MyLeslieNotebook

I've never been much of a New Year's Resolution person. But lately I've felt felt a holy tug toward considering how God is leading me into this new year. I've already created a chart for praying for certain marriages each month. I have a plan in place for hearing God in His Word. And, true to my non-perfectionism tendencies, I've decided on my personal motto for 2018:  "Six out of seven days isn't bad" (Wow. Way to strive for greatness there, right? Hey, we non-perfectionists are perfectly okay with this.) But yesterday, it all came together. And I present to you my Five S Goals for 2018: Silent Seeking . Every day, I want to start my day in silence. That's a tall order with three other people in the house, but it makes all the difference in how I walk through my day . It may mean sleeping less or saying no to late-night board games, but I have a holy appointment with the God of Creation first thing every morning. He deserves my rever...

I set out to study Joseph for a Christmas Sunday School lesson recently, but got too distracted by the wise men. (More on them later. Maybe next week.)  But I'm always drawn to Joseph and his role in the gospels. I wrote a blog about him a few years ago, and I still go back to it from time to time to remind me of this man who lived his faith:  He loved God more than logic. Even when his brain and everyone around him surely said, "Get away from Mary; she's either a liar or she's completely crazy," he instead chose to marry her. We can only imagine how many other decisions he made along that made the men of his community say, "That man's lost his marbles." He loved God more than his reputation . We have every reason to believe that Joseph was a man of high standing: he was a skilled worker, a "righteous man," (Matthew 1:19, CEB) and a descendant of David. But when he chose to marry Mary, he surely got a reputation for bringing disgr...

Beautiful simple dress available at silkliving.com I've had two words swirling around in my head for the better part of 2017:  Simple and beautiful . I'm naturally drawn to the simple. Anyone who knows me tends to make a big deal if I wear makeup or do anything to my hair besides brushing. My go-to clothes are jeans and t-shirts.  On top of that, as a family we've been simplifying in 2017, and will continue through 2018. We've systematically gone through so much of what we own and have asked, "Is this thing great ?" If it's great, we keep it. If not, we give (or throw) it away. I have loved simplifying , though I was a tad afraid that I'd created a monster when my 8-year old son gave away every toy in his room except for what would fit in one of those large storage bins.  Simple describes my life and my approach to homeschool and even Christmas. When anyone has asked me, "Are we doing gifts for each other?" I've said, "Le...

____________ is the best medicine.  My sweet little Shelby has been totally miserable with a stomach bug for SIX DAYS. So this morning I took her to the doctor. All week, she'd said, "Mom, please give me something to make me feel better!" to which I had to tell her, "Honey, there's no medicine for a stomach virus." But our ever-so-wonderful pediatrician checked her out and, acknowledging her symptoms, told me that lo and behold there were three very simple over-the-counter medicines that would bring her relief. WHEW. On the way home, I said, "I know you're not well yet, but doesn't the fact that we have medicine in the car bring you hope?" So let's re-define medicine: That which brings hope for a better tomorrow. Back to the original topic: What is the best medicine? Of course, "laughter" comes to mind for all of us. And it is true; nothing heals a broken heart or a sore soul like laughing so hard your sides hurt and...