by Grace Fox To say the last year has been challenging is an understatement. The pandemic grounded me and my husband—the director of a mission sending agency—from our usual international ministry travels. It left me unemployed by banning large gatherings, thus canceling my speaking invitations to women’s retreats and conferences. It…
Press through! Success won't wait for those who take breaks, so keep it in high gear. You've got to crush it or get crushed. Guzzle energy drinks and midnight coffee. You can sleep when you're dead! Life's too short to smell roses, take a breath, or even stop and ask for…
Halfway through printing my last book proposal, the ink faded. Soon the pages blanched to wordless sheets. In all the baskets lining the shelves of my office closet, only one cartridge could be found--and it didn't fit my printer. How could I have purchased the wrong type of ink? No! My…
As children, we fidgeted through the advent season. Those ribbon-locked packages peeked from under our Christmas trees as if teasing us. Some of us, not to be named, might have failed this test of patience and suffered the consequences. Christmas tests our patience in more serious ways as we mature. The…
We often leave our personal well being as a last priority. Today's video explains why personal goals must take first place in our lives. Without a strong core, surface layers topple like bricks buckling on a house of cards. The demolition harms everyone around us. Personal goals target the wellness of…
What happens if I fail to fulfill my purpose in life? Dormant potential which exerts no impact on the world falls short of a fulfilling life, but does not seem to risk much. In his book, Overcoming Your Shadow Mission, John Ortberg suggests a more disturbing result occurs when we miss…
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:14-15). Ever find a pair of kicks you couldn't live without? If you love to indulge your…
Children's sleighbell dreams dissolved from their slumber last night. Sugarplum visions faded before bedtime. A cacophony of wishes from young lips and old circled the globe this season. The fortunate celebrated their satisfaction, while others clutched the pangs of unfulfillment on their way to bed. Seasonal anticipation shrivels with a turn…
Vivid panels twist and swoop, as two-dimensional figments come alive in the skies. A matching tail streams behind each one. Kites mesmerize me. I imagine myself riding the air beside them, as if I were meant to glide on the windwaves.Perhaps I am. Perhaps we all are.Grounded kites offer little entertainment…