Change has always felt like a colorful invitation to something new – which offers possibilities. Adventures. New dreams and ideas. Something different. At least that’s how it usually feels in my world. In My Guy Steve’s world? Not so much. Change is … well, change. And perhaps a root canal seems more inviting. There isn’t a need for different when what’s working now is working now. No matter your preference for different, I bet you’re feeling a shift in your own world these days. Schedules change so our rhythms need to change. The Continue Reading
Make Room for the Moments
A personal reflection for you today … “Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live.” (Emphasis mine.) Anna Quindlen wrote those words in “A Short Guide to a Happy Life.” This very short book is a gift to anyone wanting to live a full, rich life. Her words Continue Reading
Wondering What’s Next?
There are a few things I wonder about. (Actually, more than a few things, but space is limited here, and I don’t want to bore you with too many trivial “I wonders.”) Do you remember Pa from Little House on the Prairie (AKA Michael Landon, AKA Cutie-Patootie)? Why did his hair never get messed up? And why were his pants never wrinkled or dirty? What do you do with the little pieces of chips at the bottom of the chip bag? You can’t dip them in salsa, and you can’t melt cheese on them. Why can’t I be awake when I sleep so I can know Continue Reading
Just Pack the Lunch
She just packed the lunch. If we’ve been friends here for a while, you may have picked up on this fact: I do not like to cook. Cooking is a stressor that causes my neck to blotch, my face to turn crimson, and the tears to fall. (Actually, they gush.) So. Every single time I read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000+ people, I am stunned. I mean, really. Stunned. Cooking for one sends me into overwhelm. Here’s a recap (Matthew 14:13-21): Jesus had spent the day healing crowds of people. The Bible says he “had compassion on them,” Continue Reading
He Is Hovering
Do you find yourself looking at the chaos that swirls around you and wonder, God, did you catch this? Do you know what’s going on here? I mean, really. It’s a bit of a crisis we’ve got going here. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that our loving God hasn’t forgotten about our situation. We pray for miracles. For babies to get well. For spirited youth who are “finding themselves” to look in a different direction. For the bills to get paid, the job to come, and the house to sell. For politicians and TV news anchors to just all be quiet for Continue Reading
A Good Summer Plan
This little note is one of my favorites – an oldie but goodie! It says exactly what’s on my heart this week. Blessings on your summer days, my friend. I’m so grateful for our connection here! It’s summer, and that means the heat index could be maxed out so everything is wilting, or it could be raining cats and dogs with thunder and lightning thrown into the mix. (I wonder who came up with the phrase raining cats and dogs. What does it even mean? OK. Back to our regularly scheduled program.) Just for a moment, let’s imagine that it’s Continue Reading
Too Old? I Think Not.
The podcast host was interviewing a young author about her new book. I was casually listening while driving to the store, wondering if this author’s book would be a new reason for Amazon Prime to come to our home. But then I experienced a “You’ve got to be kidding me!” moment while completely forgetting about her book. The young woman being interviewed was talking about her high school experience — 15 years earlier. Did you catch that? She was in high school 15 years ago. She coyly remarked, “That was when I was young! Let’s not talk Continue Reading
Add the Ink 🎆 Splash the Color
I’ve been looking at the cursor on a blank page, wondering how to put into words what’s tossing like a salad in my brain. Let me give it a try… Sometimes I wonder if my notes here - my invitations to re-think or ponder God-things or laugh at life moments – are deep enough. I wonder if my own faith and lack of faith have the credibility to talk about such important things like God and Grace and Forgiveness. At the same time, my heart wants to encourage and bring Hope by sharing what I’m learning, where I’m falling short, where I’m Continue Reading
Losing a Tuesday
Sometimes – many times – I write these notes to remind myself of something important. And all of the time, I write to encourage you. This is my annual reminder to both of us to keep noticing. To experience life, not just observe it. And to remember that every day matters. It was seven years ago this month that I lost most of Tuesday. One moment I was doing lunges and burpees at the YMCA, and the next moment everything just got … lost. I have no memory of that afternoon. When I went into the locker room after my workout, Continue Reading
Parkas and Girlfriends
Winter is over in Minnesota. Can I hear an Amen! (At least we hope it is. Let’s all knock on a piece of wood that’s no longer snow-covered, shall we?) The thick Michelin-woman parkas are stuffed into the basement closets, stocking caps with the cute ear flaps are shoved into the Tupperware organizers, and our socks … well, they’re still in reachable distance because our toes are adjusting to being wrapped in sunlight and warm air and need a bit of tender care. We are pros at knowing how to protect our skin and bones during the Continue Reading
Don’t Give Up. Have Faith.
