bena

November 1st is a bittersweet day for my family.  6 years ago, on this day, my husband was laid off from his job.  He worked from home and was notified by his boss that he needed to go in for a “meeting”. On his way back home, he called me to say that he wanted […]

Would you ever tell Jesus “no”? In our reading last week, we read the story of Jesus healing the demon possessed man.   There are references through out the gospels of Jesus healing others who were demon possessed, but this man was so crazy that he earned 13 verses to tell his story (Luke 8: 26-39). He had a […]

This week, our readings finally brought us into the New Testament.  It was such a dramatic contrast to go from reading the gloom and doom of the last few books of the old testament to these first few chapters bursting with hope and joy in our Savior’s birth. As we read Mary’s story, the angel […]

“When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty.” (Haggai 2:16) Have you ever felt like this? Maybe you don’t have crops or wine, or maybe you do.  Have you ever felt like your hard work had nothing to show for it? When I […]

” I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing. The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety…” (Ezekiel 34:26,27) “In this way, the will know […]

This past month, we have been reading through Jeremiah.  This is one of those books that I never really read very much; Other than the “For I know the plans I have for you…” section, I basically ignored this book. The readings consist of the prophet Jeremiah prophesying death and destruction to the Israelites because of their […]

 Last week was our annual beach excursion.  I have said in prior posts how much I love the beach and the ocean- the sound of the waves does something to reset my soul.  It’s a peaceful respite from the normal grind. I love to collect shells from each of our trips. I wish I could […]

We have hit the end of June. School’s out. It’s hot. Vacation plans are being made.  As the structure of my day has changed, I have to admit that it’s become a little harder for me to stay on top of my daily Bible readings and journaling for our reading plan.  Not to mention that […]

The New England Patriots unveiled their Super Bowl rings from their Super Bowl win earlier this year.  The ring  commemorates this as their 5th Super Bowl win which distinguishes them as an elite team in the NFL.  The ring is rumored to have 283 diamonds.  283 diamonds seems random, doesn’t it? Not exactly. The Patriots were down […]

Quick witted. Sarcastic.  Snarky. Smart aleck.  I have been called all of these names and more.  My words seem to get the best of me sometimes, especially when my filter is missing. This trait of mine made my first few years of marriage especially challenging.  It’s not that I was always right (because I wasn’t), but […]