The weatherman looked at the radar and said that he suspected that the severe weather was over. Two minutes later the tornado sirens went off. The tornado did not listen to what the weatherman had to say.

January brings images of snow covered fields and crystals hanging gracefully from the porch. People pull out their heavy coats, mittens and scarfs. Except sometimes the weather does not look at the calendar and January brings spring weather warm enough for sun bathing and blossoming flowers.

Predicting the weather can be a lot like trying to determine how a toddler will behave when he is excited or tired - there is NO predicting that.

Storms will come in life just like they do in the seasons. The sky may seem clear and all the data may say that sunny days are ahead, but then that unexpected happens and throws all of those predictions out the door.

Stop trying to predict the storms and remember that survival is part preparation and part attitud...

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Living in a small town comes with some unique issues. Doing anything means wondering just how soon will my parents be told and what will be the repercussions of the information. A small town knows everything about everyone - and is NOT afraid to tell.

I spent many of my years tempering my actions and behaviors because of my parents. I worried about what would be said since my dad was a leader in our church and my mom was on the city council. My concern for their reputations tempered my behavior. The reverence and respect overshadowed any fear of retribution.

That through haunted me this morning, because what I did so easily for my earthly parents I ignore for my Father.

Questions I Should Ask before I Act

- What will they say about my Father? I worried that people would tell my mom or dad that they were ineffective as a parent and could not be any better as a leader. I need to recognize that my actions today are just as reflective on th...

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"If I were to ask directions - how would you explain to me how to get to trouble?" I know his words were meant to be part of the running banter that we had in the grocery store, but they stopped me cold. I tried to give a witty retort, but it fell flat and left me with that lingering question.

What ARE the directions to trouble?

I spent my entire ride home thinking about how to explain how to get to trouble but found it would be easier to explain how to avoid trouble. Getting TO trouble can be as simple as refusing to change - change directions, change attitudes or change visions. Avoiding the trouble that lurks like a lion around every corner can be a little more difficult.

The more I pondered that one question the more I realized it is the same for my life walk, a walk in the park and even a drive down the road. I have to make an effort to keep trouble from winning its prey.

Tips for Staying Out of Trouble

- Keep an eye on the road in front ...

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Things never seem to be where I want them to be. Just about the time I manage to get my ends together someone goes and moves the middle - leaving me in that same place that I just left. The constant spinning of my wheels has left me exhausted, frustrated and ready to find my white flag. Desperation can be a lonely and dark place to live.

I noticed something when the tornadoes came through on April 27th. The light from a fire, lamp or even a flashlight was easier to see when there were no other lights competing for the attention. Even the stars seemed to shine a little brighter during those nights.

It is the darkest moments that make it easiest to see the light. The struggles I have faced over the last several years (and even over the last several months) have prompted me to turn my attention to the brilliance of the Proverbs 31 woman. I needed the life that she so flawlessly displayed. I discovered that her life was not perfect, but it found p...

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Have you ever experienced that moment when you look up in the sky and announce “that is NOT funny” but would swear you hear a giggle? There are days when I feel that is all I do.

Creating a successful writing and speaking career pushed me to abandon the way things had always been and choose to become more organized, focused, consistent and determined. It was hard and sometimes painful to the flesh, and many moments left me looking around thinking I was being punked. I kept pushing and finally found the path comfortable and smooth.

Monday – I clicked through my to-do list like Pez. Everyone arrived at their meeting on time. Meals were eaten as a family and prepared from scratch. I even knocked out over 6000 words, above and beyond the target.

Tuesday – I continued down the same path. It would have been nice to have a perfect repeat, but all the tasks were on target. The schedules I had around the house kept all of us focused...

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“Pursue your dream with boldness.” That advice slips through my lips with almost the same effort as breathing. I know that boldness catches the dream. My encouragement flows easily as long as it is others that are in the path. That same encouragement seems to wither up or fall apart the moment I turn to look at my own life. I get stuck.

So, here I sit. The dreams are left dancing around my mind and in my heart. I spin my wheels wondering if now is the time to really step out or how I should begin pursuit. My timidity will force me to miss my dreams and stay stuck in the reality of the moment.

No more!

Nothing changes until something changes and the only thing I can truly change is me. I have to find the courage and tenacity to begin to pursue my own dreams with the boldness that I try to ignite in others.

Breaking Free to Pursue the Dream

1. Start this moment. Right now I will do one thing. Nothing will ever be accomplished in my life if I con...

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My first attempt at Belgian waffles produced great waffles and a MASSIVE mess. I used a recipe by Alton Brown because – if I had to be honest – he makes me smile. Everything was mixed and setting up and the recipe said to pour into the waffle maker according to the directions.

I had no directions for the waffle maker. My father-in-law had purchased it and I borrowed it while he was out running errands. I decided to go with the same idea I used with my sandwich maker. The result was a mess. To quote my loving and supporting children, “Mom, you made the waffle maker bleed.”

It was true. Batter was oozing all over the maker and onto the counter top. My family said the waffles tasted great, but I spent over an hour trying to clean the waffle maker.

Just because it worked before does not mean it is designed to work now. My whole life would have gone a little smoother if I had learned this lesson earlier and then hung on to the concept consistently. Instead, I fin...

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Fake it until you make it.

I am not sure why that phrase kept running through my mind during the worship service, but there it was. It seemed determined to get my attention over the drums, the clapping and the bouncy praise songs filling the space.

I would like to say that I was not judging the people around me, but I think that would be a lie. It can be impossible not to wonder if that person with the huge smile really had a terrible day. Are those happy people really happy? The more I focused on the thought of faking it the more I began to understand. It was like the light was finally pushing out the darkness.

Measuring the Level of Fake

1. I fake being a writer so that I can reach the place I want to be as a writer. There are days when it feels like none of the words I push together make any sense. I keep pushing words together and sending them out and expecting something to happen because I am a writer (even if it is only in my mind).

2. I...

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“How can you be sitting there working?” The look that started in the face of my husband and spread throughout his entire being should have told me something, but I missed whatever it was bothering him. The words had started flowing and I was focused in on my computer screen.

His interruption made room for the chaos. My oldest son had tied a string to a rubber spider and was running around the house with his two younger brothers trying to “Bop the Spider.” They thought they had invented a great game. My husband thought they were trying to make him lose his mind. I just wanted to return to my fortress of silence where the sounds could not reach me (despite the fact that the path of the boys crossed right in front of my desk every few minutes).

I was focused on my task and determined to get it done. The focus made the difference.

Time exists for me to accomplish all of the tasks I need to accomplish. My problems start with focusing on ...

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The last two weeks brought a journey to change that I promised myself but never stepped out to experience. All of the reasons NOT to do what I knew to do would out-weigh my desires – or at least just push them aside far enough that I would forget for the moment that those desires existed.

I had already started up the path to change when an opportunity presented itself. You can follow that experience with the Green Smoothie Detox over at Soul-Food-Diet.com and see how I am developing a new relationship with food. That helped prompt the move, but eating and weight are not the only issues at hand.

Struggles for this Proverbs 31 Woman

Squirrels – anyone that has ever seen the movie “Up” understands exactly what I am talking about. I will be moving right along doing the things on my to-do list when a little squirrel will pop up in my email or Facebook and I will follow them down the trail only to discover that I have lost sight of where ...

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