Cathy's Heart

Hospitality Is Not an Option This post is dedicated to Miles. Thank you for opening my eyes to the true value of family dinners.   Years ago, when we all lived under one roof, our house was the hub for middle school, high school and college kids. Music (really loud music, from the band that practiced in our garage), laughter, conversation, games, shenanigans, and young people filled every room in our home. And when dinner time rolled around... Well, let's just say, it was rarely only our family of six. No, we often set extra plates, as I prayed for the Lord to multiply the food I was cooking.   Our dining room table comfortably held our small tribe. Yet, many evenings we squeezed eight or nine or even ten snuggly around it. Some nights, though, even our long table was not quite enough. Then, I would holler for one of the kids to grab the folding table to accommodate the overflow.   We placed the square green table in the adjoining room, where we could easily include anoth...

When God Entrusts You with a Leader Son This week, one of the greatest cries of my heart and answers to my prayers turns thirty-four.   From the start, my first born began to show his true colors.   He would hurry for no one! Not to be his Grandma's birthday present in early February. Not to be a Valentine’s gift to his great-with-child mommy. Not even to be a Leap Year baby for his very excited daddy. And, he definitely was not in a hurry to arrive on his due date. No, he waited and waited and waited. Then finally, after twenty-four hours of intense labor, my newborn was thrust into his new world via c-section, 17 days late on March 7. Our son was finally here, all 10 pounds, 3 ounces, and 23 inches long of him.   Despite all the drama and trauma, we were smitten! We completely and utterly fell in love with our newborn son, forever and ever! Even through the next three years of long sleepless nights and napless days. And, even as it became clear that he would be a tester...

When An Ordinary Mom Raises a Pastor Son Happy New Year! My favorite holiday of all. The day my life changed forever, after I answered a pastor's call to kneel by my pew and surrender my life to Jesus. I thought I had done it a dozen times before, but that night, 39 years ago, God knew I was giving my all to Him!   New Year, the time my life changed, again, when I exchanged vows with my love, and I walked into the new year as a young wife. This year end we celebrate thirty-five years of God's mystery for marriage, two-becoming-one.    This New Year holds another big change. For in 2018, we celebrate the launch of  Light Church , pastored by my son and his wife. (Click the highlighted links to read more).    Looking back, I can see the hand of God in this exciting new undertaking from the day my son was born. Although, I cannot tell you all the workings of God in my amazing daughter-in-law's growing-up years, I'm well acquainted with God's leading in my son'...

Shine Like A Star Do all things without grumbling and complaining .   These words, running through my sleepy brain, seemed to shout, Wake Up!   I rolled on my side, trying to fall back to sleep. But sleep would not come.   My normal wake up call, a child climbing into bed for morning snuggles or my husband’s alarm clock beeping, was not what was forcing me to begin my day. Yet, I knew what, or should I say, Who, was! I recognized the still small voice of the Lord. And from past experience, I understood waking up to a Bible verse meant the Lord was preparing to teach me a new lesson! Like it or not.   I leaned over to my nightstand, flipped on the light, and grabbed my Bible. Genuinely bewildered at the salutation, I prayed, “ Lord, I don’t feel like I grumble and complain .”   Turning to the concordance, I found the passage I was looking for. Philippians 2:14 read,  Do everything without complaining and arguing.  (I guess God only wanted to w...

When I Fully Trust In Him Recently, I shared a blog post titled, " Tragic ." I completely resonated with the blogger's story of fear which would creep in, grab hold of her, and drag her down the frightening path of  worst cast scenario , then continue to push her down the path of  how would she handle every possible detail  once the tragedy had occurred.   In her post, the author eventually jumps off this futile path, grabs her bible and journal, and runs to the Lord. That is where she hears these words, "...Amy, you can’t dress rehearse tragedy."   Oh my gosh! Yes! How many times I "dress rehearsed tragedy" when my children were younger! And, by the responses I received when I shared this post, I'm pretty sure most, if not all, of us can relate.   For me, one of my greatest battle fields for "dress rehearsing tragedy" came when my husband traveled. In the days, before smart phones and text messages, my sweetheart would call me, long dist...

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...