Did you know that fear can block joy? Fear is your brain's watchdog. This watchdog was put in place long ago in order to help you stay safe. The problem many of us face now is that our watchdog blocks us from receiving good things too. I have 2 dogs in my house. Not metaphorical dogs, real dogs. A mutt and a German Shepherd. My dogs love our family more than life itself. They are both really vigilant about making sure that we are always safe. Much of their day is spent lookin

(no, that's not a typo in the title) I’ve always been a good listener. I’ve always been that friend that listens to whatever you need to say. My husband makes fun of me now when he sees me on the phone. It looks like I’m just walking around with a phone by my ear… nodding and hardly saying a word. I’m also an introvert. Big time. As an introvert, I’m totally fine being by myself and it doesn’t bother me at all not to say a word out loud all day. I do have plenty of thoughts r

Bad things happen. They happen to everyone. Some people seem to crumble under the weight of “bad things” in their lives while others manage to let things go quickly and easily and don’t appear to be affected by the very same “bad things”. If you’re in the 2nd category, you probably don’t even know why you are this way. If you’re in the 1st category, you wish you knew their secret. As a category 2 person myself, I think I’ve figured it out and I want everyone to learn this sec

Reading in Nehemiah I couldn’t help but notice that the word “repaired” was repeated over and over again in Chapter 3. This passage is all about how Nehemiah found the walls of Jerusalem in ruin and was inspired by God to have them rebuilt. Often when I think of “walls” I think of the walls that I’ve put up around my own heart to protect me. My walls have been used in the past to keep everyone out… including those I love, and even for some time, to keep God out too. I’ve spen