This is the year to conquer fear. In keeping with my 2013 New Year’s resolution, I plan to do at least one thing that I’m afraid to do each month this year. January’s scary thing was asking for a job. February’s was a tongue biopsy

Sometimes in life, God gives us a do-over. When he does, don’t be afraid to take it. Even if you don’t know why.

Years ago, for a writing class, I entered my poem, “The Cash Cow” (a parody of Poe’s “The Raven”), in a local Lit Wit Humorous Poetry Competition. It won first prize. The prize included $200, 4 tickets to a local comedy club, and an invitation to read the poem at the annual Poetry and Jazz Celebration in Tampa alongside real-life poets.

I was thrilled. Coming out of a long and serious illness, I felt like winning the contest was God’s way of confirming my path as a writer. But I was scared to read it. I’ve been told public speaking is the most common phobia of all. Why do you think that is?

I’m not sure the fear of public speaking, per se, was the real issue. Teaching the Bible, leading holiday gatherings, or making announcements don’t bother me. I get caught up in the subject, and forget about how I’m coming across. But reading my own work? That’s another story. That’s scary. Maybe it’s social anxiety. Maybe I think of myself more highly than I ought to, and can’t stand for others to see my flaws.

The thing is: I have a lisp. It’s not a Cindy Brady “Mithithippi” lisp; it’s more Al Gore-ish—or if you prefer, Tony Evans-ish. My voice also tends to crack—totally out of the blue—causing people to ask if I am crying.  So maybe the issue was less about public speaking and more about not trusting that God equipped me with everything I need. I imagine Moses felt the same way when he told God, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” God answered Moses, saying, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”  But Moses still refused.

Read the entire exchange in the Bible, Exodus 4

And like Moses, I still turn down good jobs if the publisher or web coordinator wants to talk to me via Skype or telephone, embarrassed to let people hear my voice. Whatever the reason years ago or now, I could not convince myself to stand in front of a group of talented strangers, and lay out my meager offering for dissection. So I didn’t. I always regretted that.

This year is different. This is the year to conquer fear, so I asked God for another chance. I wrote another poem and entered the competition again. This time I won third place. Not as much money or tickets, but another invitation to read. Feeling unsure, but obligated by the opportunity, when my name was called, I did it. I choked on my own spit, rushed the meter, squinted at the page and made no eye contact with the audience. And no doubt, I lisped. But I read my humorous poem along side poets that I admire, including Myron Jackson, Gregory Byrd and Melissa Carroll. And the audience laughed. At the right times!

I didn’t do a perfect job, but only God is perfect, right? The point is, God gave me a do-over, a chance to face this fear head-on and conquer it. And I did.

How about you? Are you afraid of public speaking, or do you have a different phobia? Do you now have, or have you ever had a speech disorder that made you uncomfortable speaking to strangers? How did you handle that? If you could do one thing without fear, what would it be?

I’d love to hear from you, if only to reassure myself that I’m not the only neurotic Christian out there.

My family urged me to stop. My skating days are over, they said. It’s too risky at my age, considering what happened. I could get seriously injured. I knew they were right. My muscles were weak and my weight high, throwing off my balance. I’m a slow healer. And a million other reasons. Sadly, I pushed my pretty skates to the back of the closet, not quite ready to give them up. I don’t even know how long they’ve been sitting there.

As a child, roller skating came as easily as walking to me, and just about as soon. Mom used to hold my hands over my head, pulling me across the wooden floor of our front porch in those adjustable metal clip-ons that tighten with a little wrench key. As soon as my feet grew long enough, Dad took me to get custom skates. My feet and my love for skating grew, and my parents always made sure that I wore a good pair of properly-fitting skates with pretty pom-poms and fancy laces. By the time I reached adulthood, I skated for hours every week, indoors and out.

On the advice of doctors, I took time off during pregnancies. After my babies were born, though, I’d tie on my wheels and get moving again. That is, until I got sick. I got really sick. I could barely walk. For four years, I spent most of my time in bed. My muscles grew flabby and my weight soared. Then I got better! I started skating again. Slowly at first, I skated up and down the street in front of my house. In time, I ventured farther. One day when my hopes were high, I fell and couldn’t get up. I stayed on the sidewalk, stuck until my teenage son came looking for me. I took off my skates, leaned on him all the way home, and did not put them back on again.

