It's true, according to my kids. And looking through their eyes, I have to agree. But what they see as “mean” is really me trying to gain respect and control of my childrens' behavior, though I’m not as successful as I’d like to be. My goal is to be firm, but it comes out harsh. Not the best way to change their hearts and get them to do things my way, but it’s so easy to resort to old habits. Thankfully, God sends little reminders to help me in this area. This came in my inbox the other morning. Be Firm Without Being Harsh "Some parents believe that the only way to be firm is to be harsh. Firmness says that a boundary is secure and won't be crossed without a consequence. Harshness uses angry words and increased volume to make children believe that parents mean what they say. Some parents have ...
Category Archives: Gina
Works in Progress
My email signature used to read: Gina Conroy Writer In Progress (my way of playing with the code word WIP (Work in Progress) that all aspiring and published authors know so well) But couldn't every Christian sign their email with a WIP? We're all WIPS - Works in Progress. Nothing gives imperfect, stumbling Christians more hope than the book of Philippians. Maybe that's why I love it so much. It gives me a perfect picture, a road map of how I should "carry on until the day of completion." Until Jesus comes. 2 vs. 3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself." 2 vs. 14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe." 3 vs. 7 "...I consider everything loss compared ...
Jesus Take the Wheel
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 Sometimes it's hard to know which way to turn, which area of your life has gotten out of balance and which needs to be steered back on course. Every since I've become a mom, I've struggled with balance. Yet, I've been able to encourage others along the way even though I don't have it all figured out myself... I wrote the following to a friend who was starting on a similar journey of balance in her own life: "Listen to that gentle whisper God is speaking to your heart and see where He wants you to let go. Writing and the critique group was one of the hardest things I had to let go of, but I believe the relationships we built ...
Big Lessons from a Little Devotion
"If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it." Matthew 16:25 One morning, when my youngest two were three and five years old, I sat down with them for a quick devotion. I usually didn't get around to devotions with my little ones, but on this morning I had managed some quiet time myself before they got up. When they came to sit besides me, I set aside my Bible and seized the moment, never knowing that their children's devotion would be just what I needed. Giving Up Things for Jesus That was the title of the lesson taken from Luke 5:10-11 and the story about when Jesus called Simon to follow Him. Simon loved to fish. It was all he knew to do, and he was good at it. But Jesus wanted Simon to tell others about ...
Everything is Meaningless?
I needed a word from the Lord about my writing, my relationships, my life. When I cracked the Bible, the book fell open to Ecclesiastes 1:1 and I started reading. “Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Okaaay… Not the answer I was expecting so I read on. “What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever…All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look! This is something new?' It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no remembrance of men of ...
Why We Grow Weary in the Journey
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9” I started on my writing journey enthusiastic, bright-eyed and hopeful. That was six years ago. Now, at times I'm weary, blurry-eyed, and discouraged. Why? What takes a determined person and zaps the life from her dreams? Is it the struggles we face along the way? The obstacles we must overcome? Or is it the lack of results? While I’ve had successes in my writing career, I’m starting to wonder if it’s enough to sustain me. Yes, editors have been interested, even enthusiastic about my ideas over the last six years, but that enthusiasm has ended in a rejection. Yes, I have an awesome, encouraging agent, but my two manuscripts haven't sold (no fault of his). People tell me to be patient. I encourage others to be ...
Remember the Blesssings
How quickly I forget the blessings of life. When I think back to my childhood and through the years, what comes to mind? The hard times. The hurts and pain. People who wronged me. Why is that? Why is it so easy to remember the bad times and so hard to conjure up memories of good? Are you this way too? The Israelites, whom God had chosen and loved, battled the same thing. “So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, ...
Prodigal Love
"The suddenly there dawns upon us the vast, entire endowment of God's free love and forgiveness...It is this which bowls us over...frees us...transforms us." Paul Tournier Saved by Grace. Christians throw that phrase around to express their faith, but do they really know what Grace is? I've come to a deeper appreciation and revelation about God's Grace. It's so amazing, even my seven-year-old is still too young to understand it's power and meaning. I've come to understand through my own Christian walk the difference between Grace and Mercy in these simple terms: Grace is getting some reward I don't deserve. Mercy is being forgiven or pardoned from a wrong I did and a punishment I deserve. The most remarkable thing about the God I serve is that He offers these to us generously, every day. Other religions of the world can't boast this about their gods. They promote religions where man gets exactly what he ...
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Genny Heikka
Managing EditorGenny started her career life thinking that the business world was where she wanted to be. But after her daughter was born and she began reading books to her, she realized that what she really wanted to do was be a writer...
