Glory and Strength

Closing Our Doors

2013-02-01T10:47:00.003-06:00

The past few months I have spent rethinking Glory and Strength. It is always my endeavor to be in God's will and take the path he leads me on. While I had initially decided to revamp, redesign and take new direction, I have come to the difficult decision of closing down Glory and Strength. I want to thank all my faithful readers and pray that you found Glory and Strength uplifting in your

“If it is the Lord’s will…”

2013-01-02T10:21:00.001-06:00

By Kristi Bothur © 2013 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you

The Dressy Debacle

2012-12-20T12:24:00.001-06:00

By Terri Porta © 2012 It’s late, too late to be looking for a fancy dress for my husband’s company Christmas party, but I had put it off for long enough. Why do I do this every time? I think that if I miss one more meal a new size will slip down over my waist like a loose breezy joy. At that point I can break out in self-congratulatory dance moves kept only for this moment. I won’t deny it, I

A New Journey

2012-12-17T12:18:00.000-06:00

As you have no doubt noticed, posts this month have been minimal. I've been in change mode and winter mode (when I'd prefer to hibernate than work). Change. That's supposed to happen in January when we make resolutions and decisions to change bad habits. But for me, change seems to hit in October. And it isn't about changing bad habits. It's about adding good things to my life. I begin to

“Fear Not!”

2012-12-03T09:17:00.001-06:00

By Kristi Bothur © 2012 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 As I write this, I am anticipating a medical test that is scheduled within the next week. Nearly four years ago, I had a cancer scare that turned my life upside down. This Christmas marks my three-year

2012-11-30T10:30:00.000-06:00

Photo by Mark Reed Butterfield “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Even if it’s only for one minute, stop awhile today and ponder the wonder of God.

A Game for All

2012-11-26T08:51:00.001-06:00

Adapted from the recently released book, Mama Was the Queen of Christmasby Linda Gilden How will all the little holiday extras ever get done? I ask myself that question every year. And as much as I enjoy the holidays, there seems to be so little time. One year I decided to let go of expectations and concentrate on celebrating Jesus. I came up with a plan to accomplish a lot of the extras in a

Hijacked Holidays

2012-11-19T09:59:00.001-06:00

By Debra L. Butterfield © 2012 As we enter the season of holidays, our celebrations and gatherings can divert our focus from the purpose for the holiday. Family gatherings, festive holiday parties, scrumptious food, and gift buying are not bad things. These activities help us enjoy the cold and snow of winter. They also help us forget the fact that it’s dark when we get up to go to work and dark

A Journey Through Alzheimer’s, Reader Q&A

2012-11-16T09:31:00.001-06:00

I hope you have enjoyed our time with author RJ Thesman and her character Reverend G. As promised here are readers’ questions and RJ’s answers. Q: You mentioned trauma-induced dementia, which I assume is referring to some physical trauma that caused the dementia to begin. Is there such a thing as emotional induced dementia?A: Yes. Psychological and emotional stress can lead to an increased risk

A Journey Through Alzheimer’s Part 2

2012-11-13T07:49:00.001-06:00

Today we continue our interview with RJ Thesman, author of The Unraveling of Reverend G. To recap, RJ’s father battled trauma-induced dementia for 10 years. He died in 2008. Doctors recently diagnosed her mother with Alzheimer’s. This life experience inspired her book about Reverend G. If you have a question for RJ, post it in the comments or send an email to admin [at] GloryandStrength.com. On

A Journey Through Alzheimer’s

2012-11-12T07:30:00.000-06:00

An Interview with Author RJ Thesman and Glory and Strength Editor Debra L. Butterfield This summer I had the pleasure of meeting RJ Thesman at a workshop in Kansas City. RJ is a life coach and program director at GateWay of Hope in Olathe, Kansas. She’s also a writer, and her newest book, The Unraveling of Reverend G, had released a few short weeks before I met her. We had some time to get

The Sacrifice of Praise

2012-11-07T06:39:00.000-06:00

by Kristi Bothur © 2012 "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name." Hebrews 13:15I learned this verse a long time ago and sang about it eagerly during worship times in college. I wondered sometimes about the phrase "sacrifice of praise" and assumed that being believers in Jesus, it was because we no longer

Living in the Light/Dwelling in His Presence

2012-11-05T09:54:00.001-06:00

by Rhonda Rheaexcerpt from Chapter 14 of How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take to Change a Person? I admit it, I’m a cruise fan. I love everything about it. Especially the food. A cruise and overeating go together like a hand in glove. Well more accurately, they go together like a size ten hand in a size two glove. All the gourmet food you can eat, for crying out loud! I guess I was just asking for

