Our 21 year-old granddaughter, Madison (Madi) went to be with Jesus on Sunday She was born with a congenital heart defect and despite living a relatively active life, her health declined this past year and her heart failed as she awaited a heart transplant. Losing a loved one is always hard. It is even more tragic when that person is so young as we grieve all the possibilities and experiences they missed out on. This is because we mostly see with "Earthly" rather than "Heavenly" eyes.  I am no exception. But as I wrestled with [...]

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.    ~ 1Timothy 6: 6 -8    A Lesson in Contentment Success or failure. Financial windfall or bankruptcy. Dream house or simple apartment. There are so many circumstances that greatly influence our contentment level – if we let them. One of my former pastors once said that the bigger the gap between our expectations and reality, the bigger our misery [...]

The Right Kind of Fear The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 Fear is a terrifying emotion. I know this from personal experience. In my late teens and early twenties, I experienced unrelenting panic attacks. I remember the first one like it was yesterday. I was a nurse’s aide at a nursing home and was attending to a frail elderly woman when suddenly, a weird sensation came over me. I felt this sense of darkness like a veil had fallen over my [...]

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  John 15:12 The body has a phenomenal way of protecting itself when injured. It sends many biological resources to the area of damage to heal and protect it as quickly as possible. In the process, scar tissue is often formed. Those tissues initially meant to protect can often become a problem, inhibiting movement or other important functions. This can also happen to us emotionally. When people injure our hearts through betrayal or rejection, we build emotional scar tissue to protect us from future [...]

Living a Spirit Driven Lifestyle Overcoming the "Battle of the Flesh" Day by Day   For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.  Romans 7:15 Ever feel this way? Of course you have! Because you're human. This is the battle all people of faith face off each day in a multitude of ways. For many women, one of the most persistent battles is with food and lifestyle issues. In this video, Danna addresses many of [...]

Wisdom musings in my 70th year  It was a joy and honor to be Jill Savage’s Guest on her NO MORE PERFECT PODCAST! We discussed ten things I wish I’d known (or better understood) earlier in my life.   Jill said that these 3 were her biggest takeaways. You can see my list of ten things below and listen to the full podcast HERE. 1) What if we loved more like dogs love? If you are a dog owner, you know there is nothing better than the love that dog has for you. They don’t hold a [...]

GOD'S GLORY OR MY GRATIFICATION? Sometimes we think our motives and aspirations are godly endeavors. I am still learning to ask the question: "Does this decision, goal, or action bring glory to God?" And, "Is this the best use of my time, energies, and resources?" He gives us so much liberty to go about our lives. How many days, weeks, months, or years have I wasted getting out ahead of God and continually "waiting for Him to catch up and bless my activity"! Oh, the beautiful patience of our Heavenly Daddy! At 70 (being [...]

DANNA'S COUNTDOWN TO 70 - LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD OF LIFE God never wastes our pain. He teaches – restores – redeems and even sometimes makes us laugh. QUESTION: How has God redeemed your pain? Romans 8:38 says: “All things work together for good for those who love God, for those called according to his purpose.” I both love and hate this verse. It depends upon the context. It can sometimes feel like a rote response to someone’s pain as if it is an immediate panacea for current troubles. One of the first times [...]

MY LIFE IN 3 MINUTES  California born in 1952. Yep, do the math, I’m over sixty, but not blue! Awesome family – my dad and mom. Married 66 years! They’re the BOMB! Like most teen girls who look in the mirror; being fat and ugly was my biggest fear. Diets – Pills – I was in a downward spiral; and then my bulimia went viral.   Bingeing & purging five times a day; my body was ravaged in numerous ways. Hid my secret for 16 years until panic attacks exposed all of my fears. Losing [...]

Are these cut off jeans too young for a woman approaching seventy? Yeah, I know. That’s a pretty superficial question. But let’s be real, at my age, I find myself asking a lot of both deep and surface questions. I’ve faced off several milestone birthdays (40, 50, 60), but my upcoming 70 is somewhat sobering. I mean, really? I was just 40. And then, I blinked. Whoosh. Since I turned sixty, I’ve been increasingly mindful of how fast my life on this planet is speeding by and wondering what kind of legacy (i.e. meaningful and eternal [...]