Full of Joy

One final thought before I head into my Christmas and New Years sabbatical. (Haha! Are you as amused as me I gave my own self a sabbatical from my own writing?!) Recently God led Chuck and I to give financially to this campaign at our church. We were asked to commit monthly for three years. I can't say I've been excited about this, but we're moving forward in obedience and faith. Ever since we gave our pledge, God has not only provided, but surprised us with Sweet Things. When we were traveling over Thanksgiving, we really wanted to eat at one of our favorite spots in VA- Potbelly's! I saved up some grocery money so we could treat ourselves. Instead, God provided when friends of ours treated us to lunch at Potbelly's, and I was able to use that money later for needed groceries! Then this week, we found out Basye's insurance covers the cost of something we have to spend a lot of money on every month. It took a gazillion phone calls, and several stops at ph...

Last weekend, Chuck and I spontaneously decided to take the kids on a little getaway. We’ve had a long, emotional, and tiring summer so we needed some time together alone as a family. On Thursday afternoon we headed down to VA where Chuck’s family has a house. A long car ride with two toddlers is NEVER enjoyable, but we finally rolled into town and stopped at one of our favorite dives- Cook Out. It’s cheap, it’s yummy, it’s NUT free, and oh yeah, it’s cheap! Dinner went rather smoothly and my heart was full as I looked around the table and saw all of us enjoying a dinner out. Chuck and I were extra joyful because it was the first restaurant Basye has been able to eat out at due to her allergies! Plus, Jase was doing amazingly well at potty-training and even announced to us during dinner he needed to go. Please don’t roll your eyes- this is a serious victory people! Our table of 4 was cheering and clapping and celebrating like it was Christmas when Jase got back from the restr...

I LOVE a Give-Away Day! Congratulations to Jess Lockwood! Gretchen's book will be heading your way very soon. And a big THANK YOU to all who commented. Many blessings of Sweet Things to each of you.

It’s not my story; It’s your story, Father, so help me tell it well… Hello blog world. I hope you all are doing well. I am writing to you from Bloomington, Minnesota—the place I have called home now for 11 years. Abigail approached me about 3 months ago to write a post, and I have had several ideas swirling around in my head, but nothing was making its way in coherent form on paper. This weekend, God solidified in me what I hope will be an encouragement to you. My husband, Jamie, and I work with college students at Normandale Community College, and this weekend was the winter retreat. In the first session together my friend Ben shared his testimony. Ben came to follow Jesus as a teenager, and at least from my perspective, he was given a very special gift. Ben shared with us that while he didn’t have full understanding of who or what he was deciding to follow, he did feel a deep conviction that God was good, God was real, and God loved him. These convictions have stayed with h...