Many years ago, I supervised a pre-school in a refugee camp where many kids had behavioural issues due to trauma. I knew that punishing a child for inappropriate behaviour wasn’t as helpful as guiding them to find a resolution. By helping them navigate through conflict, I was contributing to their self-awareness and problem-solving skills. After […]
Discipline
Stand Firm! Resist the Urge to Return to Yesterday’s Strategies
Lately, I have been dwelling on Ephesians 6:10-17, which is familiar to you if you have been reading my blog as of late. Have you ever noticed how often Paul charges his readers to ‘stand firm’ in that passage? I did! Three times! Anyone who studies the Bible knows to pay attention when something is […]
I Have No Choice, I Must Keep Moving
I fell yesterday. Don’t worry. I am okay. It’s not fun to fall; it hurts! But it comes with the territory of living with a disability such as mine. I can’t just lie there and have a pity party. No, I have to get up. I have no choice. Yes, I stay still for a […]
Keep Moving or Risk Not Moving at All
Hebrews 12:11-13 – “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the […]
Heart Transplant Recipient After-Care
Psalms 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Several years ago, a friend received the gift of a new heart after decades of failing health. Every year she celebrates her new life and all of those who love her celebrate along with her. We are […]
Sometimes, It’s All About the Process
As a child growing up in the sixties, I kept my mother company as she took care of the laundry. We’d pass the time by watching an old portable black-and-white TV my mother set up on the kitchen counter. These were the days of I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched and The Jetsons, and I marvelled […]
Ready For The Suddenlies?
The horrific loss of life and property caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 caused the entire world to grieve. As I watched the news coverage, I heard multiple survivors describe the events as happening ‘suddenly.’ The tsunami caught hundreds of thousands off guard. There was no warning. As they went about their day […]
You Don’t Win a Gold Medal on Your Own
Proverbs 11:24 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” Athletes who compete against the clock fascinate me. Long distant runners, bikers, decathletes, swimmers, speed skaters, and skiers. At first glance, it appears they deserve all the glory for their incredible successes, or so it […]
Before the Alarm Sounds
Living ready for the moments when God interrupts our ordinary lives I live within blocks of a fire station that serves a large metropolitan area. I am so accustomed to the sirens whizzing by that I no longer awaken from my sleep as fire trucks and ambulances race below me at night. I blissfully sleep […]