But this is the year to conquer fear. So in March 2013, while my family was away, I tied those babies back on my feet. It felt strange, wobbling and losing my balance. Instead of speeding—flying!–with the wind in my face, jumping obstacles and turning on a dime, I inched ahead slowly, carefully. I didn’t fall this time, but my legs had had enough after about ten minutes. I don’t think I’ll be doing tricks any time soon. I’m still weak and I’m still fat. But that’s nothing that skating can’t cure, right? I’ll either break a hip and fall down for the count, or I’ll get stronger and burn some calories. Either way, now I’m all in.

What about you? What childhood love do you regret giving up? If you could conquer your fear, what would you do today to regain that love?

Enjoy this sweet and hilarious commercial with skating babies.

The process, known as color shading, involves feeding children vegetable-based food supplements for several weeks, gradually changing the color of their skin. Results vary, depending on the child’s natural pigmentation and their metabolism, but the effect usually wears off when the supplement is discontinued. The patented formula called Teindre is not regulated by the FDA, but Pour les Bébés’ head designer, Zoe Mentir, assures, “Teindre is 100% safe. You choose your color, and mix it into the baby food, just a few drops, or in the bottle. It has very little taste. The babies eat it and it shows up in their skin. You see it first in their lips and fingertips, then it spreads to the whole body.”

Shawna Astuce, who chose a greenish hue for her 5-month old daughter Zoe, said, “It’s just a bit of fun. You know, it gets attention when we go out. At first people think there’s something wrong with her, but when I tell them it’s color shading, generally people like it.”

Not everyone is on board with the new trend, however. Atlanta-based pediatrician, Marvin Blague says color shading can cause problems in case of medical emergencies. “We doctors look at skin appearance. If a child has blue lips, for example, that can mean they’re not getting enough oxygen. Yellow skin is a sign of jaundice. If a parent color shades their child, it makes it harder for us to do our jobs.”

And in case you’re thinking about it for yourself, think again. Because of the large amounts of dyes needed to shade the skin, color shading only works safely on children under thirty pounds. Adult bodies process chemicals too efficiently to see significant results in small amounts.

Teindre is available in six packs of 2 oz dropper bottles at Pour les Bébés showroom, or online at PourlesBébés.com, and will set you back a whopping $400 per pack. That’s a pretty big whopper.

Ideas for April Fool’s Day pranks at AprilFoolZone.com and PreciousHolidays.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (From the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16)

Inevitably, this touching opportunity will not faze the arrogance of some Christians and Messianics, who will not use it to minister to the hurting, but will instead squander it by focusing on what the holiday does not mean, or some other such trivial matter. They will take the opportunity to grab some attention for themselves, if only for a moment. They take offense when anyone believes something besides what they believe, or follows a tradition or ritual that they do not follow.

Easter-Only Churchgoers: Please do not let these people steal your joy, or your desire to know more. Easter is an altogether lovely and meaningful observation for Christians of all denominations. Look for good, and you will find it. If it’s not in the church you tried today, think about trying another.  May you understand the resurrection of Jesus deeper and know our Lord better and feel his love for you in abundance this Easter.

Is Easter Based on a Pagan Holiday? at BibleGateway.com

Should Christians Denounce Easter?

Passover Seder About Jesus? Since When?

Passover: The Festival of Deliverance at Hebrew4Christians.com

Tips for Jewish-Christian Couples at Spring Holidays

]]> http://shevarim.com/2013/03/31/easter-only-churchgoers-want-more/feed/ 0 kfrazier http://shevarim.com/2013/03/24/second-scary-thing-tongue-biopsy/ http://shevarim.com/2013/03/24/second-scary-thing-tongue-biopsy/#comments Sun, 24 Mar 2013 02:17:56 +0000 Kathryn Frazier http://shevarim.com/?p=1368 Continue reading →]]> 2013: This is the year to conquer fear! I made a New Year’s Resolution to do at least one thing that I’m scared to do each month this year. Read about my first scary thing [HERE].

