• Mom, I have the best ninja skills! 
• Did you see my awesome painting? 
• Can you watch me do my cartwheel? 
• Look at the amazing tent I made! 

Children seem to have no reservations when boasting about their many accomplishments and talents. Although we see flaws and imperfections, their little eyes are focused on a much better version. Boasting as a child comes with a certain amount of boldness and enthusiasm that we simply can’t get away with at any other time in our lives.

​Clayton, our five-year-old, will often grab my face with his sweet chubby hands and pull me towards him to make sure that I notice all the wonders he is about to perform. 

Jingles, slogans, catchphrases are a part of our everyday media-saturated world. They can get us to buy anything from the latest electronics to the newest menu item at our favorite fast-food restaurant. Advertisers know what we should as well: You only need a small number of words to relay a really big message. 

As we look ahead to turning the page on this year, we have already begun discussing what our family theme will be for the coming year. We often choose a word for our year with a matching verse. This year, we actually chose a song, “It is well with my soul,” that went along with our word which was “Good.” Little did we know how fitting this would be for the challenging and uncomfortable circumstances we would encounter. God’s goodness, and the reality that His peace is always available even in the darkest of times, allowed us to say no matter what, It was well, it is good.

I love this time of year. The variety and beauty of the colors on display coupled with the need to get out my electric blanket makes my heart rejoice. Pumpkin spice in my coffee and fires in the fireplace are special treats. This change in season is a change I welcome and embrace. I can quickly acknowledge that God is the Author of such a wonderful part of His creation. He deserves all the credit for His work and way. It is easy for me to see Him and His ability in every intricate leaf and cool breeze. Have I said how much I love this time of year? ​

​Change of seasons for a Creator God is effortless. He spoke and all the world was formed. Change is His business. He can perform it at will and with a perspective that is guided by His sovereignty. 

I still remember the day I read this quote from Streams in the Desert by Lettie Burd Cowman.

My husband and I had left a ministry of twenty years to answer the call of returning to our college alma mater. His new position would be sports ministry director and head baseball coach. This was his dream job. He was about to complete his masters and this was an open door to what God had placed on his heart when he started this pursuit. ​

Many things about this decision did not make sense from a human perspective. The pay was less. I was pregnant with our eleventh child. Our oldest daughter was a senior in high school and would be left behind to complete her year.

I love the Dollar Tree! Shopping there brings so much joy to this mom of eleven that it has become a weekly stop on my grocery day trips. 

Many people ask how I feed and supply the many needs of my family. I give the Dollar Tree much of the credit. I am also a teacher, and my classroom has greatly benefited because of this store as well.

Below is a list compiled to show you all the many ways the Dollar Tree supplies the needs of my family and my classroom.

Another school year is upon me and all I have been able to focus on is how different it is going to be. Running through all the scenarios and fretting about the what ifs has had me in a real emotional mess.

Since I will be doing a little of both, virtual and in-class teaching, I decided to make a list of things that won’t change even in these crazy times.

​I truly believe that the enemy of our souls has an agenda to make us leave behind the main things of our lives. 

Voices, voices, voices everywhere. News reports, Facebook feeds, tweets, and any other variety of media seem to be winning the day. Even if they tend to differ in opinion or viewpoint they are coming in loud and in surround sound. I find myself trying to avoid all of it, but then wanting to listen because I have a stake in every bit of the headlines facing our culture. But where can my voice have a platform? Where can the things that matter to me and most importantly the truth of God’s Word find a way to be heard?

This was a question that came out of my frustration for our current climate. Discouraged and disenfranchised, I found myself clouded by a sense of hopelessness. As I took my evening walk, I was contemplating many different solutions to my dilemma when a verse that came across my audio Bible app shed some light on my darkened perspective.