I wonder what kept some of our faith heroes from rolling their eyes at God. Like when God told Noah, “So make yourself an ark...” I think I would have muttered a quick, “You’ve got to be kidding me” somewhere in that conversation. But “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” And when God appeared to Abram, who with his wife Sarai so badly wanted a child. God told him to “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them...So shall your offspring be.” (Abram was 99 years old; Sarai was 90.) I think Continue Reading
Start Again
I think it’s one of the best parts of being alive … We can always start again. Let’s face it. We’ve all messed up. Made mistakes and unfortunate choices. We’ve said things and done things that make us wonder … Really? Why did I think that was a good idea? And yet, we can get up the next morning and start again. Sometimes it’s helpful and encouraging to remember these truths … • Everybody’s got something. Nobody has it all together all the time. • We can change our story by changing our actions or changing our reactions. We Continue Reading
Patience of a Saint
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “He has the patience of a saint.” I was thinking about God today, and how patient He is with me, and I used that phrase to describe Him in my mind. But then I thought, well, that doesn’t make any sense. Because He IS a saint. Or, He’s the Saint of All The Saints. And then I started worrying that I was really getting my doctrine all mixed up and I was losing track of where I was going with that thought process, so I just went back to ... God is patient with me. Very patient. Have you read verses Continue Reading
Heaven is Cheering You On!
YAASSSS! Spring has arrived in Minnesota!The usual clues are showing up. Most noticeably, the orange traffic cones reminding us of the road construction we have to maneuver through. Parkas have been replaced with rain jackets and the icicles hanging from our roofs have melted away.Another clue is the swarm of runners. You can tell they’ve been itching to get out running without the icy roads and sleety weather. They are everywhere! Very cool.Do you enjoy running? If you do, I applaud you! I’m truly impressed. Consider yourself high-five’d. Continue Reading
My Faith Journey
My faith journey has been filled with lots of joy, a whole bunch of tears, and more questions than I can count with fewer answers. Mom and dad told my sisters and me in our most littlest days that Jesus loves us. It is the most simple message…that carries such profound weight behind it. I’ve held that promise close to my heart for over 60 years. I’ve always had a strong need to follow the rules. {Well…that was probably more true in my younger years.} Following the rules has kept me out of more trouble than I could have had. But when Continue Reading
I’ll Take a Memoir, Please
I’ll take a memoir, please. One preferably written by a not-so-young woman whose story reads something like this... Her life was filled with hope-filled dreams. Exciting expectations. Blue skies and sun-filled days. She had energy that made skipping in her summer slip-ons easy-peasy. “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” was a theme song. (And yes, that really is a song. Our little “Vicki’s Girls” group sang it back in the day. Now you’re really impressed, right?) Then life happened. Her skies got cloudy. Disappointment replaced those Continue Reading
Twisted Tights and Lenten Prayers
One of my favorite posts from a few years ago. May it speak to your heart during this Lenten season. I was out of sorts. Uncomfortable. Self-conscious. I was 13 years old, standing on the stage in a college auditorium under hot lights, along with eight other 4-H’ers from northern Minnesota. We were competing in a Good Grooming Contest. Yes, you read that correctly. A Good Grooming Contest. {Good grief. As if it’s not awkward enough to just be 13 years old.} Representing the Lucky Leaf 4-H Club (which I loved, by the way), Continue Reading
Not in Charge
The joke is that Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction. Well, we are well into road construction time here while the snow still melts. There’s a big highway overpass project just down the road from us. Heavy equipment that’s taller than the trees. Trucks that look like they can haul 50 tons of stuff. And the dirt. Oh my, the dirt. And the cement. Lots of it. Driving by it the other day (using the annoying detour, of course), I said to Steve, “I’m so glad I’m not in charge of that project.” A short time later we Continue Reading
Love God. Love People.