Have you ever said something you wish you hadn’t said, then wished you could cut it out of your tongue? I have. I wouldn’t really cut my tongue, of course, but there’s that image in my mind. And in February, I lived this visual aid.

It all started with a broken tooth. The broken tooth lead to a dental appointment, which lead to a conversation that began with, “I don’t want to alarm you, but…” Never has a conversation that begins with “I don’t want to alarm you” ever not alarmed me.

It was the little knobby line on the side of my tongue that caught her attention. Normally, I would ignore the dentist’s warning that it could be cancerous (in fact I had briefly considered, then dismissed, the idea), choosing to remain in blissful ignorance. If I don’t know, I don’t have to do anything about it, right? But this is the year to conquer fear, so I made an appointment with an oral surgeon.

I opted to stay awake for the biopsy because I imagined a needle, or maybe even a cotton swab, collecting a few cells. My grown son predicted, “They’re going to cut into your tongue, and it’s going to hurt like….” Well, you know.

He was right. I got the needle, but only to numb the area. The assistant grabbed hold of my tongue with gauze and pulled it out as far as it would stretch. I flailed like a turtle on its back, and the surgeon asked me to sit still while she sliced into my tongue. (She had to ask me to be still several times.) My mouth filled with heat, then the taste of blood. Then I started choking. Great, I thought, my obituary will read,“She drowned in her own tongue blood.” I gurgled and the assistant stuck the suction thingy into my throat. She left it there because the blood kept coming. The line of suspicious tissue reached farther than I realized, and the surgeon had to cut deep to remove it. Soon threads slapped across my face as tugging and stitching began. Involuntarily, I slid down the chair, trying to escape. The surgeon asked me to sit up.

When the numbness wore off, I was left with a chunk of tongue gone, two layers of stitches and significant bruising, swelling and pain. Because I couldn’t talk until the swelling went down, I used gestures and a marker board to communicate. Now I know this is going to sound obvious and cliché but I promise you, it is the absolute truth. During that time when I couldn’t talk, I thought about every word before I communicated it. I physically could not say a harsh word in frustration or snap out a sarcastic remark. And I found out that much—if not most—of the words that come to my mind are better left unsaid. Too often, my first impulse is to complain. In those few days when I could not complain, I was kinder.

Turned out, no cancer. (Yay!) That knobby line was a kind of callous, probably caused by grinding my teeth. The missing place in my tongue still reminds me to cut out complaining and unkind words, and speak with a softer tongue. For that I am thankful.

No scary situation has presented itself for March so far. I may have to go after one. Got any ideas?

I know how she feels. The apostle Paul also expressed this feeling. He said, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15, NIV)

So often I hear this verse taught with disbelief, as if Paul were expressing an exaggerated false humility. I’ve even heard Christians claim–bragging!–that they feel that they were worse than Paul before they came to faith. But I believe in the authority of Scripture. I believe that among human beings on this earth, Paul was the worst sinner of all, according to God’s standards.

And is that really so hard to believe? According to the Scriptures, Paul was a violent man, a blasphemer, and a murderer who went out of his way to hunt down innocents–all the while believing that he was in the right. The statement that he was the worst sinner truly deserves our full acceptance.

So, how do we react to this? Are we supposed to be impressed with Paul’s conversion, turning from persecuting the church to promoting it? No. We’re supposed to be impressed with the grace of Jesus. After Paul said he was the worst sinner, he said, “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16, NIV)

If you ever believe that you are too bad for Jesus to forgive you, if you ever think you’ve lived in sin too brazenly for too long, if you ever think you’re not worthy to pray, God offers Paul to you as an example. If Jesus displayed his patience to Paul, the worst sinner in the world, he will show his patience to you.

Grace said, “I just feel. . . not worthy.”

I said, “I think that’s the point. That’s why Jesus came.”

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Believe in him and receive eternal life.

At least, that’s what it will always mean to me. Three years ago, our kids, ages 14 through 26, informed their dad and me that they had outgrown our perfectly perfect Valentine’s Day family tradition. They said they wanted to do their own thing as single people, and that we should do something romantic and couple-y without them. This year, I scheduled oral surgery.

