By Poppy Smith— I feel sorry for flight attendants. They stand in the aisles holding a seat belt or oxygen mask asking for a few minutes of our undivided attention. Most of us who fly regularly ignore...

By Poppy Smith– Standing in the grocery line recently I scanned the wildly appealing promises on the covers of a dozen women’s magazines: Burn 300 Calories in 22 minutes—Strip the fat off your body fast. The Pasta...

By Poppy Smith – When you DARE TO DREAM, it often involves stepping out into something that stretches both your faith and your mind.  That’s what I did a few years ago and graduated from seminary with...

Originally Posted On: Inspiring Women to Thrive – One of the hardest battles we face when dealing with a dream or longing that God gives is that of comparison. It’s easy to think that other people have what...

We are in the middle of a remodel. Dust is everywhere. Screeching saws cut everything from wallboard to wood to tile. My husband and I are crammed into our guest bedroom, and to get fresh clothes, we...

How do you recognize that worry is eating away at you? Is it the knot in your stomach? The sense of dread as you think about a situation in your life? Do you find yourself waking up...

The phrase grabbed my attention, “Abraham believed God” (Romans 4:3). What did he believe? And what difference did it make in his life? Abraham’s belief in God’s promise that he would have descendants as numerous as the...

Inner growth doesn’t come by lengthening our list of “things I have to do to feel accepted by God.” Other people might be impressed, but if we’re operating in our own energy, all our efforts will amount...

By Poppy Smith – I brooded. I fumed. I prayed. I cried. Finally, steamed up and ready to blow, I sat down at my computer. Hammering out my deeply felt opinions, my wisdom from years of living,...

Choose Emotional Health Have you ever prayed, “Lord, help me”? Far from being the cry of a weakling, it is one of the healthiest prayers we can utter when we feel overwhelmed. But don’t stop there. I’ve...

By Poppy Smith – Be Alert to Your Emotions When Regina Brett of Ohio turned 90 years old, she looked back over the years and wrote a list of 45 lessons life had taught her.  Here are...

After my diagnosis of pneumonia, I received lots of advice. I was told to rest. To relax. To sleep. To eat nourishing food. And above all, to be patient!  I’m still being patient—full recovery seems a bit...

“Poppy, I’m sorry to tell you this,” said my doctor, “but our tests show you’re no longer considered glucose intolerant. You’re officially a diabetic. This means you need to pay attention to your diet. You absolutely must...

Did you know that lions spend a lot of their time passively watching what’s going on around them but doing nothing?  It’s only when they need something badly enough that they rouse themselves and act. In 1...

When Dan slapped Wendy for the first time, both of them were shocked. But after it happened repeatedly Wendy saw that there was a typical cycle. Here’s some information every woman needs. The abuse cycle has seven...

From: Out of Solitude, by Henri Nouwen – Being and Worth A life without a lonely place, that is, a life without a quiet center, easily becomes destructive. When we cling to the results of our actions as...