Picking a “word for the year” has always been a challenge for me. As I’ve considered an annual word, I’ve never gotten clear on if it’s a word/action that I should focus on, or want to focus on, or if it just seems like a cool word. Then January would roll around…February…and I’d still be thinking about the word. Sigh. But this year, I really wanted to identify a focus. A truth that would lay a foundation for how I live my life in this particular season. How I move forward with my business … in this particular season. And without Continue Reading
Rest. Take a Break.
I’m starting a new workout program. Have mercy. It involves a lot of fancy steps and it moves faaaaast. I spend most of the time trying to stay on my feet, watch the online trainer, listen to the instructions, and breathe. There is nothing pretty about my performance. The program only lasts 20 minutes, but I’m exhausted when it’s done. All I want to do is cry. It’s hard to find the rhythm when the exercises change so fast, and the online coach Just. Keeps. Talking. (I know he’s trying to motivate us, but oh my word. His incessant Continue Reading
When Life Gets Messy
Easy. Carefree. I think about those words and in my mind I see a sandy beach with gentle waves lapping, a cool breeze that doesn’t mess up my hair, bright sunshine that warms my skin, and a good book with a happy ending. Yup. I sure could be content there. If only life was one big sunny beach. Real life happens and sometimes my hair gets mussed and my skin sunburns and there’s not a happy ending in the book. There are moments when I think, “This isn’t what I signed up for.” My sisters and I take turns staying with our mom. Continue Reading
Let’s Go and See!
I wonder how it felt to be a shepherd that holy night thousands of years ago. The night an angel appeared to them as they leaned on their walking sticks, checking their sling shots, while standing in sheep doo-doo. We have to believe that when “the glory of the Lord shone around them,” things got pretty bright, right? Can’t you just see them squinting, shading their eyes, while trying to figure out what they were protecting their sheep from? Shaking like crazy in their sandals! And then the angel’s voice… Do not be afraid. I love Continue Reading
Something Wonderful is About to Happen
I’m always surprised when I don’t die when I’m exercising. Especially when it involves burpees. I don’t like burpees, and I don’t believe our bodies were meant to do them. My morning exercise time is only 30-40 minutes, but the way I carry on, you’d think that I’d been at it for 37 hours with no break. (And I can’t begin to count the number of times that I flop to the floor, and dramatically whisper through parched lips as if it’s my last breath, I caaaaan’t!) I have forgotten … Exercising is a temporary event. For 40 minutes I Continue Reading
Putting Life Together Again
Who on earth thought this was a great little jingle to read to children? Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, Couldn’t put Humpty together again. Really. It’s not cute. It’s scary. {I also have a problem with Little Jack Horner who sat in a corner intending to eat a whole pie. He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum and decided that eating a pie with his fingers made him a good boy. Good grief.} But back to Humpty Dumpty… We usually imagine Humpty Continue Reading
My Finguh Hurts … Bring Grace
He was a cute little guy with curly red hair wearing a flannel shirt and little-boy jeans. He lay face down on the bottom platform of the Target cart, dragging his chubby hands along on the floor, singing a song he was making up in the moment as his mom moved through the produce section. All was well with his world. Until ... One of those cute little fingers got pinched under the wheel of the cart. Then all was not well with his world. He rolled off the bottom of the cart, jumped onto his feet, lifted his finger into the air Continue Reading
No complaining … really?
