Wildflower Writes

Even as a lifelong Christian, Sheila Walsh struggled to trust God completely.  It took a complete emotional breakdown for her to address the fear and shame that had kept her from making a final step of faith so that she could live completely for God.  Even then, as her Biblical profiles exemplify, faith involves a moment-by-moment commitment to believing in God's provision. I was astounded that a Christian with such a public life as a writer, speaker, and singer would lay bare what are probably the darkest moments of her life, in order to demonstrate her understanding of trust in God, forged in the trenches, so to speak.  In fact, I was encouraged by the idea that we can trust God to make our dreams come true, when those dreams are of God and for His purpose.  Welsch blends in her personal experiences, with detailed stories of people we think we know from the Bible:  Anna, Joseph, Martha, Abraham... letting us see through fre...

As a perfectionist, I get frustrated that my life doesn't look like I think it should.  Ideally, I would be able to do something I love and use the money to give to causes I really care about.  I would have an organized house and business, and be there at my family's beck and call.  I'd have a hot bod, be well-versed in current events and classic literature, and have time to learn a half dozen languages, a couple musical instruments, and paint landscapes on the side. Ouch!  It's a hard fall back from dreamland to the real world.  Even though I may never see this vision (chances are I'll be painting at 90, but the hot bod will be long gone), I can still move in the direction of those ideals. When it comes to goals (you do have goals, right?), you can either move toward them, move away from them, or not move at all.  As long as you are moving in the right direction, celebrate the milestones along the way, no matter how small! A newborn in...

Pink roses and white tapers adorned the front of the church sanctuary. The decorations highlighted the room itself, with an ornate plaster ceiling, tall stained glass windows, and solid, wooden pews. The people ensconced within the pews fit into the scheme: beautiful, young, dressed in summery dresses and colorful dress shirts. They whispered and laughed in anticipation. Even though I was feeling rather ambivalent about the affair, the lilting notes of the piano and the beautifully simple decorations lent themselves to a genuine romantic atmosphere, despite my sore backside from a 6-hour car ride and the fact I knew absolutely no one in the room except my husband. The groomsmen, dressed in gold vests and ties, waited in a line at the front, the groom’s smile wide and expectant. Three tiny tuxedoed ring-bearers trotted in, followed by two tiny flower girls, serenaded by the loud protests of the third would-be flower girl. Six attendants, sheathed in shimmering pink, hair perfectly coiff...