I am a rich woman! One of my dreams is to have a yard that produces fruit all year ‘round. (Living in central Arizona, that’s definitely a possibility.) One of my goals is to have one homegrown fruit and one vegetable on the table every day. Why? It is because Read more…
This morning did not begin well. I had gone to sleep last night nursing an emotional wound, not seeking healing or comfort for it, just deciding to hold on to it. I went so far as to plan how I would coldly respond if my offender approached me in a Read more…
Reading in Jeremiah, it can seem like God’s responses to Jerusalem and Judah are harsh and punitive; the truth is that God has faithfully kept all his promises and covenant commitments to them for centuries, lavishing on them gifts and blessings, and His whole-hearted devotion. The response of almost the Read more…
Last week’s post was certainly not about an everyday event, but the God who was active in such an event is still active in my everyday life, offering me choices about how I will live… When astronomers are exploring the surface of other planets, they are all interested in one Read more…
Word choice is an important aspect of speaking and writing. If I say, “walk,” it might make any number of pictures in your mind. But, what happens when I use a word like “stroll” or “stride?” How about “amble” or “strut?” “Pace” or “march?” All have the idea of covering Read more…
(Warning: Longer than usual post.) I love volunteers! Not the kind that make the bake sale a success (though those are lovely and needed as well!), but the kind that appear in my yard and garden without human agency. These are the plants that appear somewhere I didn’t intend for Read more…
Why a dishwater disciple? Not because my favorite place to be is up to my wrists in soapy water and dinner fragments, but because, if following Jesus is not more common in my life than dishwater, it is worthless. He lived the life of a common human and called run-of-the-mill Read more…
The walls were thick and high. The conquest insurmountable. The opposition large and fierce. The defenses intractable. Sound familiar? I could be talking about a strong-willed toddler or teenager, or a persistent sinful thought pattern. I might be talking about a job God has called me to do, about the Read more…
I have had the most disappointing garden season ever (and in our part of the country, winter is prime gardening time)! Most of my carefully tended, pre-sprouted seedlings got eaten by snails, birds or a rat. The few that remained have not been productive or sturdy. Only the radishes flourished, Read more…
So…I asked for a way to give order to my days, and attempted to make a to-do list that matched my calendar slots. I made a plan. I asked for instruction in what to celebrate in preparation for Christmas. He said, “My plan.” So, I set up the manger and Read more…