Posts by Gayle Veitenheimer
4 Reasons to Celebrate Advent With Your Grandchildren
As a kid, I loved Advent. Tall skinny candles, three purple, one pink, and a white one in the middle, an evergreen wreath, and a countdown to Christmas. Each week at church, a family would come forward and light that week’s candle. Dad took charge so the youngest member didn’t set the church on fire. …
Read MoreRelationships: Easy As Pie, Not!
I’m the pie lady for Thanksgiving dinner. Apple for my sweet daughter-in-law. Sweet potato for my husband. Cherry and pumpkin pies for my kids—with loads of whipped cream, of course. I love pie, and because I am my grandmother’s granddaughter, I make them from scratch. Yes, crust too. None of that ready-made stuff. Trust me.…
Read MoreHow to Write Your Own Obituary and Why You Should
When my grandmother died, her eulogy/obituary were . . . well, less than. Her life was reduced to a few sentences about her cooking, her hospitality, and her crafting abilities. Seriously? There was so much more. Where was the space for the Wahoo! games at Grandmother’s kitchen table, the steaks she and Papa cooked for my…
Read MoreHow to Build Character Through Literature
(ID 41629192 | Literature © Kolinkotanya | Dreamstime.com) To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. Daniel 1:17 NIV Once upon a time . . . As a kid, those four words hooked me every time. Little did I know how much they would build…
Read MoreBack to School: How to Make a Blessing Backpack
Two of my grandchildren start kindergarten this year—and the tension is already building. Back to school means new teachers, new classmates, and new material. Perhaps even a new school or a new season. A transition to kindergarten, high school, or even college. While beginnings offer a fresh start, the unknowns can be scary. Unsettling. And…
Read MoreThe Handoff: How to Pass Your Faith to Future Generations
By Gayle Veitenheimer Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Psalm 71:18 The handoff. The trickiest part of a relay. Races have been won and lost at the handoff. But the stakes…
Read MoreGod’s Special Forces: Grandparents (and Parents) as Intercessors
By Gayle Veitenheimer My visit with Ben following the Navy’s boot camp had been painfully short. One day. Less than twenty-four hours with the son we hadn’t seen for eight weeks. The pageantry of boot camp graduation faded, and my husband and I faced a second separation from our firstborn. Now officially a military family,…
Read MoreHow Lisa Harper Ruined Cinderella For Me
I’ve lost my love for the Cinderella story, and it’s Lisa Harper’s fault. Lisa Harper is a Christian speaker, author, and teacher. I love her because she is soooo authentic. Our women’s group at church was studying her Bible study on the Gospel of Luke. In one video session, she spoke on Cinderella—and forever ruined…
Read MoreHow to Know Which Voice to Listen To (God’s Voice)
So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 1 Samuel 17:50 NIV You don’t have to be a fiction writer to hear voices in your head. Friends, family, and the enemy all have an opinion on what…
Read MoreWhy Lent? 3 Reasons to Observe Lent This Year
If your only familiarity with Lent is Mardi Gras, you may have a few questions. What is Lent? How did it start? And why practice it? Lent commemorates Jesus’s 40-day period of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. Historians point to the practice after the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D, but church fathers like…
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