ByGrace

This entry was cross-posted today at KJV Blog Directory . We all have ups and downs in life. Some of us seem to feel those downs more than others, and some seasons of life are more down than others. I know for me, personally, I've had three times when I was very low. One of those times was caused by circumstances, and the other two were caused by physical problems which affected my thought life. While I've never had thoughts of suicide, I have experienced times of just wanting to curl up in a ball and let life go by till everything got better. Now, on the other side of those times, I know that ignoring the thoughts won't make them go away, and ignoring life will not make the problems go away. What should you do when depressing thoughts start to control you? In Psalms 42 and 43, David was struggling with thoughts of depression. "Hope in God." Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5 - Look at the future and not at the past. If you feel drowned by circumsta...

It's been several weeks since I participated in The Week in Words at Stray Thoughts . Except for a week-long trip at the end of August, things are settling down once again after a whirlwind of a summer. Barbara features The Week in Words is published on Monday, but I just didn't have the chance to post yesterday, so this week mine's on Tuesday! Here's how it works: Welcome to The Week In Words, where we share quotes from the last week’s reading. If something you read this past week  inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook — anything that you read . In my personal Bible reading this week, I read the account of the Crucifixion of Jesus in Mark 15. Along with my Bible reading, I'm using Warren Wiersbe's With the Word , and his comments on that chapter resonated with me: The devil told Jesus, "Serve Y...

The Completing Him Challenge is over, and Courtney has asked that those of us who participated give a little report on how the Challenge went, improvements we've seen in our marriages, and how we've changed by doing the Challenge. This summer, many of you participated in the Marriage Challenge. How did it go? How did it change you and how did it change your marriage? I should say that Wes and I have always had a strong marriage. That doesn't mean we've never fought or had rough times in our marriage. What it does mean is that we have always been committed to each other and our marriage, so when those tough times have occurred, we've weathered them (and some of them were wild rides!) and come out on the other side. Having said that, though, I am always on the lookout for ways to improve my end of this thing we call marriage, and Courtney's challenge was something that was a help to me. Remembering our courtship and wedding was just plain fun, and the...

  I missed one week of posting in this challenge, and another week my automated posting feature didn't work like it was supposed to (this problem is becoming more and more common - anyone else's Blogger not posting when it's supposed to?), so I published it after I realized it hadn't posted as originally planned. I've enjoyed all the assignments, plus it's been good for me to revisit commitments I've made to my husband and rekindle the fun and excitement of sharing life with my man! This week's challenge is a bit on the private side: This weeks challenge could be your husband's favorite - I know it's my husband's! This is a cherry on top of a great summer of warm love and respect expressed. The challenge: "Kiss him like you mean it!" I will be the first to acknowledge that the intimate area of marriage is very important . . . but it's also very private. Plus my children read my blog! So I will not be reporting on how this w...

This devotion was cross-posted at KJV Blog Directory . I apologize for being MIA lately! Every time I try to get my groove back, something else comes along to knock it out of whack! Thanks for sticking around! I'm working on getting pictures loaded of our sons' visit and various other happenings of our summer. " Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4 What's your favorite way to relax? I love to curl up with a book (although I'm not quite as limber as I used to be, and curling up leaves me stiff!) and read for a couple of hours. I also like to have the entire house quiet, with the only sound that of soft music. I especially love soft instrumental bluegrass; something about the mandolin and fiddle and guitar just soothes my heart. Another favorite way to relax is in a nice, warm bubble bath. My husband has learned that I'm mush after a soaking bath. Just stick me with a fork, 'cause I...