In January of 2020, I set my mind to cleaning out every room, closet, cabinet, and drawer in our home that month.

Had I know what 2020 was going to bring us, I would have waited until March to do this! 

The kids are all gone now and we find ourselves to be empty nesters. There was a lot to sort through, get rid of, donate, and just generally reorganize.

​​Honestly, there were some of these spaces where I really didn't even know what was in them. 

I had tried to do this daunting task in the past but always failed. There was a big struggle with this one particular closet in our home, and I discovered that this closet was holding me back from accomplishing my goal of decluttering and cleaning out the other parts of the house.

Our guest blogger, Debbie, has been missing in action around here for almost a year now. 

Like many of us in 2020, she's been on an unexpected journey. But Debbie's journey was different than the journey most of us have been on over the past several months. Her journey included not only all that COVID brought to our world, her journey also included that dreaded "C" word--cancer.

We all know someone who has been on the cancer journey. Maybe, you've even traveled that road yourself. The greatest thing to know is that as Christian women, as women of God, we know that we do not travel that road alone! Not only do we not travel the road alone, but God also gives us unique opportunities to share the road with those who come behind us. Today, Debbie shares that road with us in the first of a 3-part series--The Unexpected Journey.

I don't know about you, but I love a good road trip! And I love a good book on my road trip too—usually more than one book, actually. 

2020 wasn't a great year for road trips, but it was a great year for reading! With all the social distancing and quarantine many of us found a good bit of extra time for reading. That was a hidden blessing! I hope this year we'll still find time for reading and we'll be able to throw some road trips in there as well! 

Today, let me share with you some books I've been reading that you'll want to add to your list for that road trip I hope you're planning. 

I love this Dr. Seuss quote! ​"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go." I want to go a lot of places—MORE ROAD TRIPS! So, let's get reading!

When we read about the Proverbs 31 woman, we find that she is a virtuous, faithful woman who respects her husband.

​She is strong and enduring, well-rounded, charitable, and provides well for her family.

We also find that she is well-dressed, the wife of a good husband, honorable, wise, kind, and a good mother.

She is praiseworthy, attains and excels at her goals, but most of all, we discover that she loves God!

Culture is quickly sifting all around us. This question has crossed my mind frequently, “Will my kids be able to stand for truth in their generation?” How sad it would be to have invested years of training and prayer only to see the ground of their hearts surrendered to the devices of this world and its philosophy.

​To help gain wisdom and godly counsel, I began reading a book by Genesis apologists, Ken Ham entitled, Will They Stand: Preparing Kids to Face the Giants. It is packed full of wisdom from the Word of God as well as life examples from Dr. Ham’s childhood. 

​In the opening chapters, Ken Ham puts quite a bit of emphasis on his own upbringing. He references his parent’s character, love for the Word, and willingness to swim against culture even in the church. Ham acknowledges that his parent’s life choices aimed his life on a course of fearing God and standing on truth. ​

Prayer. That one word represents so many things to me: peace, beauty, communion, praise, duty, failure, distraction, forgetfulness, absence, frustration.
 
What do you think of when you think of prayer?

• Are you so busy during your day you often forget to pray?
• Are you so plagued by guilt over sin or lack of prayer you don’t want to pray?
• Are you so out of practice in prayer that you don’t know how to pray?
• Are you so in love with your God that you pray continually throughout your day?
• Are you so ritualistic in your prayer times that you don’t remember what you prayed?

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​Prayer is one of the most precious aspects of the Christian life. 

2020 may have left you thinking, "Well, I know what I know about God, but I just don't feel it." It was a rough year for many of us, and for a lot of different reasons.

I have a friend who, while the rest of us were worried we might contract COVID, wondered if she'd survive her cancer diagnosis and treatments. I know multiple elderly people who were homebound during the prolonged lockdowns. Some of them so undone with the loneliness that they gave up the fight altogether. I've seen friends who have suffered great financial setbacks due to the pandemic. I'm sure you have as well. Maybe you're one of those people.

My friend, Patricia Holbrook, asks: "How can we navigate life’s trials and never lose sight of God’s faithfulness and goodness?" 

That's an excellent question!