Seeking to be CONTENT in all things, JOYFUL in HOPE, PATIENT in affliction.
Even if you didn’t comprehend the language, the anger was unmistakable. The man being interviewed had just lost his home, his neighborhood to Russian bombs. His face was contorted with pain and the desire for justice. The faces that have filled newscasts and news pages in recent weeks are all you need to see. Their expressions tell the story of Ukraine at war. Anger and grief are well represented. Maybe more prevalent, however, are blank expressions. They may signify confusion or …
We have a yam that never made it onto a holiday table, but it has done much to nourish me. And it has done so without extra calories!The forgotten yam was in my pantry when I noticed it had begun to sprout. Normally, a sprouting tuber would go directly into the compost bin. This one was leafing out nicely, though, and I remembered how pretty yam vines can be. So I placed it on my windowsill, thinking that at some point I would plant it. It has been there ever since.It continues growing without any help from me. In its own …
I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:4 When I was little, my mom had a rattlesnake rattle in her top dresser drawer. It was kept in a gold ring box -- a token from her teenage years living in New Mexico. She and a group of friends were on the sand dunes near her home. She stepped off a rock and was confronted by an enormous rattlesnake coiled and ready. A boyfriend saved her and presented her with the rattle as a memento. …
Continue reading Don’t Go Into the Cellar! Fear and our faith
Hugs are an essential service.
All too often, we believe peace is impossible in our community, in our homes and our marriages. Impossible in the light of scary test results and uncertain futures. Our default setting is defeat.
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" Isaiah 27:7 HCSB Peace seems to elude me of late. Unsettling questions, what ifs and scary possibilities have crowded into my space. So today, I am seeking peace on my patio, where my hydrangeas bloom in cool shades of pink and blue. Tomato vines thrive in early summer heat, lush green, offering a promise of sweet fruit to come. Even my sweet peas continue to bloom past the point …
My best times are defined by small moments. I don't require lots of activity or massive events. My most memorable times, and the things that make me happy years later, are small. The gentle sound of water lapping on shore. The rustle of the wind through evergreens and aspens The hard, cool, smooth surface of an ancient lichen-mottled rock supporting my back. The friendly bond among hikers -- and the dawdlers, like me -- and the genuine …
SMALL MOMENTS FULL OF GRACE 