All Posts

Easy Nontoxic Changes for your Kitchen

Biblically speaking, the heart is the hub of our physical, mental, and spiritual life. Our heart defines and directs us. It is what steers our motivation and where we reveal our true nature. Our heart is center of all we are.   As evidenced by the fall, the human heart does not gravitate towards what is good, right, and holy. We see this explained in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable – who can understand it?”. And again in Matthew 1

How your heart functions and how to protect it!

This beauty turns 20 over this upcoming weekend. She is a force to be reckoned with in all the right ways. She is fiercely determined, loyal, kind, funny, smart, disciplined, and hardworking. She is a gift to all who know her.   I was in labor with Cate all throughout Valentine’s Day. She entered this world in the early, early morning hours of February 15 th . I learned a pivotal lesson through her delivery which I still lean heavily on today and even share with all my patien

"National Wear Red Day" Cardiovascular Disease: what is a Cardiac Calcium Scoring

My dad is a retired pastor. While recently flipping through a storage box from his old office, I found notes someone had given him on the 23 rd  Psalm.  He does not recall who shared these with him.     Here is what I found (with a few additions and adjustments):   Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, (He is the source of perfect salvation.) I lack nothing. (He is the source of perfect satisfaction.) He makes me lie down in green pastures, (He is the source of perfect rest.) He

Avoiding "cabin fever" and "hibernation weight"

In the Nashville area, it has been a long, hard week for many. Families have gone with out power for 100+ hours. Some areas are still without power. Our first responders, linemen, and those who keep our communities running have been working tirelessly in miserable conditions. Their families have been making sacrifices to keep things running smoothly at home. Our small businesses are feeling the pinch with closings and fewer customers. And the bitter cold is not going to let

Meal prep tips and tricks as you transition away from processed foods.

Swimming has always been one of my very favorite things to do. Because of this, it has been my absolute joy to teach many children how to be safe around water and to learn to swim. For every parent, the goal in learning to swim is for their child to be able to jump off the diving board. There is a certain peace parents feel in knowing their child can successfully swim where they cannot touch. This, however, is not every child's goal. I have had many students through the years

Tips for the new year!

The genealogy of Jesus is love on display. The inclusion of women in the Matthew 1 record demonstrates God’s heart for all people, specifically those marginalized and oppressed. In total, 5 women are mentioned by name - Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba), and Mary. Not every woman mentioned had the background from which you would think the King of Kings would be born. Tamar posed as a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law. Rahab was a prostitute. And we all kn

Tips to preserve your sanity this Christmas season

My Christmas as a preacher’s kid probably looked a little different than your childhood Christmas. When I was growing up, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were an all-out sprint. We traveled 2 hours both days for extended family gatherings with a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and our family Christmas sandwiched in between.  The Christmas “rush” did not slow down until I was a married adult with children. The first few “slower” Christmases did not feel like Christmas to me

Tips to avoid constipation this Christmas season

Do you remember this old Coca-Cola commercial … “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I’d like to buy the world a coke and keep it company”? During the Christmas season, this song is the very first thing I think of every time I hear the word “peace”. Apparently, the commercial really made an impression on 3-year-old Dana! I think what made it stand out to me was the vocal harmony singing about harmony.   Coca-Cola used the promise of peace to market their p

Components of a healthy diet and "a few of my favorite things".

Advent is observed the four weeks prior to Christmas in anticipation of the coming of our Savior. It serves as a reminder and tool to prepare our hearts for the true Christmas celebration, Christ’s birth. Advent helps to quiet our souls from the worldly noise and pressures of the season.   This week, we focus on hope.   Hope is often used interchangeably with wish. My son, Collin, as a young child would often say, “I sure do hope so” to anything he wished to get. For example,

Tips for managing your blood sugar and Advent resources.

My mom, Marmie, fought pancreatic cancer for 7 years. This is almost unheard of with pancreatic cancer. Most people die within weeks to a few months of diagnosis as this type of cancer is well advanced before symptoms typically appear. By God’s grace, we did not have to say goodbye to Marmie as abruptly as the statistical average.   Medically speaking, the seven years can only be described as a fight. Fighting the cancer. Fighting the side effects of treatment. Fighting our f