Back to the Basics

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  I’ve been up and out of my desk chair 763 times this morning and it’s only 9:00 a.m. My head is spinning with thoughts about my life, questions about my faith, and I’m wondering “How should I then live?” My body just can’t sit still. The focus isn’t there. So much good and challenging stuff to be thinking about. I feel like a jack-in-the-box that sits scrunched up and then gets wound up only to pop up and bobble its head and then sit back down again. Until the next wind up is done. Ooftah. Continue Reading

In the Messiness

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Hello, My Friends. There’s so much good crossing our paths. Isn't there? So much to be thankful for. Really. And… There are times when life just seems…tough. Lord, please just get me out of this mess. This situation. This chaos. Oh, God, can you please just remove the pain. The problem. The disease.   We want—we need—God to remove us from the messiness. And many times, He does. He removes us from it. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. (Psalm 18:16) But Continue Reading

Deep and Wide

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It’s the weekend. How will we choose to spend our time? So many errands… The to-do list is endless… And the house…well, a bit of cleaning seems a necessity. Yeah. There’s stuff that needs to get done. And… Continue Reading

Name Calling Hurts

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Oh, the name calling. It can be so hurtful, can’t it? The words that are used to remind us that we didn’t or don’t measure up… That we are too this or too that… Words that make us cringe and feel less than. Sometimes the words come from people who are living in their own messiness. But more frequently? They come from our own mouths…directed at our own selves. Thoughts…whispers…mutterings. Continue Reading

What’s the Plan?

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What’s the plan? It’s my mom’s favorite question. She asks it during the middle-of-the-night wake-ups, first thing in the morning, and several times throughout the daily routine. It takes me back to summer days long ago. Every morning starting the very first day of summer vacation, my sisters and I would sit on the red upholstered kitchen chairs around the shiny silver Formica table with the aluminum edging. Mom would help us make a list. Our plan for the day. It always included work responsibilities. Things like shell the Continue Reading

No More Fretting

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Good morning, Lord. It’s me again. Since you and I have this agreement that we will have truthful conversations with each other, Can I just say… All I want to do today  is fret. Did you ever have a day like that, Lord? A day when fretting just seemed to be the ideal response to life? Yeah. I bet you did. Continue Reading

Biggest Ooftah of 2014 So Far

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Ooftah. I mean, really…Big Time Ooftah. It’s a torn ACL, torn MCL, multiple tears in the meniscus, a femur impaction fracture, and a bruised tibia. You could say that her knee is really messed up. You could also say that when my niece, Kelsey, plays basketball, she gives it everything she’s got. Kelsey – the athlete who loves playing basketball, the rhythm-finder who loves to dance and choreograph, the high school senior who is relishing each fun moment with her school buds – is finding her way through the Minnesota ice and snow Continue Reading

Life Over Chips and Salsa

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Some of life’s most important conversations take place over chips and salsa. (My first conversation with my now-husband Steve was on a blind date at Chi-Chi’s Mexican restaurant so that statement has been scientifically proven to be true.) Most recently, La Casita Restaurant provided the aqua-and-coral colored wall tiles, hanging sombreros, and mariachi music that framed another life moment. My friend, Stephanie, and I were catching up on our families, our faith journeys, and our businesses over a beef burrito, fish tacos, and Continue Reading

Sharing When Sharing Isn’t Easy

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Sharing is good, isn’t it? We learn it growing up… As Toddlers: Screeching Nooooo!! when our little friend wants to play with our sand bucket in the sandbox. Finally giving in when a chocolate chip cookie is promised in exchange. In School: We share homework notes with our classmates. Eye shadow and blush with our best friends. And dating tips when no else is listening. As Adults: Recipes for the crockpot. Parenting and elder-care tips with our Girlfriends. Prayers with our Heart Friends. It’s good, Continue Reading

Hallmark Specials and the Red Sea Miracle

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I haven’t decided yet… About what I think about the December Hallmark TV specials. On one hand… I am so glad they are over. I mean, really. The always-happy endings, the women who cry without mascara stains and puffy eyes, and the everyone-is-nice-and-skinny just don’t connect with my reality. And on the other hand… The stories just make you feel good, don’t they? A little hope mixed in with escape TV. Storyline:  Someone experiences a loss...sadness...misunderstanding...and then someone (he's usually very handsome and kind) Continue Reading

A Trip From My Happy Place

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It’s been a road trip that just kind of happened. You know, one of those trips where you start driving, not knowing where you’re going, but the road is easy so you just keep moving. You travel on auto pilot. I’ve started a trip to My Whining Place. And the scenery's not pretty. Not a place that I send postcards from. Good grief. I’ve got to turn this travelin’ jalopy around. The trip started so innocently… Unexpected detours, closed rest stops, and really big potholes… A few grumbles, discouragements, Continue Reading

