When we have an invasion, plague, or onslaught of (unwelcome) critters, it usually doesn’t take long for me to start asking, “Okay, God. What are You after?” (If you’ve been following me for a while, this is not unfamiliar territory. If you haven’t, this is part of following Jesus in Read more…
I had never been in this particular store until yesterday. And I hadn’t planned to be there at all. I was looking for three things. I had already found the shoes I needed and the tote bag to replace my tattered thrift store purse. Now I was hunting for a Read more…
No, I am not dead. I have, however, been buried! Directing the drama portion of our church’s vacation Bible school meant two weeks of 14-hour days, then another week of 10 hour days, followed in less than a week by a long-weekend camping trip with a dozen teens. Whew! Great Read more…
Grief is funny stuff…not funny-humorous, but funny-quirky, unexpected, unlooked for. This morning I noticed my mother’s ring on the window sill in the kitchen. It rests on the neck of a little, clear-glass bird (a gift from my late sister-in-law) made for just such a purpose. My mother’s knuckles were Read more…
The branch was cracking near its the main trunk. I’m amazed it survived the last big wind. It was reaching over the yard to the sidewalk almost a dozen feet away. It had borne several large crops of lemons over the last few seasons, but it was not healthy. It Read more…
So…It’s kind of like crabgrass. It starts out soft and bright green. It feels good on bare feet, the chickens enjoy grazing on it and it is a welcome sight after the brown of winter. And then it happens: Seed stalks begin to grow. Not just upright, they lay down Read more…
Sitting in my recently restored quiet space, I saw my little flock of chickens pecking at the greens whose abundant leaves lean against the garden fence. They love the greens, and their beaks don’t reach very far. It’s a reasonable arrangement. A few days ago, however, the fence was left Read more…
God designed and planted the first garden to meet the needs and satisfy the desires of His image-bearers. In it was every tree that was beautiful and fruitful. The gardener in me sighs longingly at this phrase. To grow artichokes for the beauty of them does not deny me a Read more…
One very everyday thing is the news. The headlines are alarming. The trends are disheartening. The need for prayer is great, the list long. It can be overwhelming, and anxiety-producing. Jesus says not to fear nor be anxious, but to take heart and never stop praying. Good luck with that…I Read more…
Ah, the days of yore… well maybe not that far back! Actually, I was just thinking of the days of my youth…you know, last week? Joking aside, I came across a section in my daily reading that was an anchor for my heart in my young years. In fact, it Read more…