My guest blogger this week is my dear friend, Betsy Ridgway . Her unique journey through a major health crisis, multiple miscarriages, faith struggles, adoption issues with her kids, her son's cancer & special needs issues, all have helped anchor and stretch her faith. Her journey is the inspiration for her website, as well as her upcoming book, "The Song of My Hope." www.Sparklinghope.net We've all got one. I've got several. The disciple Paul talks about having "a thorn in his side" (2 Cor. 12:7). What is yours? What is that bothersome, painful annoyance or terrible trial in your life that you deal with day after day, month after month? Has it left you feeling hopeless?I have labeled this pain my "prickly pear". Sometimes it's a person, sometimes it's a circumstance. Regardless, there's no hiding from it. Believe me, I've tried! The secret to "dealing with it" is what I'm going to share with you now. I...

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord,  "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,  plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Our kitchen definitely needs help. Everything is looking old. The cabinet doors won’t close properly, the tile on the counter is cracked, the dishwasher is leaking, the flooring is permanently dirty, and the shelves are always sticky. Sigh. It's not very functional, it's embarrassing to look at, and I hate to have guests see it. Even I hate to see it!  Our kitchen – the heart of our home – needs a redo.  But...how big of a redo? I mean, it is bad, but is it worth thousands of dollars to remodel? Maybe we should just scrape out the bad grout, put bleach on the shelves to scrub them clean, and paint over the old cabinets. Do we really need to spend the money to remodel it? This is the issue my husband and I wrestled with many years ago. And in the case of a kitchen, arguments certainly c...