What is the right way? There are so many paths to choose from and so many ways that we can choose to communicate or act. One of the things that helped me move beyond my typical biased views is leading with compassion. When I approach a situation with a mindset of love, kindness, and understanding, my mind is open to seeing other perspectives. Rather than assuming I know all the facts, I start with an understanding that I only know my perspective, and even then, my viewpoint can be biased. Jesus knows the full story accurately and sees the total…
In life, there are plenty of moments that bring out the negative, but the real test is whether one can move past discouragement and use it as fuel to ignite kindness and compassion. Ignoring the nasty addressing frustrations with love and understanding. Turning a seemingly negative event into a lesson in building trust. Most of us have moments of frustration, but I don’t let those moments take over my life. I learn from my mistakes, but I don’t linger in discouragement. Think about a time when you have been around someone who lives their life frustrated and stressed…
I am hopeful I won’t allow myself to be boxed in by something so permanent as the word never. When I hear myself use the word, I find myself immediately regretting what I’ve said. I know that all things are possible, and most, if not all, of my “nevers” have been proven wrong. Not only does it backfire on me, but it has also often led to some of my most memorable and cherished experiences. I never wanted to go to college. Yet I have earned a PhD. I never wanted to leave Ohio. Yet I’ve lived…
Spring allows us a beautiful opportunity to push the reset button and start anew. For the past few years, I have been doing the bare minimum outside, while I tended to things that were more urgent and a higher priority inside our home. This past weekend, the yard received a thorough and much-needed reset. Although my body continues to feel the joys of the manual labor, my mind has renewed energy from a weekend of fresh air, task completion, and beautification. The same is true with the inside of our house. Every season provides an opportunity for renewal and…
As I walked into Cooper City Church, I immediately looked at the person who invited me and smiled. Using nonverbal communication, her eyes lit up, telling me, “I told you so.” I flew in for the weekend to spend time with her and Jesus. The weekend did not disappoint, but the highlight was the undeniable feeling of the Holy Spirit as you entered this church. It felt like the Holy Spirit opened the door and greeted us. As we moved closer, it drew us in and ignited inner peace. Every person who engaged with us, I counted five, carried a…
Benjamin Hall was purposeful in his determination to live. “My God, you were gone,” said his surgeon, Dr. Grygorovskyy. “You shouldn’t be here. It is a miracle that you are.” A missile attack nearly killed Hall as he was covering the war in Ukraine for Fox News in 2022. One year after the near-fatal attack, he was back on the job, and 614 days from the attack, he was back in Kyiv on assignment (Hall, 2025). In his book Resolute, “Hall reflects on the key factors that allowed him to survive the deadly missile attack, endure multiple…
Any questions that cloud my mind regarding others are typically the first warning signal of something that I need to work on myself. I find that when something judgmental comes to my mind, it is a learning tool that I can use to think about and adapt to my life. If a fleeting judgmental thought crosses my mind, I take note and try to take that thought and put it back on me. When my mind is alerted to someone who acts prideful, instead of addressing the person, I look to myself to eliminate that type of behavior. If my…
Acceptance for many of us is seeing before believing. But the beauty of our faith is believing without doubt. There are many things we do in our daily lives that strengthen our faith and the faith of others. Living life and accepting others with love have proven to be instrumental in my journey. Not simply saying the right words, but following through with compassion and meaningful actions. Taking a moment before things get nasty to better understand the perspective of others. Before saying something I regret, I say a quick prayer for guidance and perspective. I ask Jesus to speak…
Sometimes it seems easier to escape into something routine, exciting, or new instead of addressing the issue. Avoidance creates much stress and anxiety in the world today. I was taken aback when I heard the statistic that over our lifetime, between 12-18 years of our lives are spent on our phones. Although I see many advantages of technology, to me, hours of scrolling through unnecessary information seem to be an escape from being present, avoiding the unknown, the silence, or the discomfort of being present in the moment. It might not be technology for all of us. Some of…
When I consider that our pets completely rely on us, it makes sense that they might have a fear of the unknown. They sense clues that something is different, but have no knowledge of what or for how long. Over the last three years, our dog has been a bit spoiled by the fact that someone, mostly me, has been in the house 24/7. Our dog saw my suitcase and started to get a bit clingy, knowing something was up. One of my neighbors takes great care of her when I am away, but it has been numerous years…