The couple-y thing in this scenario is for my husband to drive me home, get me to bed and wipe the drool off my chin from time to time until I recover. The romantic thing is a movie. With the kids away, we can watch whatever we want. The last time we had the house to ourselves, we watched Aaah Zombies; but that doesn’t seem to fit this occasion.

Neither my husband nor I are real romance-type people, so we’re considering watching something from this list of our top ten favorite romantic–but-not-really-romance videos.

#10 The Philadelphia Story - Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart deliver fast-paced comedy in this story of a socialite and a tabloid newspaper reporter. It’s not rated, but it is suitable to watch with teens.

#9 Romeo and Juliet -You can’t talk about romantic-but-not-really-romance without Romeo and Juliet. The 1996 version starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes uses the words of Shakespeare with a modern setting to bring out the meaning of this classic. True to the play, there’s sex and violence, so this one’s for grown-ups only. Rated PG-13

#8 Rear Window – Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly star in this Hitchcock classic about a wheelchair-bound man who passes the time waiting for his broken leg to heal by spying on his neighbors–a mix of single, newly married and long-time married people. When he sees evidence of murder, things get dangerous. Suspenseful with a smattering of romance. Non-rated, but I suggest ages 10 and up.

#7 Shrek I know it’s a cartoon. I know it’s made for kids, but it’s hilarious for grownups. Truly. In order to keep his swamp, an ogre has to free a princess and bring her back to the castle. In order to break a witch’s spell, the princess must kiss her true love. And hilarity ensues. PG rated for potty humor.

#6 Joe Verses the Volcano – Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan–that should be enough right there. Comedy about a hypochondriac who is afraid to live until his unscrupulous doctor convinces him that he has a terminal condition and he can go out a hero by throwing himself into a volcano. Rated PG. Not for kids. It’s a comedy, but it’s based on the guy being willing to kill himself, and there’s also some smoking, drinking and cussing.

#5 Miss Potter – Renee Zellweger stars as Beatrix Potter, the author of the famous Peter Rabbit series of children’s books. Miss Potter lives in a time when she is considered a “spinster” for not having married young. She longs to create children’s books, but her mother disapproves of her association with those in the book trade. Nevertheless, romance blooms between Miss Potter and a tradesman as her books are published and gain popularity. Rated PG for portraying alcohol use, but it is mild, in my opinion. This is not made for children, but I think they’d be OK with it.

#4 Casablanca – This is my absolute favorite movie of all time. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in this drama set in Casablanca, Morocco during World War 2. A hardened American expatriate faces decisions as the woman who broke his heart and her war-hero husband need his help. Not-rated, not for children, but I think most of the non-suitable parts (violence, gambling, references to war) would go over their heads.

#3 A Man Called Peter Richard Todd stars in this true story of Peter Marshall, a Scottish Bible teacher who travels to America and becomes chaplain to the U.S. Senate. It is written by his wife Catherine, and includes how the couple met, courted and married. Not rated, but suitable to watch with children.

#2 Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story – This true story stars Neil Patrick Harris and Kelli Williams as Jim and Jennifer Stolpa, a young married couple stranded in the snow with their baby, and fighting to keep one another alive. It’s an intense portrayal of true love. Not rated, but suitable to watch with children.

And my #1 pick for a romantic-but-not-really-romance movie is. . . Shadowlands  Anthony Hopkins and Deborah Winger star in this true-life story of Christian professor C.S. Lewis (author of the Chronicles of Narnia series of books, among others) and how his friendship with Jewish atheist-turned-Christian Joy Gresham turned into true commitment and marriage. Rated PG, but I’d let children watch it.

How about you? What romantic-but-not-really-romance movies do you like? Or do you go all out mushy for Valentine’s day?

See also: Should I date my husband for Valentine’s Day?

Secret to Lasting Unity is Individuality

Tips for Interfaith Couples on Valentine’s Day

5 Fun Dates Under $10

Leviticus 19:23-25 says, “When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before the LORD; and only in the fifth year may you use its fruit–that its yield to you may be increased: I the LORD am your God.”  (New JPS Translation)

In order to keep track of how old each tree is, to know whether or not its fruit could be eaten, the Jewish people picked a date–Tu B’Shvat–as the birthday of the trees. On this day, all trees in Israel are considered another year older.

