About a month ago I came home from work and found myself in an empty house. It was strange without having any commotion or conversation happening right when I walk in the door. My family was busy doing other tasks so I found myself sitting on my couch taking in the beauty of the silence. I began praying during this moment and lifting my heart and thoughts to God. 

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At one point I prayed, "God this parenting thing can sometimes be really draining.” 

Almost immediately I got a response.  Whether it was my own thoughts or not I felt like it was God replying to me. 

God said, “You have no idea.”


This immediately made me laugh understanding our heavenly parent is out there loving and caring for everyone on this planet and here I am having only three to look over. 

However this response really got me thinking about God's role as a heavenly parent.  This person that is constantly watches over us and guides us down the pathways of life.  ​

Now there are many people that have had unfortunate situations in life which have caused there idea of a parent to bring on some strong emotions. If that is you I encourage you to see God in a different way that fits your understanding and emotional health.

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Let's be clear God is not physically shooting hoops with your kid, or helping them with their math homework. So its important to understand the differences between being an actual parent and God. What differences do you think there are?
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Despite God not physically helping you with things its about the understanding that there is this mystery caring deeply for you despite all the things of the world. This creator that loves you for who you are. Bad things happen which is not the result of God but God is often hurting and suffering with you during the process.  This concept can sometimes be hard to grasp as we tend to blame instead of embrace.  We say why did God do this to me?  Losing my dad earlier in my life made me think about this thought process a lot. I don't believe God is doing something bad to us, only loving us everyday for who we are and through all the emotions, both joy and pain we feel.  


God holds your emotional pain and sits beside you. God isn't going to make decisions for you but is trying to guide you down the best paths in your life. You have been created with an intelligence to make decisions for yourself. God is a parent that continues to provide love and direction if we seek it. Seeking direction from God is usually where we fall short. I know I often miss opportunities throughout the day to just focus my mind and pray when needed. Lifting our hearts and voices to God is often the way in which the divine can work.  We have to listen with our hearts, eyes, and ears as God is speaking to us through the daily interactions of life.  

May God bless each of you who come to this site and follow along our blog.  I pray God's love embraces you and holds you tight.  

This week hold those you love close and tell them how you feel about them.  

Many years ago I was part of a church softball league. We were able to pull people we knew from around the community to form a team for Community of Christ. Every Sunday night we would head to the lights and take our positions out on the softball field. We quickly found out that our skill level compared to other teams was extremely limited causing us most nights to be non-competitive.  Even with that we had fun and we continued to play hard.

Our second to last game we ended up somehow in the lead by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning. I changed out from pitcher that inning to centerfield.  There was two outs with a runner on first. You could feel the emotion of our team as we were one out from clenching our first win of the season. The softball was pitched and the batter swung hitting a high fly ball straight to center field. I was stoked knowing I was in great position and this would cap off the win. Amped up, I began running forward a few steps. As I continued to position myself, the ball began carrying deeper and deeper into the field. Once I realized I had run up to much it was too late and the ball dropped behind me rolling to the fence.  I ran after it and threw it in but by then it was too late. The batter and the base runner had scored winning the game for the other team.  

The swing in emotions was brutal especially for me as I knew I had let my team down. The shame and disappointment immediately set in. I walked in hanging my head knowing so much hinged on my performance on that one play. Some of my teammates were heated not speaking while others patted me on the back. It was hard to look at them knowing I had disappointed them.  I apologized and then we all dispersed to our cars to go back home.  Most of the night my mind ran back through the game and in particular the last play.  I beat myself up with negative comments and found myself restless throughout the night.  Eventually I had to put it aside in my mind and tell myself mistakes happen. A mistake does not denote worth of a person.

Luckily that next week our team won finally satisfying our desire for a win.  But this blatant experience reminds me of what the emotions of shame and disappointment can do to someone. This story just touches the surface of these emotions as there are so many other real and horrible experiences which cause deep emotional scars and lasting effects on our psyche. 

Through this whole experience I was still able to see my worth as a child of God and individual. However those with early childhood experiences and traumatic circumstances sometimes believe they have no worth and are not worthy. Community of Christ believes in the worth of all persons indicating no matter what you have been through or have experienced God loves you for who you are. All are worthy to come to the table to dine with the divine. It is in this concept where wholeness is found and healing takes place as people come to experience God through holistic relationships with others.  

​Its not easy to overcome these deep embedded emotions that sometimes unconsciously rule our lives. Much often goes back to trust in ourselves and others. There is power to our story and our ability to take the difficult steps needed for meaning and purpose. We must remember nothing is impossible when we come to God with an open heart and mind. Wholeness can be found and our lives can be restructured into something meaningful and profound. 

All in all you have worth! You matter! God Loves You!

I hope everyone reading along is able to find and feel the worth they have as a child of God.  

Please reach out with love to those you know to let them know their worth in your life. If you are ever needing anyone to talk with please comment below.  

This recent blast of below freezing weather in February got me reminiscing about my childhood. Growing up on a farm brought lots of area to run, play, fish, and explore. And when it snowed there was even more exploration as we had to find the best sledding spot or the biggest snow drift. My siblings and I would trudge all over our property zipping down every small hill or formations we found. One year the temperatures were so bitter that our pond froze over. It was solid enough that my whole family was able to go out and play on it, sliding across the slippery ice.  I was really young at the time but I remember enjoying the moment and how incredible it was to be out on the middle of the pond. 

It was that next year when it got cold again and snowed that I found myself at the edge of the pond looking out over the sheet of ice on top of it. Me being so little thought it was just the same as the year before and longed to be out in the middle of the ice. I took a few steps onto the sheet of ice as I slowly started to move away from the side. Suddenly the ice cracked and I shot down into the water below me. Luckily I was only a few steps out and the water went to about my knees. I quickly got up and fearfully ran all the way back to the house where I received a stern talking to about the dangers of frozen bodies of water.  

I realize looking back that the side I stepped out onto was the lowest of all the sides of the pond. If I had tried to do this at any other spot especially the embankment side I would have sank deeply into the water. I don't tell you this story saying "God saved me" as I don't think that was the case. Though I do believe God is always with us, prayers work, and there are blessings that happen which are unexplainable. I tell you this because sometimes the slightest decision can make all the difference in a life. A fraction of a second slower, going right instead of left, or even stepping out on the shorter side of a pond. And sometimes those differences are the work of prayers and love being sent to someone else. Life is precious and its important we use our instincts, intuition, and brains to make good decisions. We never know when our time will be up and so we must hold the ones we love, sit with those we care about, laugh until our bellies ache, do what we have always wished to do, and share our feelings with others while we can.  ​

Thank you to all those who continue to follow along.  May your hearts be full!

This week hug those close to you and share with them how much you love them!