The other day I was putting away some cards and letters in my "sentimental box" and it happened to be too full, so I flipped through some of the stacks to see what was all there. I noticed a letter from my grandmother and decided to read it because she stopped writing letters to me a couple years ago (I was used to receiving letters from her every couple months up until then). It turns out that this particular letter was the last letter she ever wrote to me, dated November 18, 2008.

The majority of the letter is about her back problems (due to a break she had a few years prior) and how because an acquaintance with a similar surgery had fully recovered, she hoped to recover in the same amount of time as he; this despite the fact that he was a middle-aged man and she was elderly. She ended the letter with the following statement of exclamation: "If I make it, I should be better by next spring! One whole winter to go!"

How many people spend their whole lives searching for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - that ever elusive happiness we all long for yet seldom find?

I personally don't think absolute happiness is even possible in this world. Yet everywhere you look, unhappy people are desperately seeking this coveted happiness, all the while sacrificing loved ones, friends, and ultimately themselves in the pursuit.

Perhaps we're searching for the wrong thing; a false god. What if instead of pursuing happiness, we pursued Christ; and with Him, the peace, joy and contentment that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

I never would have dreamed of having a homebirth until two things happened to set things a-percolating.

First, I ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in years and she told me she'd delivered both of her sons at home in the bathtub. Then, later, when I was 3 months pregnant with my third child, I watched the Ricki Lake documentary, The Business of Being Born and my perception of modern childbirth was gloriously changed. (I highly recommend this film, by the way! View trailer here .)

A Focus on the Family Poll (October 1, 2003), found that 47% of families surveyed admitted that pornography is a problem in their home.

Porn usage is viewed by many Christians as an addictive lust issue which can destroy marriages; and is discouraged as a form of sexual immorality. The mainstream public, on the other hand, may find porn distasteful in some regards but useful in others. It is not uncommon for magazines and therapists to recommend porn usage as a means of "spicing up" a dull sex-life. It is viewed by such as an acceptable form of adult entertainment as long as it doesn't involve children or become an addiction.

In general, Christians and mainstream alike are making the assumption that women in the adult entertainment industry are there by free choice. The majority of Christian articles I've come across are focussed solely on the sexual immorality of the end user and that's as far as it goes. Now, if all porn stars were truly in the business consensually, then porn usage would indeed be a matter of chastity only. But--if the women posing for both camera and film are actually sex slaves, then the use of pornography is far more sinister than lust. . . .

If life begins at conception, then the practice of invitro-fertilization (IVF) is morally questionable.

The debate rages on as to whether an embryo (a fertilized egg) is a human being or merely a "potential" human being, but putting all opinions aside, the scientific truth of the matter is that a unique human being comes into existence at the very moment of fertilization.

As prolife author, Randy Alcorn, says, there is only one moment in time when there isn't a human being and when there is: conception. ...

He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Anyone who suffers from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, mental illness, chronic illness, and the like, has experienced the whispering voice that seems to have the power to pluck you off the mountain ledge (which took you years to reach) and cast you tumbling all the way back down to the bottom. ...

I know a dear woman, 82 years old, who relies on a walker to get around. She is still trying to lose weight and spends a lot of time thinking about her weight and worrying about it and talking about it. Firstly, she is somewhat overweight; but no more than the average Canadian. Secondly, her reason for wanting to lose weight is not for health reasons; she is merely unhappy with her physical appearance.

This woman has raised four good sons, has five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and has been married to a wonderful, loving man for nearly 60 years now. She has had an exceptionally good life with many blessings and few tragedies. She is well-loved by her family and no one cares in the slightest what she weighs. So, the question is this: why is she continually fretting about her outward appearance at a time in her life when she ought to be able to relax and enjoy a piece of cake? The last time we were together, she wouldn't eat a slice of apple pie. ...

It is impossible, even for the most physically attractive women, to achieve physical perfection. Those of us obsessively believing that weight-loss will be a cure-all to our self-image woes, have placed a standard of Photoshop perfection upon ourselves that can never be obtained.

And here's the hitch about weight-loss: Even if we do manage to strip away some or all of the extra weight, all the other physical "flaws" we've listed are still going to remain. ...