Godly Insights for the 21st Century Life

     This summer, Mom and I did some cleaning around the house. One of the things we found was an old CCM magazine talking about the upcoming book and CD set chronicling the 100 greatest songs in Christian music. While the article hinted at some of the songs featured in the countdown, we were really curious to see the entire list. While we could find the track list for some of the CDs, we couldn't see the entire list without reading the book. We had to use an inter-library loan to get it, but it was worth it to be able to uncover the mystery of which songs made the list.     My parents and I really enjoyed reading the book and seeing the choices that the editors made. Some of the songs on the list came as no surprise. (Among the top five were " Awesome God " by Rich Mullins, " Jesus Freak " by DC Talk, and " I Can Only Imagine " by MercyMe.) Some of the songs I knew well, but not their original versions. (I've sung " Soon and Very Soon " ...

"My God has set me free Opened my eyes, now I can see The devil is a liar And he's not fooling me" ~ " The Devil is a Liar " - We Are Messengers As anyone familiar with my blog probably already knows, my life has not been an easy one. I've dealt with the deaths of people I loved dearly, seen my dream lying shattered at my feet, and at one point saw no purpose left in my life but to end it. The past week has been no exception. I had to deal with a costly repair to my car and students who refused to listen or work. To say that my depression hit me hard on Tuesday would be an understatement. Not only that, but I also developed a headache by the end of the day that lasted well into Wednesday even though I went to bed early that night to try and dispell it. However, I don't tell you these things to try and get you to pity me. Instead, I tell you because these events do not define me, and similar events in your own life don't define you. One of th...

"Maybe it's okay If I'm not okay 'Cause the one who holds the stars Is holding on to me" ~ We Are Messengers-" Maybe It's Okay " There may be some people who see the name of my blog and assume I have it all together. After all, Godly Insights for the 21st Century Life sounds like it was written by a well-studied theologian, someone whose faithful leadership guides others to know Christ as well. While it is true that others have come to know Christ through my faithful witness, I am still far from perfect. As I mentioned in my earlier post " Haven't Seen it Yet ", I struggle with doubts about many things. I also suffer from anxiety that at times can be almost crippling, and often that anxiety will morph itself into depression. The most recent instance of this was a little over a week ago when I participated in a local small business fair. Before the event, I worked hard to make new items to display, worried that I might run out ...

This last month has been a blast, and I wanted to share the highlights with you, my loyal readers. So here, in chronological order, are the events that made my October a great one. Kansas Authors' Club Convention:  This took place the first weekend of the month right here in my hometown. Even though I have been a member for a few years, this was the first convention I had been to, mainly because I didn't want to pay for the convention and a hotel room. I am so glad I went, and I enjoyed it so much that I'll probably keep going every year even if it involves travel and a hotel. I learned so much from the sessions I went to about honing my craft that I came home eager to write more often. I also met some awesome fellow writers including the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Kansas. He was very fun to talk to and loves to eat bread, a fact I later wrote a poem about. One of the sessions I participated in was a poetry and music event. Each poet read their piece once, then two jaz...