Stephen De La Vega

  Some of us parents probably had ideas about how our baby’s birth would play out, especially moms. Or you might be looking forward to that day when you hold your firstborn in your arms, ready for a perfect entrance into the world. I’m honored to introduce you to Laura, a friend who had her own thoughts on her first birthing experience. Maybe it’s much like yours, or maybe it’s quite different. Either way, things didn’t go as planned…   Here is an interview with Laura about her delivery story with her husband Stephen (not me).   Hi Laura. Thank you for doing this interview with me and sharing your story on my blog. This is truly a pleasure for me and I’m excited to hear your story. Let’s first set the stage. Tell us about your birthing plans and how your pregnancy went before your precious baby came. Just before our 4th wedding anniversary in spring 2024, Stephen and I learned we were expecting our first baby, due in December, and we were overjoyed—praise God! My pregnanc...

Last year I started this Journey to Resolve series and began working through every 20:24 verse in the Bible. I knew I wouldn’t finish all 15 posts in 2024, but it’s okay. The 20:25 verses carry the same message because we are digging into the context, the stories, the lessons – and they are great lessons for everyone young and old. Maybe older folks like me will find these resolutions a bit more difficult to put into practice because it truly is hard to teach “old dogs new tricks.” However, it is the same Holy Spirit who indwells each of us, so all of us are capable of following God’s lead and resolving to serve Him better, that is, if we rely on His strength. So, let’s do this. Let’s dig in. One resolution per month, and please pray that I can keep up with posting something meaty to chew on every month of 2025.   (If you want to catch up on the first 3 posts in this series, start here .)   Resolution #4: I Will Trust in God’s Strength Just like in Resolution 3 ( I...

Aspen trees are possibly my favorite trees because of their picturesque trunks and delicate leaves. In most of Northern America we call them quaking aspen (or trembling aspen) because the leaves quake or tremble, even at the slightest breeze. Did you know that an aspen grove grows from a single tree? Aspens occasionally start as seedlings, but young aspens more typically grow from underground roots, and, as the roots travel underground, more and more sprouts shoot up. (See clonal colonization .) So, the snow-nestled trees in the pictures in this post are one single organism. You might call them one single tree. The larger tree you see in the foreground is the mother tree. All the other trees in the grove (or clone) sprouted from the roots of the mother tree. So, the entire grove grew and thrived as it remained connected to the root system of a single, life-giving tree. Jesus said… I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you wi...