Rain and The Word

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This Fall weather in Minnesota brings dampness. Drizzle. Chills. Life’s like that sometimes, isn’t it? Moments are ushered in that leave us needing…comfort. Decisions bring consequences. Misunderstandings wound. Change unsettles us. The soft snuggly piece of worn cotton that we had when we still used a pacifier would feel perfect. Something warm to wrap ourselves in. Something that would stop the shivers. And then there are times when the pastel-colored blanket just isn’t enough. The drizzles have turned into icicles Continue Reading

Count the Stars

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Hi there. This is a message for you… Yeah, you. God is A Really Big God. The days seem really long sometimes, don’t they? And the nights?  Endless. Ever feel like you just want the world to stop… just for a few hours so you can catch your breath? Or maybe just run away? And yet, the bills multiply… the sickness has turned a temporary visit into long-term residency… and people still want more of you. Your time. Your attention. Your energy. Your life. Children demand. Parents forget. Co-workers…well, they can Continue Reading

Football and My Game of Life

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High school football teams are back under the Friday night lights... cheerleaders and pom poms and school colors wave with youthful exuberance. Football moms pray and sweat it out in the stands... proudly displaying their sons' pictures on their mascot sweatshirts. Pep bands and hot dogs and school songs lead us into the weekend. It's football season. I'm in my happy place. (And yes, I am HOPEFUL for my Minnesota Vikings!) A couple years ago I wrote some thoughts after watching my nephew play in his high school Continue Reading

Name…Name…Name

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Oh, the name. If I could only, always, remember the name. I don’t. Way too often I’ll run into someone and panic sets in. The face…I know her…how do I know her…name…name…name… I start flipping through the rolodex that sits in the gray mass covered by my not-natural blonde hair. What's her name? Which file drawer to open? Church?  Speaking event?  Client?  Friend?  Sister?  (Ha!  Just kidding.) Name…name…name… (If you are too young to know what a rolodex is… It’s like each person’s contact information on your iPhone Continue Reading

White Legs…My Constant

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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

Starting Again with the Best Choice

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Tasks that are good things to do. Work that is important. Responsibilities that others may depend upon. My days are filled with them. And yet… When my head hits the pillow at night, I’ve been asking myself… Did I do the most important thing today? When I look back over the last couple weeks, my response has to be… Not all the time.   My heart asked and answered the question in church on Sunday as we sang my favorite Confession: Forgive me, Lord, forgive me, For my heart has gone its way. I ignored Your Word, Continue Reading

Caring…Letting Go…Freedom

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You know that little ache in your heart? It doesn’t need to stay there. You know that tear drop (or tear bucket) that has landed on your cheek? It can be wiped away. You know that anxiety that grips your soul like a vise? It can loosen. It is OK to let God take care of the little hurts AND the big hurts. It is OK to let go. I know. Sometimes we believe that if we stop worrying and stop struggling with the tough issues, we’re abandoning those people we care about…those people experiencing the pain and struggles. But you Continue Reading

Purple Hot Pants

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School Carnival.  Climax, Minnesota.  1973. It was an annual event where a king and queen were crowned, teachers got soaked in the dunk-‘em booth, cheap game prizes were won in the gym, and the cake walk was celebrated in the cafeteria. Much fun was had by all. I wore a purple hot pants outfit. With a purple headband. And purple tights. The outfit was…purple. Good grief. Whatever was I thinking. Back then, I felt like royalty. The look made me feel beautiful…even a little trim. Now, it’s one of those memories that make Continue Reading

Living the “So What?”

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Living through the “So what?” of Easter… When the road seems too long, with not enough rest stops… When it’s been a long time since we’ve taken a trip out of the valley… When it just doesn’t seem practical to keep the joy… How about if we take our eyes off the situation and laser-focus them on the Risen Christ? We have sung the majestic hymns. We have jubilantly exclaimed, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” We have acknowledged Him as King of Kings. Now let’s live it. Let’s live it because we actually believe it. It Continue Reading

Child-Gated No More

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From the pen of my friend and former classmate at Bethany College of Missions, James Nickel (shared with permission)… My fourteen month-old grandson has just learned to use his legs. With unsteady steps and a few falls, he has learned to explore the rooms of our home. After experiencing this freedom, he shakes his head indicating an emphatic “no” when placed in a room where the doorways are “child gated.” This afternoon, I led him outdoors to our gate-free front yard. I opened the door of my office. Then, the screen door. With Continue Reading