This day is especially fun for children, as we take the opportunity to remember the providence of God, where our food comes from, how important it is to take care of our earth, and sample a variety of healthy grains and fruits.

Ten Ways to Celebrate

1. Eat the “Seven Species”–the seven kinds of food for which God praised the land of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:8. These are: wheat, barley, vines (grapes), figs, pomegranates, olive oil (or olives) and honey (date honey or dates).
2. Eat a new fruit or one that you haven’t yet eaten this year. Some people save their etrog from Sukkot and eat it on Tu B’Shvat.
3. Eat almonds. The first trees to blossom in the spring in Israel are almond trees, so they are called the “watchers,” as they are the ones to watch to see if spring is close.
4. Decorate trees in and around your home. Bonus for using natural decorations, like popcorn strings which feed the birds.
5. Make nature crafts and decorations out of natural materials, like acorns, fall leaves and pretty branches.
   

     See Martha Stewart’s Nature Crafts for Kids

6. Take a nature walk. See how many trees you can identify.  See  24 Nature Activities for Kids at Disney’s Family Fun online
7. Donate a tree in Israel for $18 per tree through the Jewish National Fund–and be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to the Holy Land!
8. Donate a tree in the USA or other locations worldwide (you choose where) for $1 per tree through Plant It 2020.
9. Plant seeds in recycled cans or paper cups (Remember, paper is made from trees!) and watch your plants grow indoors until the weather warms up. Then transfer them to the ground. Or plant herbs to keep in your kitchen year-round.
10. Pick up trash around your neighborhood or a local park, and save the planet one block at a time. Remember, this activity needs to be supervised by an adult. Kids should wear gloves, know what not to touch and stay far away from traffic.

Jewish or not, we all share this planet. Tu B’Shvat gives us an opportunity to come together to celebrate our beautiful and plentiful world as we celebrate the birthday of the trees!

In keeping with my New Year’s Resolution to do at least one thing that I’m scared to do each month, I jumped right in by asking for a job. I was given an offer to submit a bid to edit a full-length science book. And I went for it. It’s not exactly swimming with sharks, but you know, baby steps.

As a professional freelance writer and copy editor, I send out query letters and ask for jobs all the time. Rejection–or ignoring, as is more common in publishing–doesn’t faze me so much. And I’ve been negotiating my own contracts without an agent for a couple of years.

This job was different, though. It was bigger than any I’ve ever tackled. I’ve edited e-books, but that’s not the same. What if I actually got the job? Would I be able to do it well? Would I be able to keep the writer’s voice? What if I made too many changes? What if I got sick or my family needed me, and I missed deadlines? Would I be taking on too much, considering I already have an ongoing writing job and I’m homeschooling two teens? Should I even ask for the job, with so many things I already have to do? Would it be too much? But then, if I got it, it would be a good opportunity doing work that I love, expanding my experience as an editor, and would take less than a year to complete. And who couldn’t use some extra money?

I prayed over it. Prayed over whether or not I should submit a bid. Prayed about my family and my health and my current job, and all the things that worried me. Then, with knees knocking, I did my first scary thing of 2013: I asked for a job.

They declined. Whew! All that worry for nothing. God willing, I won’t have to do anything scary again until February. I’ll keep ya’ll posted on how that goes.

What scary things have you tackled lately? How did it go for you?

Disclaimer: Each of these posts gave me something: food for thought, encouragement or information that I appreciated or needed. This list does not mean that I either agree or disagree with the writers, nor does it mean that I necessarily endorse them or their affiliations.

#10 Spiritual Abuse: 10 Ways to Spot It by Mary DeMuth at the blog Live Uncaged 

Excerpt: Often you don’t realize you’re in a situation until your health is damaged, your soul is torn, or your outside relationships suffer. My heart in sharing this is to simply shed light on unhealthy, manipulative, controlling practices.

#9  You Can’t Take it with You by Danie Marie at the blog Danie Marie’s Musings.

