Today I choose life. Have you ever had a phrase – words of encouragement from a friend, words from a book, or words that God places on your heart – and you just know that you need to pay attention to them? You can almost feel the message behind the words? That’s how those words felt this morning. Today I choose life. Along with the words came the nudge: live like it then. Live like you’re choosing life. It’s a rainy day here, so when you look out the window you see a lot of gray. And clouds. Nothing too bright. And yet … With Continue Reading
He Knows Where You’re Going
Hey, hi! It’s been an exciting week here. I finished writing my new book and now it’s in the talented hands of the designers! Yippee! I’m excited about this book—the stories, the Bible messages, the encouragement—and am looking forward to telling you more about it. And … writing can be hard! You’ve probably experienced something like this: You’ve stayed focused on a project for a while. Maybe it’s writing, or lots of time cooking, balancing a frustrating checkbook, riding in a car, too many meetings scheduled, or even visiting Continue Reading
The Branch is a Good Place to Be
Have you had a moment like this? You’re reading a verse in the Bible that you’ve read a gazillion times before, but this time when you read it, it reads differently. The words are no longer black, small font letters on tissue-thin paper, and the message isn’t one to skim because it’s familiar. Instead, the words are posted on an extra-large, industrial-strength freeway banner, written in bright red letters highlighted in neon yellow. The message grabs my attention and says Don’t miss this! These words caused me to pull-off my Continue Reading
Sitting by Still Waters
“Spring makes your spirit tingle with energy and bright optimism, like you swallowed a sunrise.” Jennifer Dukes Lee writes those words in her beautiful book, Growing Slow: Lessons on Un-Hurrying your Heart from an Accidental Farm Girl. Along with the refreshment that comes with the cool breezes and colored-once-again scenery, spring invites us to set aside the bulk and clutter and embrace simple and easy. Doesn’t it? My heart and mind are leaning into slowing down. Finding a new rhythm that creates joy in the ordinary. A to-do Continue Reading
Let’s Mute the Bullies
I don’t care much for bullies. They make us feel stupid. Wrong. Less-than. Right? We hear and read so much about the bullying that children and young people are experiencing these days, aren’t we? My heart hurts for their tender hearts when simply growing up is hard enough. The bullies that have tried to face me down didn’t show up in my childhood by trying to control the Maypole or the twirly-bird on the school playground. Nor did they show up in high school. I don’t remember one bully in my hometown. I’ve seen bullies in the Continue Reading
You Can Begin Again
“If today, if this hour, if this year has not been what you had hoped, you can begin again.”* Those words are a breath of fresh air to my heart. Yours too? What I love most about that reminder is this: We don’t need to wait until tomorrow to begin again. But, boy. That isn’t always how I approach my “Gaye, why on earth did you do that? Say that?” moments. When I’m cranky and my interactions make my crankiness quite clear, I start kicking myself for the words or tone I’ve used. Guilt and shame join me in my crankiness. And I keep Continue Reading
Donny Osmond, Words, and Dreams
What a great week! My new book was delivered into the hands of a very smart and gracious editor at 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Yippee! And then on Saturday night I dreamt about the book. Of course! My mind couldn’t shut off “all things book!” Here’s a recap of this very unsettling, but typical dream: Donny Osmond created a musical based on my book. (OK. Let’s just pause here for a moment. Really? Donny Osmond? And yes, he was wearing a purple tuxedo.) His music would provide the backdrop for the reading of my words. While I read, Continue Reading
No Distractions
Hey, hi! I’ve got fun news. I’m working on a new book! I’m so excited about this one. It’s due to the editor on Friday. Yikes! Our plan is to have it published by September, so I’ll have it available at my Fall speaking events. Oh, I’m just so excited for you to read it. I’ll share more details once the editor has finished her work. (My brain is full of writing words, writing words, and writing words. But I’m loving it.) In the meantime, would you pray for this book? Pray for the people who will read it – that they will be encouraged Continue Reading
It’s Never Too Messy or Too Late
Do you ever wonder if your mess is too big? If relationships are too broken? If it’s too late? Wondering if God could ever transform your heart or change your life? I bet most of us have been there. When my own not-so-good choices and hurts and tough situations threaten my belief that God is still bigger than all of the messes, I remember Peter. Peter. He was passionate. Expressive. Emotional. And at times, a real mess. Not perfect. Not proper. Not the pretty box tied up with a pretty bow who has it all figured out. And he’s Continue Reading
This is Personal for Me
This is personal. I’ve been in the places described below. The Fridays and the Saturdays. That Sunday. And I bet you have too. I’ll never tire of sharing this note. It is truth. Encouraging. It brings hope. Please read it and then share it with two people you care about. People who need an extra dose of HOPE this week. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Hi. Scoot your chair a little closer. And if you’re sitting in a comfy arm chair and scooting isn‘t an option, lean in a little closer. Imagine that I’m talking softly - almost whispering. The kind of Continue Reading
When the Eggshells Crack
I wonder about the nursery rhyme, “Humpty Dumpty.” What do you suppose prompted someone to write a riddle about a personified egg? (Nothing in the rhyme states that Humpty was an egg. But I’ve never seen a picture with a stalk of asparagus sitting on the wall. The egg thing works for me.) I also wonder why our parents thought it was something cute to tell us. The story ends very badly, you know. Since that doesn’t sit well with me, I wrote a new ending. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the Continue Reading
What are You Watching For?
Dorothy was a hoot! I met her at a women’s retreat. She was wearing a beautiful cobalt blue blouse while she told me about her grandchildren. When I complimented her on her blouse, she said, “Well, my hair color changed this month and I had to find something to wear that would match it. I usually use different hair colors, but this month I ran out of all of them. So, I just mixed what was left of everything I had. Now my hair color changes every day!” And then…she laughed. And shook her beautiful blue locks of hair. Dorothy’s joy Continue Reading
Keep Dancing!
