Have you ever had a good idea and you wanted to share it immediately with someone who could either grasp your enthusiasm, or help bring the idea to fruition? I have. And often, in my haste of grabbing the phone and placing the phone call, I have been left in a state of disappointment and frustration.

Why is it when children are in a car together, they love to start playing around, teasing each other, and distracting their parent who is driving? When I was young, my brothers were particularly good at this, and they would even begin to start physically swiping at one another. My mother was never a woman to suffer fools, so she would raise her voice and say “Boys, I have eyes in the back of my head. Stop horsing around now or you will regret it if I have to stop this car!”

In recuperating from a broken foot, I have learned a lot about the process of healing. First, all injuries and individuals are unique, so no two experiences of recuperation are alike. Six days after I broke my foot, my daughter Laura broke her ankle. We often compared our situations, yet we discovered that even though the foot and the ankle are similar, healing them when broken varies significantly. We quickly learned a valuable lesson: Comparison to another person’s situation gets you nowhere.

The older I get, the harder it is to remember specific things in my daily life. Often, I am either looking for my car keys or my glasses. Should I be concerned? Maybe, or maybe not, but I guess I often chalk it up to “I’m getting older” and I just move forward.

Life is filled with many different types of days. There are “Drudgery Days” which usually involve cleaning out a closet or reorganizing the garage. Necessary, but no fun at all. Then there are “Joyful Days” where you get to see an old friend and meet for lunch, or you complete a big project at work, and it was successful. You feel good about yourself and life.

I have learned that the longer I have known someone, the more intricately my knowledge of them has expanded. Over time, newness is gone—and instead, it is replaced with deep familiarity. This special bond of closeness is what binds us together, two knowing each other as well as humanly and spiritually possible.

Do you ever get into a funk? The dictionary defines a funk as “a dejected mood.” When I am in a funk, I feel very dispirited. I am out of sorts. I lack energy. I have a hard time focusing.

In I John 1:5, the disciple penned these timeless words, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

How do we experience darkness today? I believe that darkness creeps into our lives in three primary ways: negativity, worry and evil.

Thankfully, God’s light was made manifest in Jesus Christ whose light helps dispel darkness to conquer these attitudes and situations.

In my home state of Florida, the sunshine is out, the skies are blue, and people are packing up coolers to head to the beach. Many others are prepping hotdogs and hamburgers to throw on the grill. Some are starting to chill sweet, ripe watermelons to savor the tastes of summer. It is the annual time for Americans to celebrate Independence Day, tomorrow, on the 4th of July.

A few weeks ago, I had a heavy heart, and my mood was downcast. I had learned some news that made me sad. My mind was troubled, and I thought it would be good for me to take a walk to get some fresh air.

I strolled from my home to a nearby park that is situated with a view of Tampa Bay. Once I arrived, I sat on a bench and looked at the water. About a half hour passed, and I decided to walk back home. Once I returned, I still felt out of sorts, so I grabbed my Bible to seek inspiration.

Recently, the word “pivot” has become extremely important to me. I am currently struggling with a broken foot, and when struggling to move myself from a knee scooter to a car seat, or stumbling from a car seat to a wheelchair, the ability to pivot is helpful. I have learned to keep my body’s core in a stable position, while at the same time turning toward the new direction I am intending to go. Similarly, in life, I encounter situations in which I need to pivot.

Years ago, I had the privilege of travelling to Bolivia with my son John Jr. and friends from our church on a mission trip to reach out to young boys at an orphanage. We were an eclectic group of people —our ages ranged from teenagers to some who were retired, and everything in between. Some spoke Spanish, which was so helpful, while others did not. Some were gifted at building and painting which proved to be helpful to the orphanage, while others did not. The only skill I felt confident to bring to the mix was that of loving children. However, it proved to be enough.

We all have morning rituals to get ready to start our day. Men shave, shower, and put on clothes. Women add to these basics by applying make-up, styling hair, while choosing clothes, shoes and accessories that look good together. During my morning ritual, I like to think about the other things I need to put on to ensure that I will be equipped to meet the demands of the day.

When the storms of life hit us hard, we are overwhelmed, frightened and confused. We want to trust God, but we feel so weak and helpless. It seems impossible to conjure up enough faith to believe that God can work right smack dab in the middle of our mess. We earnestly desire more faith, but is that what we really need? We should remember that God doesn’t require “big faith” because He is a big God.

I love the Bible’s Book of Proverbs written by King Solomon, who was known in Biblical days as “the wisest man in the world.” What is unique about Proverbs is how so much wisdom is condensed down into a simple phrase or sentence. Often figuring out the meaning held within one proverb is more challenging than analyzing whole chapters in other Biblical books.

King David of Israel proclaimed in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” What is a “clean heart?” I believe it is a heart not weighed down by guilt, or by fear, or by others’ expectations of us. A clean heart is pure, one that is honest before the Lord, one that is honest within the deepest part of us, in our soul.

The first way we introduce young children to God is by telling them “God made the world and God made you.” We discover who God is by what He does. Meeting God as our Creator is how the Biblical story begins. The first verse in the Bible found in Genesis 1:1 reveals the nature of God with the words “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

God knows a lot about merriment. Thousands of years ago, King Solomon proclaimed in Proverbs 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine!” There are people around the world who have known and understood this for a long time.

Have you ever received a deep tissue massage for sore muscles? It’s incredibly therapeutic. I recently experienced repeated back pain, thinking perhaps I had pulled a few muscles. A massage seemed like a good idea to bring relief from the soreness and maybe work out a few tight spots. Wow. Was I in for a surprise. No one told me that in order to get pain relief, I would have to experience some new pain! The therapist’s hands worked my muscles so hard that I wanted to scream! She seemed to delight when my body drew up and tightened—she would say “Another stress knot—let’s work that out!”

Recently I experienced a special day. I got to drive an hour away to a nearby city to visit an old friend. She has had a tough year and I wanted to spend some unrushed, quality time with her to encourage her and love on her. We enjoyed our day together, relaxing and catching up. We shared a day at the beach — which we both adore — and rested, soaking up God’s beauty and enjoying our time together. At the end of the day when I drove back home, I reflected upon how much my dear friend encouraged me when my heartfelt intent was to encourage her. Isn’t that the crazy mystery and power of friendship?