Excerpt: “So if you’re a lover of nature, color, and things that sparkle, guess what? …Heaven is filled with bling! I used to wonder why God would clothe us in simple white linen robes, and only recently did I come to understand–He is so ingenious. Imagine gemstone walls reflecting His glorious light all over the kingdom of heaven! Our pure white robes will illuminate with color.”

#8  Genesis 19: What the Bible Really Says were the Sins of Sodom by Alex Haiken at the blog On Being Jewish, Christian and Gay.

Excerpt: “A reification is when we use a concept or doctrine so often and for so long that it comes to be a distinct ‘thing’ to us, something that’s really there, a piece of our mind’s furniture.  We are unaware of how much of our mental furniture consists of reifications.  A canonical interpretation is a way of looking at a biblical passage or doctrine that we’ve become so accustomed to, that the interpretation has become indistinguishable in our minds from the text or passages themselves.”

#7 Bill Nye’s Campaign Against Creation #1-5 by William T. Pelletier, Ph.D., at the blog Bible-Science Guy. I’m cheating a little here by giving this blog only one spot, because this is a 5-part blog series.

Excerpt: Nye says, “Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology.” This is incorrect. The fundamental idea of biology is the Law of Biogenesis which says that life only comes from life; life never arises from non-living material. This was first demonstrated by Louis Pasteur (1822–1895). The Law of Biogenesis directly contradicts the evolutionary story that life arose from a primordial soup of non-living chemicals. The Law of Biogenesis comes from operational science; it has been observed and tested countless times.

#6 I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff by Helen Mackovjak Williams at the blog Helen’s Points to Ponder

Excerpt: It’s funny; sometimes you pray and know you’ve heard from God. Other times, you’re not even in prayer and God speaks to you and you recognized Him. But sometimes you travail in prayer and feel as though you’ve run into a brick wall, as though God’s not listening and you may begin to wonder if He’s really even there.

#5 A Few of My Favorite Things by Tanesha at the blog Crafty Garden Mom

 Excerpt: It was Christmas time and while I had a lot of baby dolls, there were no black dolls that my Mom could find. She really wanted me to have at least 1 doll that represented what I and my family looked like vs. the standard blond/blue-eyed dolls I had lining my bed. She was talking about this to her elderly neighbor and friend who also happened to be an excellent sewer.

#4 Dealing with Offense–When is it OK to Lecture Others? by Kristen Lamb at the blog Kristen Lamb’s Blog

Excerpt: When it comes to others on social media (and in life) try to make it a habit to believe the best. If someone gets out of line, we can take it personal OR we can stop and remember times we showed our @$$es and offer grace. We don’t know if this person just lost a job, experienced a death or is worn out from caring for an aging parent or a sick child. Sure, this person might just be a jerk, BUT maybe they are having a rough time. Compassion is always the best choice in my book.

#3 The Forest for the Trees by B.J. Taylor at the blog Taylor’s Tips

Excerpt: As I walk my path in life, I promise to look at those gorgeous trees sprouting up around me. They are my projects, my dreams. In fact, I will intently study them, admire them, bask in their glory and growth and work diligently. But I will not forget that even if I invest myself in that for a moment, there are bigger things God wants me to remember. The forest. The beautiful, ever-expansive, filled-with-opportunity forest.

#2 From the Young Mom I Once Was, To You by Katy McKenna at the blog Fallible.

Excerpt: One day, as serendipity would have it, all of the kids dissolved into a crying and wailing fit at the same time—-gathered around and clinging to my legs. In that moment, I didn’t know if I would survive raising children to adulthood. I was so overwhelmed with the enormity of the task that I did the only thing I could. I wrote a poem.

And my #1 Favorite Blog Read of 2012… Worship with Feathers????? by Lynn Donovan at the blog Spiritually Unequal Marriage

Excerpt:  The skeptics will say it’s a coincidence. After all, there are birds that fly above cars.  And you know what? I don’t care. I KNOW God delights in me and He is a blast. He likes to make Himself known and show off for those of us who have learned how to see Him.

So what were your favorite blog reads of 2012? Share them with us! No fair sharing your own (ask a friend to do it for you). Did you read any of my favorites? What do you think of them?