Female Infertility: How Endometriosis Affects Your Ability To Get Pregnant

2012-10-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

By Sarah Forbes Female infertility is a common problem in the world today. There are many reasons why people find it difficult to get pregnant. Endometriosis may be one of the reasons for the difficulties you face when trying to conceive. Here is how this condition affects your ability as a woman to have a baby. The first thing that you should know when trying to understand how endometriosis

Post-Abortion Healing Available For Men

2012-10-25T08:46:00.000-05:00

By Lori Peters © 2012 Three in 10 women will have had an abortion by the age of 45, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Such a decision has far-reaching impact for both women and men. In fact, there is growing evidence that men can be as negatively impacted by an abortion decision as women. Studies begun in the late 1970’s continuing through today show men dealing with abortion may

Losses Made Wins

2012-10-22T07:33:00.001-05:00

By Lori Peters © 2012 The fact that I am the mother of six beautiful children astounds me daily. For a long time I feared I wouldn't have any children. I have lost two, and those experiences brought me to the lowest points of my life, emotionally and spiritually. The power of prayer, loving neighbors, and a healthy, expressive outlet helped to ease my suffering and care for others. My

What Is Male Infertility?

2012-10-17T07:38:00.001-05:00

By Nathan Hapyan Photo credit: iStockphoto The term "infertility" is thrown around a lot, but it pays to remember that it can easily take up to a year for a normal couple to get pregnant. As such, infertility is typically said to be the inability to conceive a child after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. The statistics say that about 85% of couples will successfully conceive within this

An Ear to Hear

2012-10-15T07:38:00.001-05:00

By Amy L. Bovaird © 2012 Losing our twins late in pregnancy tested our marriage more than any other challenge. Ihab was Egyptian. I was American. We had married against the wishes of our families. After a lengthy wait, we defied military regulations and wed in secret. We began married life together in the United Arab Emirates, a true home to neither of us. During our 20th week of pregnancy,

Focused on Fear

2012-10-10T04:36:00.001-05:00

By Teresa Tierney © 2012 Did I pray while our son, Brad, was in the hospital? How does one not pray when your child is that sick? Mostly my husband and I watched and waited for him to recover. It seemed my personal prayer time all but disappeared during those 13 days. Most of the time, my eyes were on him. Little him—Brad; not big Him—God. Yes, I prayed. But my prayers were either formal, spoken

Child Bearing Loss, Miscarriage, Stillbirth - Top 10 Tips for Parents

2012-10-08T07:29:00.001-05:00

By Amy Luster 1. Be patient with yourself and your partner. Each of you will experience your grief in different ways and often on different timetables. Feelings will vary in intensity and are likely to come in a random fashion, rather than proceeding in a linear manner. Accept the feelings that come without judging them. Recognize the distinctions in how you and your partner experience the grief

Because You Care Book Review

2012-10-05T06:42:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we carried an excerpt from Because You Care: Spiritual Encouragement for Caregivers, a new book by Cecil Murphey (90 Minutes in Heaven) and Twila Belk. I hope you enjoyed what Cec and Twila shared. While I am not a long-term caregiver, I unexpectedly found myself in the role of caregiver when my 87-year-old mother became seriously ill last summer. Before a week passed by, I had the

This Is Who You Are

2012-10-04T06:22:00.001-05:00

From Cec and Twila Others may call you brave. They’ll use words like noble or sacrificial. They’ll admire and applaud you because you’ve offered your life to make yourself available to someone who needs a long-term caregiver. “I couldn’t do what you’re doing for him,” a friend says. You listen to the words your friend speaks, and you like hearing the compliments. Yet as you listen and smile,

If Things Had Been Different

2012-10-01T06:43:00.000-05:00

By Kristi Bothur © 2012 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 (NIV) If things had been different, I would have a three-year-old little girl today. Maybe I would have dropped her off at preschool with her big sister this morning. Maybe she would be playing at my feet in the kitchen. Maybe she would be running around the house making a glorious

Why Veterans Don't Accept Help - Part 2

2012-09-27T07:41:00.000-05:00

By Fuzzy Manning Getting men to ask and accept help is a subject that needs to be talked about at length. Out of this discussion, we hope to discover easy solutions to get men actively involved in their life and in the lives of their family and friends. It's a known fact that men in general don't pursue help or care on their own and have chosen to be "Unemotional or Disconnected" to life around

Why Veterans Don't Accept Help - Part 1

2012-09-26T11:22:00.001-05:00