Tag Archives: encouragement

Words That Haunt, Part One

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From the song “Words”, by Hawk Nelson:

They’ve made me feel like a prisoner
They’ve made me feel set free
They’ve made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a king
They’ve lifted my heart
To places I’ve never been
And they’ve dragged me down
Back to where I began
Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out
Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don’t wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

Words can haunt in many ways…


This is  me, the summer after 4th grade, when I was about 10. My cousin and I would each spend two weeks at the other’s house during summer vacation. One day, some neighborhood kids were over playing with us in her back yard. I overheard one of the girls whisper to another, as she looked my way, “Who is that girl over there, what’s her name? She’s really pretty.”

I felt so happy when I heard that. No one had ever said I was pretty before. Later in the day, I asked my cousin who she was, and every time I was there, I looked for her. You see, she made me feel good about myself, so I wanted to be around her.

Words that haunt, in a good way. Continue reading Words That Haunt, Part One →

Up The Ladder

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Mt Gretna 2

At the lake, my husband contemplated a jump off of the high dive. He hadn’t done this in many years. “I’ll wait until the line is shorter,” he declared. I thought he was just stalling.

One after the other a group of teenagers climbed up the ladder and went off into the water, never missing a beat, or their chance to perform in front of the others. It was fun to watch the energy of their youthful antics.

As we looked on, a young boy slowly made his way to the ladder. He stepped up, then stopped. Gingerly, he reached his hands up a bit higher and stepped up to the next rung. He stopped again. His father came up to the ladder and prompted him to continue. Continue reading Up The Ladder →