The Porcupine and the Skunk.

Posted by Alysun


Read Proverbs 18

A Porcupine bumped and bumbled down the street, piercing things in her path. A Skunk watched the Porcupine from her window and shook her head in irritation, “Oh, she’s always bumping into things. She hurts everything in her path.” Since they were friends, the Skunk waved to the Porcupine. Thinking the Skunk was waving her in for a chat, the Porcupine changed her course and came up the front walk to the house. They greeted each other at the door and the Skunk decided to invite the Porcupine in for tea.

“Please come in my friend the Porcupine. Would you like some tea?” Asked the Skunk, expecting a good visit.


“Of course!” Said the Porcupine, all the while thinking, “It really stinks in here.”

On Being a Pharisee

Posted by Andrea


Read Matthew 12


I don’t want to write about this topic very much. I have been thinking about it and resisting it for sometime now, but I think it’s time I admit the truth. I am a Pharisee. I’m recovering. This may be one of my twelve steps, I don’t know.


I didn’t have any idea about it until I read the book of Matthew a little while ago. I got to one of the passages where Jesus is dealing it out ever-so severely to the hypocrites. Generally when I get to those parts, I kind of like to cheer Jesus on. He says, “You brood of vipers!” and I say, “You tell ‘em, Jesus!”

Knowing God.

Posted by Alysun, excerpt from Crazy Love, Overwhelmed by a relentless God, by Francis Chan


Read Psalm 8

I've already confessed my love for books. I read a lot and brainless fiction is what I am drawn to first. The pile of reading material on my end table gets shuffled every now and then and one book keeps showing up on top. This book has the ability to make my stomach flip with nerves. From the moment I cracked its spine I knew it would convict me to my soul. Am I ready for this kind of responsibility? It is easier not to read it and to be content with a rather shallow faith. Crazy Love, by Francis Chan pushes the limits and I catch a glimpse of a relationship with God that is so mind blowing it frightens me. I hope you will read the whole book, but until then, here is an excerpt from the chapter on knowing God.

...............

From the Depths of the Earth.

Posted by Alysun (letter from a representative of Campus Crusade for Christ)


Read Psalm 95


These daily drops are meant to encourage and help us grow spiritually as we travel through the overwhelming responsibilities of mothering. If you are like me, it is easy to get lost in the daily details, many of them being "icky" in nature. So often I want to stomp my foot and say, "This is too hard!" And maybe I succumb sometimes and actually stomp by foot and throw a little mommy tantrum.


I need a reminder that my life isn't really that hard. I'm surrounded by blessings and love, even when many of them are "icky" in nature.  I received an email today that was just such a reminder... and I needed it. It was from my cousin who works for Campus Crusade for Christ and she was forwarding a note from her friend in the Philippines regarding the Campus Crusade efforts in Chile. Read and be encouraged:


Dear friends,


Once in a while the world is riveted by good news...like others around the world, we [in the Philippines] have watched with nervous anticipation as the amazing rescue effort for the 33 miners has unfolded, ever so slowly, and has finally come to an amazingly smooth conclusion.




But one of the stories behind the story has been the work of the Chilean Campus Crusade for Christ ministry to reach out to and encourage the miners -- even while they were still trapped hundreds of meters below the surface.

His Goodness.

Posted by Alysun as written by Katie Davis (with permission)



Read Luke 11:9-13, see below




Have I told you how God loves me?


Last week I was telling my husband that I've been wanting boots. I've wanted them for about 4 years, but the kind I love are around $200 or more! So I knew it would have to be a miracle to get some this year.  I felt funny doing it, but I whispered a what felt like a selfish prayer..."God, I'd really like some boots this year...".

The Truth about God.

Posted by Andrea

Read Acts 1

People, particularly those who have never had a personal relationship with him, think of God as a distant, disinterested being in flowing robes with a santa-esque beard. They think of him as sitting on a golden throne, scepter of vengeance in his hand, surrounded by cherubs playing harps. This god either doesn’t care about the workings of the world or is like that mean kid in the first Toy Story movie that only gets involved to see what sort of havoc he can cause.

We know this image of the Almighty is a projection of people’s fear rather than the truth, but we are guilty of wondering the same things about our creator. How can he possibly care about us and each detail about our lives? If God is so good, why does he let bad things happen?

This too Shall Pass

Posted by Andrea

Read Ecclesiastes 3


As I write this, I am completely overwhelmed with life and all its responsibilities.

We live in a tiny house that seems to shrink daily. I struggle with the volume of stuff we have managed to cram into this place. We purge our surplus often, but it still seems to consume our space. The most recent reason for my frustration comes from school. We have decided, at least for now, to teach our children at home. This requires a few things.

#1 Time
#2 work space
#3 Storage space


And trying to find any of it lately has been difficult and messy. Add to that a certain little boy turning 6, the 120 pounds of fruit in need of processing and a semi-daily devotional to write, I’ve had it. I can’t find the floor in my living room or bedroom. My children now go straight to the laundry pile on the couch to find clean clothes, I’ve completely forgotten about dinner 3 nights in a row…


In the middle of all this mess, I can’t help but think, It’s going to be like this forever.

Taking off the brakes. Pedaling at full speed.

Posted by Alysun


Read James 1


Have you ever tried to ride a bike with its brake stuck against the tire? I have. I rode my bike with the brake stuck on for my entire childhood and adolescence. I'm sure of that now, but I didn't know it back then. I've never been what you would call "athletic" so I assumed that I was just bad at bike riding. Give me some hotglue, fabric and popsicle sticks and I was a happy camper. Bike riding? No thanks. When anyone would suggest, "Let's go for a bike ride," I would tremble in fear. Memories came back to haunt me of my aching muscles and sweaty armpits and trying in vane to catch up with the rest of the pack. I really hated riding a bike.

Then I got a new bike when I was in highschool and realized something profound: bike riding is fun when I wasn't pedaling so hard.


Since it took me more than a decade to figure out the bike thing, it is no small wonder that it took me so long to figure out other easy fixes. Like why I didn't enjoy mothering. Why being with my children exhausted me. Why others seemed to find joy in parenting and I just found sweaty armpits.

Saturday Special

Real Help For Moms Dealing With Anger.

Posted by Alysun


Read Matthew 11:28-30 and II Corinthians 4:8-9


I love books. From fiction to non-fiction, my night table is about to collapse from my ready stack of vade mecums. I believe the Bible is the ultimate source of knowledge and I appreciate authors who address specific life issues with Scripture as the backbone. Many authors have impacted my thinking – they are the books I recommend to friends or give as gifts. I’ll be sharing excerpts from time to time. Today’s quote is from She’s Gonna Blow: real help for moms dealing with anger, by Juli Ann Barnhill.