “You’re a copy cat!”

Female hands holding cups of coffee on rustic wooden table background

We all want to think we are one of a kind, an original! I have often wondered where in the world that phrase even came from anyway. I mean, have you ever known a cat who copied?! Have you even known of a finicky feline who cared enough about another human or animal to even notice them, much less, imitate them?! Cats are the most independent, “don’t tell me what to do,” “I don’t need you,” “leave me alone please,” creatures I know!

Posted on

5 Hotel Habits to Make Traveling Easier [Video]

So, it’s summer and I’ve been doing some Facebook Live videos about traveling — and we’ve been getting excited about going on our Fresh Grounded Faith Cruise in February 2017! In all my traveling, I have noticed I have the same issues over and over whether I am in the US or abroad. The trip may be 24 hours or 3 weeks but the same stuff happens to me over and over! I leave my phone charger in the hotel. I lose my hotel key card and jewelry and all sorts of important stuff. I get all stuffy and my sinuses act up in almost every hotel room I stay in. And while I’m there, I forget my room number and have to go to the desk, show my ID, and admit I forgot where I’m staying!

Now, I’ve been traveling pretty much full time for the past 10 years! If I can find myself stumbling through the same travel trauma with that much experience, I have a feeling most travelers may deal with some of these issues too. So, here’s a quick, easy list of solutions to make your next get-away trip of non-issues!

Posted on

2 Ways to Become a Woman of Discernment

Awhile back, I attended a meeting of small business owners with my husband Phil. There were four businesses represented; a frozen custard shop, a health food store, an accounting firm, and our ministry!

AdobeStock_100222319

In order for the trainer to make a point about the perils and power of influence, she wrote several words on a white board.  The words were a list of colors: red, black, blue, green…you get the idea. But, the tricky part was that she wrote all those words over and over in random order and each word which named a color was written with a marking pen of a different color! So, the word “pink” was written with blue ink; the word “yellow” was written in read ink! Stressed out yet? I know!

Posted on

Tips and Tricks for Packing Light from the Type A Traveler!

I have been traveling in ministry for over 15 years — sometimes as many as 40 weekends a year! And, believe it or not, when I am not traveling for ministry, I still love to travel just for fun! One of the comments I most often hear when I arrive, no matter where I go, is “wow, you travel so light!” I guess I am a little — okay, a lot — type A about how I pack! I’ve been asked how I do it so, even though this is a departure from my usual blog content, I thought I would help the sisters out! Seriously, I write the blogs I do to help you lighten your load in life, so why not help you in a super practical way with lightening your load so you can enjoy stress-free travel? Makes sense to me, so here are 4 tips to simplify your packing and reduce your travel stress:

1. Use lightweight luggage:
Let’s just start with the basics. Not only do you not want to over pack, you don’t want your luggage to weigh a ton to begin with. It’s just no fun to lug it around. So, if you start with luggage that doesn’t weigh much to begin with, you will never be over-weight when you check luggage with the airline and you won’t pull a muscle as you try to drag it into the hotel. There are lots of good brands for traveling light. And, I have learned from experience, you don’t have to spend top dollar. Look for nylon as the main fabric for your lightweight luggage. You can find a four-wheeled carry-on that is under 5 lbs.! I really like Kipling and Lucas brands because they have traveled well and aren’t the most expensive. And, they come in fun colors!

Posted on

Slow Down and Breathe: 4 Ways to Escape Your Revolving Door

Do you ever feel like you live in a revolving door? You know, just when you think life will slow down and pause long enough for you to hop off and take a breath, it just spins on and on and on!!

Dollarphotoclub_93150318 (1)

Demands, obligations, others’ needs, a to-do list that never gets shorter, and surprise situations that come up can keep you feeling like you’re going round and round and getting nowhere fast!

That revolving door doesn’t feel like a way to get from one place to another, it feels more like a trap — a place where you have no control over where you’re going and when you’ll get there.

Posted on

3 Scriptures to Pray When You Just Don’t Know What to Do

Life offers us lots of questions and very few answers. It sets before us many paths, but very few reliable directions about which path is the best for us.

pexels-photo-103127

We are bombarded with decisions — should I take this job? Should I quit this job?! We have endless choices — is this the college for me? Is this the guy for me? Is this the church where God wants me to be?