Back in the day, my definition of “a cool girl” included her ability to dance. I wanted to be cool too, so I practiced at home in front of my bedroom dresser mirror before going to the school dance. That was just plain…good grief. I can’t even. It didn’t look like dancing, and it certainly wasn’t cool. I wonder how they danced in the Bible days. We know they did a lot of it in worship and celebrations, right? “Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp.” What variety! Dancing to the tambourine and a harp. I bet Continue Reading
As Surely as the Sun Rises
We gathered in a church basement in Hopkins, Minnesota, reminding each other of God’s promises. We laughed and dug into God’s Word and celebrated the gift we receive just by being with other women – Sisters in Spirit, each of us in different places on our journey to know God better. The lovely faces of these women reminded me of God’s extraordinary ability to create exquisite beauty. Their hearts reminded me of God’s faithfulness. When we moved to the sanctuary for worship, we were reminded of God’s presence in every part of our Continue Reading
Around Midnight and 5:00 AM
We read this in Acts 16:25 … “Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God [from prison], and the other prisoners were listening.” Here’s what my version might look like … “Around 5:00 am, Gaye was fretting and whining her worries to God [from the comfort of her cozy chair], and the people were not listening because he was still sleeping.” Yeah. You’ve had one of those mornings too, right? When I wake up with a heavy heart and swirling chaos on my mind, the reason is usually behind one of these Continue Reading
Do-Overs and Start Agains
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? Pull the words back or stop ourselves from not-smart actions. Stupid decisions we made. Hurtful comments we shared. Hot pants worn. (What on earth were you thinking, girl?) None of us are Continue Reading
Cheerleading and Game Plans
God is good. And life can be hard. A favorite part of my high school years was cheerleading. I loved my school, my friends, the sports, the camaraderie and enthusiasm, and the whole small-town vibe of everybody showing up and cheering for our Climax Vikings hometown team. And … I know this. When life is hard, some cheerleader shouting and jumping up and down while yelling “Let’s go! You’ve got this!” is going to become annoying very quickly. You’ll probably just want to grab her pom poms and cut those little colorful streamers into Continue Reading
God is in This Moment
Where are you today? At home? At work? Shoveling? Walking the beach? Holding the hand of someone you love in the hospital room? In bed, wishing for the energy to get up? Pull in closer … there are some words of encouragement for you here. God is in every moment. Wherever you are, God is there. God is in this moment is a phrase I’m learning to whisper frequently throughout the day. Whether it’s a good moment or a horrible moment, God’s presence never leaves. He is there. I whispered it while I was out walking. Although the Continue Reading
He’s Got You Covered
Ever had one of those moments when life’s issues seem really, really big? Overwhelming, insurmountable, terrifying? And at the same time, you’re feeling really, really small? Unnoticed, insignificant, forgotten? When you’re feeling lost and unimportant, how can you know that God can still find you…that He hasn’t forgotten about you? You remember this. God can handle the BIG stuff … “Ah, Lord God, it is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Continue Reading
Know His Presence – Know His Peace
Maybe your heart needs a little compassion today? You’ve lost your zip and you just want to take a nap, hoping that when you wake up your stresses are gone and problems are solved. You’ve received well-meaning, good advice and encouragement from friends, but the words just aren’t connecting with you. They aren’t lifting the heaviness. The words are going in one ear and zipping through that cute head of yours faster than you can hear them before they exit through your other ear. Even the hope-filled words from the Bible seem dry and Continue Reading
When the Plates Spin
A short chapter in the Bible that grounds me and gets my heart, soul and mind back in synch with the Sacred, is Psalm 117. (It’s also an easy one to memorize.) Open your Bible and read the words out loud – maybe more than once. It will change how your day feels. “The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.” (That includes today.) Here’s why those words matter … On some days the plates are neatly stacked. Orderly, uneventful. Other days they spin…furiously. Watching the twirling, feeling the frantic, makes me dizzy. The tiny life Continue Reading
Praying When Words are Hard
“The wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God’s realm where everything is possible.” Corrie ten Boom One of the first prayers I learned was this: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen. I’m grateful that I learned how to pray when I was real little, but … really? If I should die before I wake? That’s a pretty deep subject for a 3-year-old to be contemplating. Over the years Continue Reading
Hard Work vs Peaceful Trust
It is still my least favorite job in the history of the whole world. Standing in the back of dad’s 2-ton red truck during harvest, shoveling the grain down into the corners of the truck as fast as I could as it poured from our John Deere combine’s auger. It always seemed like it was 134˚ on those days. With no shade. And did I mention the crickets? Those horrible little creatures joined ugly old grasshoppers and took up considerable space in the back of that truck. And on me. They landed EVERYWHERE. No body part or piece of clothing Continue Reading
My Soft Place to Land
Ooftah. It was one of those nightmares that you just can’t wake up from. That night, my really bad dream didn’t include falling off cliffs, nor were people chasing me with chainsaws. This nightmare 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 Continue Reading
Boldly and Bravely Breaking Rules
Oh. My. I just spent two wonderful days in Green Bay at the Known Women’s Conference. The speakers, the worship led by Ayiesha Woods, the welcoming environment, and the Holy Spirit’s movement through every detail – it was beautiful. Such a joy to be with them. As I drove home to St. Paul, I kept thinking about all the details and logistics that worked to make it a comfortable, faith-filled place for women. AND I considered the strength and courage it took for Joyel Vandenboogart to envision this weekend and bring it to life for 500 Continue Reading
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