Cathy's Heart

Turning 58 What do you want for your birthday?” This is the question my dear husband has asked me all summer.   The man already took me to Palm Springs for a long, weekend getaway. A true gift from my beloved who abhors the desert heat! What more could a girl ask for, right?   Well, actually, I did plan to ask him for the newest, thinner, heart-rate-monitor Fitbit. But recently, my old one, which works perfectly fine, made my wrist have a weird tingling sensation. This freaked me out. So, I took it off, and decided to use the app on my phone instead.   Still, each time he asked me, I told him, “I don’t want anything.” And, truly, I don’t need or want a thing.   Yet, as I began to prayerfully consider what to write for my annual birthday/blog-iversary post, I decided there IS something I want! But, not from him. No, I want it from you.   In fact, I am going to be so brazen as to ask you, dear friends, if you would please give me a present for my birthday this yea...

A Window Into A Mother's Heart "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day."  Abraham Lincoln   "The teen years may kill me! Please pray for my (children)." My heart skipped a beat as I read the message from a dear friend. Then, I prayed for her children, and for their stressed out mama, too. Because, I have learned,  when it comes to raising teenagers, prayer is the most powerful thing a mother can do! In fact, many times, it is the only thing we can do.   I experienced this firsthand, forty years ago, when I was the lost teenager, who became a prodigal daughter.   As I ran away from church and God, my mom's initial reaction was to preach and prod, but one day she stopped. And for the next two years, she (and her friends) contended for my soul in prayer, as well as showing me unconditional love and unshakable friendship.  ...

When Our Bible Reading Time Grows Stale Can I be honest with you? My daily Bible reading times have become stale. Not because God's Word has lost it's oomph! No, not at all! But, because I have lost mine!   Before I continue, let me add, I love God's Word! It is truly manna to my soul. My spiritual daily bread. The living and active Word Of God, able to penetrate my soul and spirit, joints and marrow, judging the thoughts and attitudes of my heart! (Shudder)!    However, after reading the Bible for nearly 40 years, reading through it, perhaps, a dozen times, studying it, teaching it, and memorizing large portions of it, recently, I have had a really hard time using my old, familiar methods to have a daily "quiet time!"    Let me be clear, there is probably not a day that goes by when I do not talk about, listen to, read, pray, meditate upon, and/or memorize truth, passages, and promises from the Bible. However, the daily practice of setting aside special time to...

Make Every Effort To... Did you know God's Word promises that we have everything we need to live a godly life?     Well, it's true! This amazing promise was proclaimed to all believers by the very disciple who followed Jesus for three years, who bumbled and blundered all along the way, who denied Jesus as He was being interrogated and crucified, and who was restored to a right relationship with Him after the resurrection! This man, very much like us (or, at least, like me) in every way, Simon Peter penned these words right before his death, in his second letter in the Bible.     I wasn't planning to write this post, this day. But after sharing these amazing truths for the hundredth time, I promised a loved one I would write them down. So, here goes.   This precious promise is so significant to me! It is a Wow, Wow, Wow, hit-that-one-out-of-the-ball-park kind of a promise, which has powerfully impacted and shaped my walk of faith. Yet, like most (okay, ...

Just A Few Thoughts This is definitely not my normal post. However, two months ago, I received this private message, "Hello Cathy. I wanted to know have you written anything on respect and the Bibles perspective..."    I love it when someone asks me to write about a topic. Plus, this one "just happened to be" floating around in my head after a lunch time restaurant encounter. But, wow, RESPECT! It's a heavy topic! And, perhaps, now more than ever before.    From beginning to end,  the Bible has a lot to say about respect  (how we treat one another)! Plus, I am old school. I guess you might even say, I am getting old. But, fifty plus years ago, as a child who grew up in many cities, in several states, I remember no matter where we lived there were common manners, courtesies, and respect. You could go to nearly any home in any neighborhood and be called out on rude words, bad behavior, or disrespectful conduct. And, you got in trouble for it at their home, an...