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, “Wait. What? You’ve got to be kidding me.” 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 I may have laughed Continue Reading
It’s Time to Dance
This is for you. If your perfect evening out is a gathering of dozens of friends who are all your bestie, where no one worries about how late it is, and you get absolutely giddy about the chance to engage in several conversations at the same time because, you know, there’s so much to talk about … this note is for you. And if your perfect evening out is gathering with a few close friends to catch up and laugh, where small talk quickly turns to heart-felt conversations … I’ve got you covered. And, of course, if you’re somewhere in Continue Reading
My Anchor Holds
I know that God is faithful. He is loving. Gracious. I know that He promises me peace. And, there are still some days when swirling comes knocking and I open the door, invite her in, and offer her a place to hang out. My swirling looks like this … I wander around the house. Aimlessly. Up and down, room to room, opening and closing the fridge door, flipping through books, scrolling through my phone. There is work to be done, but my mind doesn’t get focused. My thoughts feel like the little steel ball that flies around a pinball Continue Reading
God Always Has Time for You
Ok. Let's review. (She says to herself first.) Here are phrases that do not show up in The Good Book… These words were never said by your Heavenly Father, The Great Promise Keeper... You've got a big load of stuff to do today. Good luck with that. You always mess up. Can't you just get your act together? You've been struggling with that situation for years. It's not going to change. It's never going to end, you know. Bad stuff happens. This is just a really bad day. And you haven't even gotten out of bed. Why keep Continue Reading
In a Rut? Try Something New
Tired and gloomy are horrible roommates. They should not be permitted to settle in our hearts, hang curtains, and make themselves at home. Here’s the deal … It’s the middle of March and we Minnesotans are expecting yet another blizzard, with wind that whips sideways, icy streets, and temperatures that are … cold. Really, really cold. During the days that feel gloomy and life feels harder, it’s easy to start to feel listless. Tired. And when we feel listless and tired, it’s easy to get into a rut. We become very comfortable doing Continue Reading
Yay for You! Celebrate!
Walking out of the grocery store, I passed a gentleman wearing a dark t-shirt, with big, white bold letters across the front that said … I pooped. For real. That’s all it said. Couldn’t have missed those two words if I’d tried. Whatever prompted a middle-aged man to go to the store or shop online and buy a t-shirt with those words plastered across the front and then wear it in public? I kept thinking about it as I drove out of the store’s parking lot, because … seriously. How can you not think about it? We know that after Continue Reading
When Loneliness Settles
It was like watching a room with Jack-in-the-Boxes lying quietly dormant, waiting for their chance to Pop goes the weasel! Sunday morning church… The children’s message had just ended, and the little ones were rearranging themselves up front to sing about how much they loved Jesus. And as if a conductor had lifted his baton to signal It’s time… Parents and grandparents popped up from their seats and moved to the side aisles and front pews. They wanted to capture the moment. Some tried to move quietly. Some hunched their Continue Reading
My Fumbles – God’s Peace
I love football. Especially the Minnesota Vikings. Favorite players? Peyton Manning (retired NFL quarterback) and Scottie Benedict. Scottie is my favorite youngest nephew and will always be my favorite athlete. And even though neither he nor Peyton play football anymore, they are my favorites. Yes, I love football. As I’m writing this, I’m experiencing a light case of “day after the Super Bowl blues.” No more football for a few months. Sigh. Now perhaps, no more football for a while is the best thing that’s happened to you since sliced Continue Reading
Life is good and God is faithful
Life is good and God is faithful. And … ooftah. Sometimes I whisper, Really? Is life good and is God faithful? Then I say out loud, Yes. Really. It is and He is. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. (Psalm 117:2) One of the really cool things about this amazing God is that how we feel doesn’t change who He is. Because He is God, He is faithful. And because He is faithful, life is good. But I bet you’ll agree with me here … some days it’s just tough to stay in synch, right? It’s Continue Reading
A New Chapter
Oooooh! Encouraging words for you here! When your life starts to look unrecognizable, When you press your hands against your closed eyes and whisper, “How did we even get here?” When you feel like you’re the only one who can’t get her ducks in a row, Remember this … Nobody has their act together all the time. Everybody’s got somethin’. We all have chapters in our story that we don’t share or post or read aloud. Most of us are still trying to find our ducks—getting them in a row is for another day. And … We are loved by a Continue Reading
You Can Stop Struggling
Do you remember that time you started a new workout program? (It’s OK to giggle here. Or even laugh out loud. I get it.) Whether it was years ago or just last week, perhaps your experience was similar to mine. It is, unfortunately, a group of moments that cannot be removed from my memory bank. First of all. Have mercy. The new routine 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 Continue Reading
Time for Dreaming
So, this was weird. A few nights ago, I dreamed that I was the pianist (AKA the entire music pit) for a stage show called NCIS: The Musical. For real. We were performing in a church that had a large raised, front platform. I sat in a center pew with an electric keyboard on my lap, feet up on the kneeling pad to balance the keyboard, the music score on a makeshift stand to my left, and a small light attached to the back of my pew so I could read the music when the church lights went down. And sitting next to me? Jethro Gibbs and Agent Continue Reading
Let Me Be the Person
Her cheeks were flushed, and her neck was covered with the red blotches that I knew all too well. Her name tag read Renee - Trainee and I think the reindeer antlers she wore on her head made her feel even more self-conscious as she tried to figure out how to enter no whip on my hot chocolate order. Oh, Jesus, please help her remember that this is just one day. Bring grace-filled people into her line this afternoon. The lady in the purple parka with the big hood could have used a cart. Or a counter. Or a shelf. Anything on which she Continue Reading
My Personal Hallmark Movie
The season is here, my friend. And there’s no turning back. It’s the season of … Hallmark. Holiday. Specials. Now I like a good sappy, cry-til-your-eyes-are-puffy and your face-is-blotchy movie like everyone else. (“Everyone else” wouldn’t include my husband Steve, though. He would rather read a book. Or shovel the snow. Or do almost anything else.) But sometimes, these shows are just a bit too much. Everything always seems so…Good. Nice. Not real. In the movies, the young woman who is surrounded by clutter and can’t clean Continue Reading
If You Only Knew
“If you only knew …” Jesus spoke these words to a woman drawing water from a well thousands of years ago. She had cycled through several broken husband-relationships during the years, probably trying to fill up her life with temporary relief from who-knows-what kind of pain she was in. She was at the well during the hottest part of the day, when no one usually showed up. I wonder if it was because she was tired of the glares and accusing glances from the other women. A heart that is miserable and lonely can only take so much. But Continue Reading
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