• Living Abundantly

    What’s essential?

    After a youth group meeting, a student who had been absent most of the year came up to me and apologized. This student apologized for not being there, but was ready to jump back into meetings now that their other activities were over. And then this person said something that I’ve never quite forgotten. “Mrs. Peiffer, I have a lot of priorities, and this is definitely still one of my top priorities.”  Hold that thought… “This is definitely still one of my top priorities.” What’s a priority? In the dictionary, priority means “the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important.”  This student was absent for most of…

  • Living Abundantly,  Personal Spirituality

    New Beginnings

    See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19 I can vividly remember the anticipation of the first day of school each year.  Even in grade school I can remember the excitement of seeing friends and classmates after a long absence. I can remember the desire to look a little different than the year before. Since I grew up going to school in polos and plaids, looking fresh meant a new haircut, fun shoes, a cool backpack, or the most awesome Lisa Frank folder (do they still make those?!), or maybe if you were lucky, growing an inch or two over the…