Your Struggle
Your struggle is not against flesh and blood. Yes, I’m talking to you. If it weighs you down. If it causes anxiety in your heart. If you’re losing sleep over it. It’s not about flesh & blood. If it causes division. If it’s tearing apart your church, your family or you. It’s not about flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 tells us “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Tony Evans says it this
A Willing Heart
Fun fact about me: I drive a mini-van. If it were up to my husband, I’d be driving an SUV. But I just love the ease and space that comes with a mini-van. What I have found interesting though is how the vehicles in my vicinity react when they see my mode of transportation on the road. Without question, if they are coming up behind me, they immediately change lanes to pass me. I guess the assumption is that it’s a mom-mobile and it will only move at the pace of a snail. The big surprise, however, is when I
Kerala Beef Fry
In Titus 2:5, Paul encourages older women (that’s me) to teach younger women (that might be you) how to ‘stay busy’ or, as some translations put it, ‘maintain a home’…and girls, part of maintaining a home might involve a little cooking. So, if you are looking for an easy South Indian beef curry/ beef fry recipe, I’ve got one for you! _______________________________ EASY KERALA BEEF CURRY/ FRY (Santhama Samuel’s recipe- tweaked & simplified) STEP #1 Cover the base of your pot with oil. STEP #2 Once hot, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds pop. STEP #3 Add
International Women’s Day
As International Women’s Day is commemorated today, it only seems fitting to celebrate the women of Whispers & Fringes. Without a doubt, we are grateful for our founder Anu and the vision she has to empower women on a quest for more of God in their lives. Her obedience to the Lord has continually propelled us out of our comfort zone and it just an exhilarating ride! God, in His mercy, has helped our team to be leaders who work alongside each other. We hear each other’s thoughts and opinions and prayerfully make decisions together. While it's not always quick
The Pixie Cut
“Well... what do you think?” I was in my early twenties and in the living room with my dad. I had just gotten back from the hair salon, and I was excited about the style I chose. “Uh...”, Dad said with a pause and a controlled smile, “it’s a little too short.” I figured that he wouldn’t completely understand the trendy pixie cut. I mean, if Halle Berry could pull it off, I figured I could, too. I coaxed him to take a photo with me and he did, but he didn’t say much about my haircut after that. (If
Sometimes You Just Have to Ask
One of my children is particularly “gifted” in asking for things from me. He will often ask me for something and when my initial answer is “no”, he proceeds to explain and persist, using all his reasoning and persuasive skills to try to change my mind. Most of the time, my answer remains the same. But there are times when he makes a really good case as to why I should change my mind. On those occasions when he is successful, I can see that he has really thought it out and presented some facts to me that I didn’t
Another Level
I don’t know whose heart was beating faster. Mine or my sons. These games can really stress a mama out! We were up, they were up. We were giving it our all, but so were they...and now the opposing team was up by a pretty large margin. My son glanced into the stands. He knew what was coming. I knew it too. There’s this look my husband gives our son during these kinds of pressure filled basketball games. The look says, “I need YOU to not give up. I need YOU to take it to the next level.” In Numbers
Working Cheerfully
“Time … to … make …. the … donuts ...” Remember that famous line aired on commercials for Dunkin Donuts? The iconic employee could be seen slowly getting out of bed early in the morning to make the donuts that America loves. “Oh whistle while you work ...” Maybe you’re familiar with that catchy tune from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I was thinking how most of us fall into one of two categories: either we dread going to our job or we look forward to it. Sure, there are hard days and challenges with any job, but there
Lessons from the Pool
During the Texas blizzard last week, several of the pipes at my work cracked. These pipes were outside, and they control the water flow and temperature of the small therapy pool at my clinic. The water level of the pool was understandably dropping and there was more cold weather ahead, so the general manager and I decided to drain the pool to keep as much of the structure in tact as we could. The empty pool was a great opportunity for me to clean it. Yes, I clean pools at work- it's incredibly glamorous- try to control your jealousy! I'll
God Sees What You Do
As a kid, I remember showing up to church early. In fact, sometimes we were the first ones there. My parents weren’t the pastors. I don’t really remember if they even had a title at that point. So, why did they show up early? To set up the chairs. Our little church was renting a space from another larger church. During the week, this room was used for other events, so it was up to us to set up the room for our Sunday service. It wasn’t a glamorous role. There wasn’t a line of people just waiting for their
