YOUR LIFE COACHING WV

PICTURE THIS: I like the term cherry picking. I used it once out-of-the-blue and find myself using it ever since. I  guess  you could say it’s my go-to phrase. Lately, there has been some discussion in our household about various spiritual topics. Some I understand and embrace, others leave me feeling dazed and confused. So I had to ask myself if I am guilty of cherry pickin’ scripture and spiritual  gifts. As y’all know, I'm a very open person and if I don't understand something I am not ashamed to admit  it. Honestly, I believe the phrase ‘dumb-it-down’ was created with me in mind. If it can’t be explained simply, don't even try to share it with me – I’ll go into my dazed and confused state and your efforts are lost.  IT MIRRORS  THIS:  Daily God provides me a new opportunity to simply share my faith, to share Him as  the reason for my hope and joy. And while I may never meet my readers in Portugal, France,  and Russia (by the way ‘hey y’all’ simply means h

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:  4-7, ESV). PICTURE THIS: Last year my apron strap broke and instead of fixing it I pinned it with a large safety pin. I’ve grown accustomed to pinning it up and don’t think too much about it…until yesterday.  Yesterday the pin slipped out of my hands, fell  to the floor, and slid  under the kitchen table. The very table where a diverse group of humankind have dined and laughed, played board games and talked. People labeled by society as drug users, gays, blacks, whites, mixed, red necks, religious nuts, Hispanics and even a German or three…but in our home, we simply call them friends and family.  I used my “Evans’s monkey toes” to move the pin closer and

I still remember when my  daughters broke my 'good plates'. First Jerri-Mae broke my coveted blue-heart sponge painted bowls in one fell-swoop, shortly after,  Tee broke the entire stack of matching dinner plates. Years later, Jilli broke the 'new' plates, fresh from the dishwasher; I swear those things jumped right out of her hands! So between our three girls, our dinner plates were at a minimum. In 2009, we were having several folks in for Thanksgiving dinner and I swear, it was the Wednesday before when I realized that we didn't have enough plates.  I called John at the golf course in panic mode and asked him to pick up some white plates - just plates. He didn't question me and came home with plain white plates...straight from the Dollar Tree! And let me tell you, I was one happy momma. Years later, we still eat supper off those Dollar Tree plates, even though they are warped from the dishwasher and microwave with a chip or two around the edges. And

"In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land" (Psalm 95:4-5. ESV) Any of you remember this old country song full of gloom and remorse? I can picture the mess this guy finds himself in...and although I'm glad it's him instead of me...I can still, somehow, feel his pain and wish I could help him find true peace... + + +  None of us have a  picture perfect life. There's always something needing cleaned or fixed; bills in the in-box, some one or some thing to seriously pray over...but even still, I can't think of any one's life role that I'd trade mine for...mostly because I know there my cracks and crevices are, the pitfalls to avoid and the mountains I can climb.  We all have them ya know? Those peaks and valleys in front of us, some to be embraced others to be sidestepped.  Lord knows that I've found myself down in a ditch

On this Veterans Day: To the men and women serving or have served in our armed forces  I appreciate what you do for us and the sacrifice you've made.  With that in mind, I'd like to tell a story from my teenage years about an Ole Vet and me. + + + " 12  Put on then, as  God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,  compassionate hearts,  kindness,  humility, meekness, and patience,   13  bearing with one another and,  if one has a complaint against another,  forgiving each other;  as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive"  ( Colossians 3:12-13, ESV ). + + + It was my first real job right out of high school. I was working as a nurses' aide at Grant Memorial Hospital when I met Ralph. He said he was   just an   Ole Vet, but I thought he should have added the word mean in there somewhere.   He was not an easy patient. And for some reason, he really didn't like me. I couldn't do anything right. I was too young. I was a girl.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philemon 1:3, ESV). So much for sleeping in...so here I sit sipping apple cinnamon tea from my favorite Christmas mug, reading my favorite Bible...and thinking about y'all...my Neighbors.   For me, I feel God's peace during the early morning hours, it seems to blanket the world around me like a fresh fallen snow. And maybe it is the Hallmark Christmas movies I've been watching but I am enjoying getting ready for the holidays. But truth be told, Thanksgiving is my favorite. BUT I know that a lot of you are already dreading the holiday season...and many of you certainly have good reason.  With that said, I would like to pray for you. Just send me an e-mail ( yourlifecoachingwv@gmail.com )  and in the subject line write PEACE and I will be praying for you throughout these next couple months.   There is no need for specifics*.  My prayer will be for you to find peace,

I grew up near Dolly Sods Wilderness. And honestly, pictures do not do it justice. It is one of those rare places that you truly have to experience in order to fully appreciate. We locals have watched the terrain bathed in full green of Kalmia latifolia  known to us simply as Mountain Laurel ( I so had to look that up! ), huckleberry vines in their peak color of deep burgundy, to snow in late summer ( natures sure-fire way to calm the dust ).    Like most locals, I have some very colorful memories of summertime trips across the top with my dad and nieces. Even a couple from failed wintertime attempts to see how far an old Ford can get ( locals and some extremely surprised tourists understand ).   But I'd be remiss if I even pretended that all my memories of The Sods were colorful. Some are stark...some bittersweet...some very sad. Yet even with these black-and-white stories, we locals still love The Sods and choose to go up a couple times a year just to see it in col

Photo Credit: B. Mathias (Mathias WV). "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." (Revelation 3:20, NIV) This past week during Sunday School, I used my youngest daughter as an example of a parent's love for their child. Standing in front of Jillian, I symbolically dared   anyone who meant to do her harm to come through me. If you are a parent, you can imagine you'd have this same reaction if anyone were truly trying to harm your child, either emotionally or physically. In class we were talking about being a peculiar people and how we are to bring love and light to our communities. And I thought of Jesus in the garden, asking God to release Him from the task He had agreed to. Somewhat   pleading   for a different way to offer mankind a chance for a holy life and eternal security. I thought of Jesus on the cross asking God why He had forsaken Him...The l