Notions over-flowing
They needed help with craft supplies for a summer camp at a local elementary school. Pipe cleaners, yarn, craft foam…and buttons. Buttons I’ve got, in all shapes and sizes. I pull out the button tin and begin to go through the contents. Many are still in their tiny envelopes, often nestled next to a bit […]
Spirit of the Living God, an exercise
I wonder if the people who drive by my house think I am crazy. I am out on the front porch with my exercise band, stretching it, lifting it, pulling, twisting, raising, lowering. Sometimes I sing “Spirit of the living God” out loud; sometimes I just hum it to myself. It probably just looks like […]
Where life gets real, there is always hope
We lost a young man in our church last Tuesday afternoon. He died as the result of a tragic accident. Suddenly. On the day he graduated from 8th grade. He was a good kid but not perfect – an adventurous boy, a reliable friend, a brother you could count on, a loving son. He regularly […]
Stretch to Strengthen
No one really wants to be stretched. Especially, not when it goes beyond what feels comfortable. There’s a certain out of control feeling when someone is pulling me and I don’t have any say-so in the how-far-they-go-until-they-stop. If you have ever suffered an injury or undergone surgery and then rehabbed in physical therapy, you know […]
Hearing my name in the silence
I admit I love the sound of the silence when you close the door and no one else is home. (Thank you for this notion from Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth ~ one of my favorite books of all time.) Today this feels especially so. My young adults have returned from their schooling endeavors and have descended […]
A shoe shine minister lightens a weighty week
I met Moses on Wednesday. He was shining shoes in the JW Marriott. Actually, I heard him before I saw him and it was several days before I introduced myself. “The 10 commandments, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” he almost sang. “Love your neighbor.” This was conversation that came free of charge when you got […]
Breathe in You – Breathe out Me
Nothing says prayer like the breath.
Strengthened in Prayer: multi-tasking is Biblical
First Thessalonians (5:17) says it clearly: “Pray continually.” I assume that means 24-7, 365. So, if I understand that correctly, that means my life should be one continuous prayer. Praising. Confessing. Thanking. Asking. But, wait, God wants me to be going about His business here on earth, too. So, if God expects me to pray without […]
Stop the ready and start the go
Ready-Set-Go! I love hearing that. Especially the “Go!” That’s my signal to jump into action, begin the race, dash into the scavenger hunt. Actually I like it when someone else says Go. Otherwise I would spend all my time in the ready-set. Preparing for action. Settling into the start position, re-tying my shoes, adjusting my waist band, […]
Trespassers will be forgiven
When I google “trespassers will be,” I get these hits: Trespassers will be … They mean to say, this is private property. We don’t want you here. Gone are the days when cutting through your neighbor’s yard to get to your friend’s house is okay. We know not to trespass; there will be consequences. I […]