Heaven’s Blueprint

53: The Year of Me Sounds really selfish, right? Like—how can I put  myself  at the top of the food chain? Don’t I care about my husband, my kids, my grandbabies? Here’s my answer: If I  don’t  put myself first—if I’m not at the top of my own priority list—then I’m not really caring for them at all. I’ve spent over 30 years caring for everyone else first. That’s what was modeled to me as a kid. My mom never put herself first, and she spent a lot of her life unhappy and miserable. Now, she was a great woman—an incredible nurse and an amazing friend—but she put everything and everyone ahead of herself. And in the end, when it was just her, she had to work really hard to find her own happiness. You’d think I would’ve learned from that. But instead, I absorbed what she  did , not what she said. I guess that’s proof that more is  caught  than  taught . And honestly, it wasn’t until I started watching my own kids making the same mistakes I made that I r...

Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bath Water We’ve faced many challenging seasons in our lives—some that, honestly, would’ve made most people throw in the towel. Over the years, I’ve heard the whispers (and sometimes the not-so-silent judgments):  “Why not just divorce?”  But it’s never that simple. See, I don’t believe people are inherently bad. I believe we all carry trauma, baggage, and pain. And when we ignore it—or build walls around it—we can become toxic, even without meaning to. About six years ago, we separated. During that time, I had the opportunity to work on  me  in a whole new way. But then—yes, by God’s grace—we found our way back to each other. And it was different. We had a new level of appreciation for one another. Our communication was stronger. We were softer, more intentional. We even experienced healing moments with our kids—those who were ready. Because let’s be honest: staying together through the hard seasons creates challenges for your child...

Shame – The Silent Killer “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” —  Isaiah 61:7 Reflection Shame doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Sometimes, it creeps in quietly — hiding in the shadows of your story, tucking itself away in the memories you’ve long tried to forget. For me, it came rushing back on a random evening. My husband was watching a CSI episode, and I happened to wake up as the story unfolded. The plot involved a man in a position of authority… someone who offered help… but instead assaulted. And suddenly, the show on screen became a mirror to a memory I had buried for decades. Over 40 years earlier — I was a little girl in the fourth grade. Hurting. Confused. Afraid. My parents had divorced. I had been assaulted by neighbors. And my mother, desperate to help, sent me to a therapist. Someone who was ...

 Forward Faith "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." —  Hebrews 11:1 Reflection Too often, we confuse faith with performance. We confuse believing in God with believing He actually wants to bless  us . And as a result, we live trapped between two false versions of faith. Some of us live in the past — stuck in guilt, shame, and regret. We call it humility, but it's actually bondage. Others of us live in the future — anxiously waiting for the next bad thing to happen. We call it being "prepared," but it’s really just fear dressed up like wisdom. Neither is faith. Faith isn't about dragging the weight of yesterday or dreading the fall of tomorrow. Faith is now. Faith is today. Faith is a  choice  to believe God is good, and He's good  to you  — right now. And yet... most of us don't live like that. We  talk  faith. We post verses. We say, "God's got me!" — But inside, we don’t feel worthy of His...

Devotional Title: God’s Promises Work — If You Work Them Scripture: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." — James 1:22 (ESV) Devotion: Too often, we read the Bible or hear a sermon, nod our heads, smile, and whisper, “That’s good.” We may even feel the Holy Spirit stir our hearts and bring us to tears. But what happens next? We close the Bible. We leave the church. We walk out of the service — and we leave those words behind. We go back to our week — filled with meetings, bills, chores, family stress, and constant distractions. God’s promises, the ones we were so moved by, fade into the background of our lives. They become distant echoes instead of daily weapons. Then life throws a curveball. Trouble strikes. Disappointment hits. Fear creeps in. And because we haven’t  activated  the Word — because we haven’t  applied  the promises — we start to question everything: "Does God love me?" "Why is this happening?" "Maybe ...

Face the Music  Scripture “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” — Lamentations 3:40 (NIV) Devotional Thought The  Fir tree stands tall year-round, enduring cold winds and harsh seasons, not because it avoids the elements — but because it’s deeply rooted. It doesn't run. It stands. For many of us, we’ve lived running — not away from people, but toward them, toward their problems, constantly helping, fixing, supporting. At first glance, it looks noble. It  feels  holy. But in the quiet, we know the truth: we’ve used their emergencies to avoid our own. Like a tree trying to nourish others but forgetting its own roots, we’ve stretched ourselves too thin. And now… the wall. The end of the rope. The moment of decision. It’s time to stop. It’s time to face the music. It’s time to tend to your own soul. This is not selfishness — it’s stewardship. God never asked us to save everyone. He asked us to be faithful, and part of faithfulness is let...

Throw Out the Old Scripture Focus: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” — Ephesians 4:22–24 (NIV) Devotional Thought I’ll never forget the day I looked into my closet and saw nothing but navy, black, and gray. Not a single splash of color. That was the moment I realized—my outer world was reflecting my inner world. I had been walking through such a dark season, and I didn’t even recognize how much it was showing up in the choices I made, even in the clothes I wore. It wasn’t long after that realization that I knew something had to change—and that  something  was me. I remember standing in my closet, pulling out handfuls of dark clothes. It wasn’t about fashion. It was about freedom. I still had more than I needed, but when I went shopping next, I ma...