To truly understand the magnitude of that day, you have to go all the way back to 1983.

I graduated high school in 1980 already knowing I wanted a career in the dental field. My plan was either dental school or dental hygiene. I was convinced that Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas offered the very best program for either. At the time, Baylor was one of only two schools in the Dallas area offering a four-year dental hygiene degree. I was determined to earn that degree if I landed on dental hygiene.

I ultimately chose dental hygiene, knowing the flexibility it would provide when I had a family. I applied to Baylor for the 1982–83 year and was devastated when I didn’t get in. I found myself at a crossroads, unsure of what to do next. My dad suggested I attend the University of Texas in Austin for a year, retake some classes, and then reapply. So that’s exactly what I did.

In April of 1983, I received the letter I had been hoping for—I was officially accepted into the Baylor Caruth School of Dental Hygiene, set to begin that August. God orchestrated every detail in His perfect timing.

After graduating in 1985, I stopped by the dental hygiene office to check the job board. One opportunity stood out, so I called to inquire. The gal in charge of fielding applications told me they were looking for someone with experience. I explained that I had two years of clinical experience through school. She laughed and said, “field experience is not school experience.” The conversation didn’t seem promising.

Later that same day, to my complete surprise, one of the dentists from that practice called and invited me to lunch. This dentist was also a clinical professor at Baylor, which made it easy for him to inquire about me and my skills. He had also attended dental school at Baylor and had graduated just five or six years before me. Lunch went well that day, and the rest is history. I officially began working for him on June 15, 1985.

Looking back now, I can clearly see what the Lord was doing when He did not allow me into Baylor on my first attempt. Had that door not closed, this job would not have existed at that time. It humbles me to realize that I worked in that office for 39½ years. Once again, God orchestrated every detail in His perfect timing. Over nearly forty years, I had the rare privilege of being part of something truly magical. In the beginning, people arrived as patients and left as friends; in time, they came as friends and left as family. I cared for individuals who later married, had children, and then watched those children grow, marry, and raise families of their own. The depth of those relationships yielded an extraordinary return. I was privileged to share a long history of loving, observing, and investing in generations of families—it was, without question, a generational calling.

I loved my job. I loved the women I worked alongside. I loved the patients I served. I honestly don’t know if I would have ever quit. There were many times I asked the Lord if He was shutting the door, but I never felt a fully resolved, “yes.” Instead, I consistently prayed Colossians 3:23–24:

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

And I’ve learned this from experience—you don’t have to wonder when God shuts a door. He is more than capable of slamming it.

That brings me back to August 16, 2024.

While the door on my job closed abruptly, I am grateful for the timing—because my “one day” ministry was about to become a “today” ministry. God had been preparing me for this for years. Graciously he had put so many crucial pieces into place before He slammed the door. I only realized that as I looked back.

As I recount in 2022, at the urging of friends, I rented a church in Dallas to teach a biblical discipline class using a curriculum I had written over the past twenty years. I rushed to get the word out and simply posted it on Facebook. Within two weeks, 91 moms and two dads signed up. For $30, each participant received a detailed notebook and four nights of teaching on biblical parenting.

After the class ended, I received a call from a gal named Lauren. She had been invited by a friend to attend the first night. Paige said, “Come go to this class tonight on biblical discipline.” Lauren wasn’t quite sure she could get behind someone teaching “biblical discipline,” but she decided to come anyway. As a graphic designer, it didn’t take her long to recognize that the content was solid, but the presentation needed help. At the time, I was quite proud of my card-stock notebook filled with multiple hard-to-read fonts—until I saw her beautiful redesigned version.

I worked with Lauren and her team for nine months to bring the material to life. I will never forget the day I picked up what is now the official Groundwork workbook. It felt like seeing my baby for the first time—32 years of compiling material and nine months of refinement. I cried. It was surreal and overwhelming. Once again, God orchestrated every detail in His perfect timing.

In April of 2024, I launched a pilot class using the new workbook. This time I included couples and enlisted 14 to join and one single mom. My son and daughter-in-law attended, having just welcomed my first grandchild, a little girl named Carter Grace. While two weeks old might seem early to think about biblical discipline, I often tell parents it’s better to be an hour early than a minute late. Because of the folly bound in a child’s heart, discipline is necessary for every child.