There are some verses in the Bible that make me scratch my head and murmur, Really? Did you really mean to write that? I’ve been studying one of those verses the last few days … “Do everything without complaining or arguing…” (Philippians 2:14) There must have been an “… except when …” or “… unless this happens …” that was somehow omitted, right? Because … Thanksgiving family get-togethers. Long shopping lines and tired clerks on the Friday after Thanksgiving. And the refs calling the football game are clearly wearing Continue Reading
“In Everything” Includes the Dentist Visit
The dentist’s office is not my happy place. Not even in the same zip code. Or hemisphere. When the hygienist checks my blood pressure and tells me it’s a little high, I try and act surprised. She doesn’t know that my anxiety is about ready to make my head explode the minute they wrap that little napkin around my neck. This week when I went in for my regular exam, I had a big ‘ol cold sore on my upper lip. You can probably guess how comfortable that was going to be when they’re stretching my mouth open, right? This very sweet Continue Reading
If Only…
Oh, if only… Sigh. There were those moments. Moments when I didn’t say words that were kind. Moments when I was more concerned with what others might think about my opinion, than with what needed to be said. Moments that would have welcomed a Do-Over. If only… …I had asked myself if my words were loving before they left my mouth. …I had chosen to be inclusive rather than exclusive. …I had considered the other person’s heart instead of my own insecurities. The moments that can so quickly strangle my peace were not “big Continue Reading
Lives That Mold Us
I’ve been talking to the TV. Good grief. Typically, my one-sided conversations are in response to … … politicians who are yelling at me – telling me what to believe. … the cable news shows on-air talent sitting on couches telling me how I am supposed to think. … advertisers who spend more time telling me about their drug’s side effects than the help it might offer. I’m just tired of people yelling. People who don’t know me, telling me what to believe, think, and do. You too? Although my little sarcastic comments and Continue Reading
Learning from the Farmers
I learned it first in farming. Farmers and families coming together when the fields were ready for harvest and the rain was coming tomorrow as sure as the sun comes up. Trucks and combines moving across dusty gravel roads in single file and descending on someone’s farm to help them get their crop in. The John Deeres and Massey Fergusons caravanning to the next farm with ears tuned in to weather reports while turning on lights to break through the dusk, and men and women in overalls praying for just a couple more hours. People came Continue Reading
You are awesome!
I wonder about the person who wrote the nursery rhyme, “Humpty Dumpty.” What do you suppose was going on in his life that prompted him to write a riddle about a personified egg? An egg who fell down from sitting on a wall, broke into pieces, and couldn’t get himself back together again. (Although nothing in the rhyme states that Humpty was an egg, I’ve never seen a picture of a stalk of broccoli sitting on the wall. The egg thing works for me.) Then there’s Jack and Jill. They were simply walking up a hill to get a pail of water. But Continue Reading
A Soft Place To Land
Man, oh man. It was one of those nightmares that you just can’t wake up from. That night, mine didn’t include falling off cliffs and people weren’t chasing me with chainsaws. This bad dream seemed more “every day.” In my nightmare that never seemed to end, I was at a conference in a very large convention center. I had gotten separated from my group and I was frantically wandering hallways and stairwells to try and find someone I knew. My purse had been stolen along with my cell phone. I just could not get my bearings. To add Continue Reading
Make a Fresh Start
I love do-overs. If I don’t like what I’m writing, I hit the delete key and “do-over.” If my hair is having a bad day, my brush winds its way through and creates a “do-over.” If my chicken dish doesn’t turn out…well, I just throw that out. Wouldn’t it be freeing if we could “do-over” or throw out some of life’s moments that make us cringe? Stupid decisions we made. Hurtful comments we shared. Hot pants worn. “What on earth were you thinking, girl?” None of us are immune to creating silly, awkward, or embarrassing Continue Reading
Breathing Deeply
Oh, the plans! The goals! The lists! The git-er-done before the sun comes up focus! Nothing can stop me! And then … OVERWHELM. The word itself creates a feeling, doesn’t it? Especially the “whelm” part. I feel my arms filled with large, heavy, grey rocks that weigh me down from the muscles in my neck, through my back, and into my calves. They’re boulders, actually. More weight than I can realistically carry. I keep trying to move them to … someplace … and I don’t consider that perhaps I could take just one at a time. Too many Continue Reading
The Season of White Legs
It’s that season… The one that comes every year when the snow is gone in Minnesota. The Season of White Legs. I haven’t gotten around to creating a bucket list yet. But if I had one, you can bet “tan legs” would be on mine. Every year I hope…wish…dream…and wonder if a miracle will surprise me and pigment will show up in my legs. Hasn’t happened in a real long time. Even when a farmer’s tan appears on my arms and face… My legs stay white. Pure white. Not even egg shell white. White legs are a constant in my Continue Reading
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