Absolute.

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is a Samaritan’s Purse ministry that takes shoebox gifts to children in over 100 countries.   OCC participants fill standard sized shoe boxes with toys, toiletries, and school supplies and drop them off at local collection sites to be processed and delivered.   I am a passionate supporter of this ministry and collection week is right around the corner (November 13-20).   So, I wanted to make sure you have heard about Operation Christmas Child and give you 5 reasons to participate. #5 Fun and Easy Samaritan’s Purse has made this as easy as possible.   You can use any shoebox, select a gender/age group, fill it up, and drop it off at one of the thousands of collection sites nationwide.   You can purchase items according to your budget or even send homemade gifts.   You get to pick the gender and age group, so if you would have more fun shopping for a 2-4 year old girl and picking out tiny pink hair barrettes, go for it! ...

I completed my third official round of Whole30 a few weeks ago.   Soon, 18 months will have passed since I started my first round.   At this point I feel like Whole30 is the new norm- I know what I’m doing, and I’m doing it because I know it works for me.   I committed to my third round simply because I had some lingering weight loss goals and my husband said he was ready for another round.   I did NOT expect to learn anything new about my relationship with food, but once again Whole 30 brought a surprise... My third round of Whole 30 shone a big spotlight on my personal issues with contentment.   This round should have been easy.   There would be no sugar withdrawals or detoxing headaches.   My husband was completely on board and home for most of the round.   He committed to the 30 days with me.   He consistently helped with the cooking and cleaning after dinner.   He even found several new recipes for us to try, one of which was del...

Through different seasons of my life I increase my understanding of and appreciation for different components of God.   When I didn’t have a consistent father figure in my life, I needed God as a father to the fatherless ( Psalm 68:5 ).   In middle school and high school my pastor constantly reminded me that God is perfect ( 2 Samuel 22:31 ) and so being made in his likeness I strove for excellence in EVERYTHING I did.   Then in college I learned to rest in the sufficiency of Christ, that no achievement of mine could ever make me worthy of the sacrifice God already made for my salvation ( Philippians 3:3-9 ).   The God of wisdom ( Proverbs 2:6 ), the God of forgiveness and mercy ( Ephesians 2:4-6 ), the God of compassion ( Psalm 145:9 ), there are many qualities and characteristics that contribute to the composition of who God is.   During this season of my life, my heart is focused on God’s faithfulness .   The word faithful is an adjective with many...

I recently returned to Minnesota, my current state of residence, from a two week visit to Texas, a.k.a. Home.   I missed my hubby dearly and it is great to be back in my own bed (don’t underestimate the power of the thread count), but I have run into the same challenge multiple times.   Everyone asks, “How was your trip?”   For most circumstances this is a normal, small-talk question, but I keep hesitating to answer.   I hesitate because the appropriate small-talk response, “It was great!” just doesn’t do it justice.   A trip to Texas of any duration should not be summed up into one sentence. Two weeks is an extended visit even for me, but I was home-sick.   I was more than home-sick, I was desperately missing all things Texas.   During my visit, I loved having the chance to be a part of the obtrusive state pride, being in weather so hot that shady spots are the most valued in a parking lot, and seeing the state flag, Texas shaped silhouettes, and T...

Many of you know I celebrated my birthday two weeks ago, but those who know me really well know I celebrate my birthday pretty much all month.   It started when I was young; my parents were divorced, so it took a while to make it around to mom, dad, both sets of grandparents, step-family, etc.   Old habits die hard.   During this time of celebration, I always take inventory of my life over the last year (goals, hopes, accomplishments, etc.).   Normal people do this on New Year’s, but my annual calendar has always revolved around my birthday and Christmas (Thanks Mom!).   I have written a few blog posts about the outward transformation that has taken place in my life over the last twelve months, but this Transformation Tuesday blog post is about the inward transformations that God has worked in my heart over the last year.   There are no incredible ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures that illustrate the change.   Only my closest circle of friends an...

You may have guessed from the title- It has been 11 months since I started my first round of Whole30 and during these months I have lost a total of 61 pounds!   With every pound I learn more and more about my relationship with food.   I’ve been blown away as my body has begun to crave new things.   Spaghetti squash and cauliflower rice have taught me how much texture contributes to my eating experience.   I’ve been disappointed by foods that used to have SO much appeal to me.   But battling for pound number 60 brought the most shocking realization of them all: Food is My Drug.   I don’t know how I missed it for so long.   Even with recognizing all of the emotions that center around my diet.   Even with overcoming a serious caffeine addiction.   And watching my friend publicly share about her ongoing battle with a sugar addiction.   So many signs, but I missed them all.   It took me weeks to lose that likely over-valued pound to t...