The course was designed as a ten-week study, the first session was in person, the next eight were on Zoom (at the time not having the resources to film videos), and ending with a final night of Q&A featuring couples who had raised multiple children. The final night was scheduled to take place on August 19th, 2024.

—which brings us once again to August 16th.

That Friday the 16th, our office attended the annual dental convention to obtain the continuing education hours required to maintain our licenses. In Texas, that includes CPR every two years, CE credits annually, jurisprudence every four years, and a state board fee (for a piece of paper) every two years. As my coworkers discussed jurisprudence, it occurred to me that I should check whether it was my year to update.

When I logged into my account on the state board website, I discovered my license had been canceled. Unknown to me, they had stopped sending notifications, and this was ultimately my oversight. I had to call my boss and stop working that very day until it could be resolved.

To say I was devastated would be an understatement.

On August 19th, as I wrapped up my class with couples, I also began the long and exhausting process of gathering transcripts and exam scores. When someone tells you they need to retrieve records via microfiche, you know it’s been a long time since you graduated. I fought for six months, even appearing before the board in February of 2025 to plead my case. As much as they wanted to reinstate my license, their hands were tied.

That part of my life was over in an instant. My beginning in 1985 had an end in 2024. A period. An explanation point! No longer a question mark? No goodbyes. No wrap-ups. Just over. God was up to something. I kept reminding myself of Psalm 27:13-14.

As much as I have grieved—and still find it hard to talk about—I see God’s faithfulness. I still wrestle to believe that was the final chapter of that part of my life, yet I know He was preparing me for something even richer, something lasting—an inheritance far greater than I could have imagined.

During that season of gathering information for a reinstatement of my license, I continued teaching another class. A community group of 5 couples. One family leaned in, learned and I had the great privilege of working closely with this family. Right before my eyes, I watched God radically change their everything. All because they were diligent, hungry, and eager. In the end they generously handed me a check—enough to fund the filming of nine teaching videos and the building of a website.

And that is how God took what felt like an ending on August 16th and turned it into a beginning.

Millye Moment

Dessert for the Desert

I received my first NIV Study Bible from my husband, Blaine, for our first Christmas together in 1990. Over time, I’ve come to understand what Peter declares in 2 Peter 1:4: “He has given us His great and precious promises.” God’s promises are the means by which believers grow, escape sin, and live godly lives. They are great because of their eternal significance, and precious because they are personally applied to those of us in Christ.

Over the years, I have come to know and believe these precious promises because I have seen them prove faithful. That’s why I often challenge parents to put down their phones and pick up their tangible Bibles. There is something powerful about visually recalling a verse you have seen—upper right-hand corner, for instance. I see those verses so vividly because I have visited—and revisited—them there. My Bible has truly been the gift that keeps on giving, relevant in every aspect of life. I think parents are often surprised, when they begin searching through my workbook, just how practical and applicable God’s Word is in parenting. The more you use it, the less you lose it.

I believe the more we fix our eyes on the Lord, the more He unveils His mighty deeds to us. When my children were young, I made it a practice to write down moments when I could clearly see God working out the details. I call these memories my “dessert for the desert.”

When I find myself in a hard or dry season, I go back and recount how God was faithful before. Time and time again, He has proven Himself trustworthy—and those memories have deepened my trust even more.

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.

Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?

You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

– Psalm 77:11-14 (NIV-84)

Friends, parenting is a process. We live in seasons of waiting, years of preparation. Don’t short side yourself – think long game! God’s word specifically says in Galatians 6:9 to not grow weary in the day-to-day, for in due time you will reap a harvest. The emphasis should be on the last statement, “if you do not give up!”

You may be in a season where you don’t yet see the fruit of your labor. It can feel like you are planting seeds that aren’t taking root in your children’s hearts. Exercise patience and wait for the LORD! Pray that He would open your eyes to even the tiniest bit of fruit. When you see something, write it down. Let those recordings of Him working out the details be your morsel of fruit to carry you to the next. Your dessert for the desert. Praise each small change.

Hang in there – fruit will come. When it does, it sure is tasty!

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

— Psalm 34:8

Savor His sweetness. You’ll need it in the desert!