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
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
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
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
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
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
Pausing is Permissible
Have you had those days, weeks, or seasons where life seems wonky? Maybe you feel like this … … You’ve been invited to a dance party, you show up in a ballet tutu, and everyone else is doing the fox trot. … Someone forgot to tell you that the potluck was vegetarian only and you brought the hamburger hotdish. … You drafted an angry and whiny email that you intended to delete once you got the frustration out of your system, but as you reached across the keyboard to finish off your 1-pound bag of M&Ms, your elbow hit the Send Continue Reading
God is Greater Than our Needs
“I don’t want to look back on my life – my beautiful, wonder-filled, God-given life – and realize that I’ve mostly missed it while I was busy preparing for the worst.” I read those words and whispered out loud, Oh, Lord. Yes. So true. The awareness of what I could miss, and the hope in what I could experience, took my breath away. (Susie Larson included those words by Nicole Zasowski in her new book “Closer Than Your Next Breath: Where is God When You Need Him Most?” Oh, what a hope-filled book for these days!) You and I have Continue Reading
Playing Our Best Game
High school football teams are back under the Friday night lights. Energetic cheerleaders, wispy pom poms, and school colors wave with youthful exuberance. Pep band members play their school song in full enthusiasm while classmates stomp the bleachers, cheer for the guys on the field, and flirt with the students around them. Football moms pray and sweat it out in the stands, proudly displaying their sons' pictures on their mascot sweatshirts. It's football season. I'm in my happy place. I remember watching my Continue Reading
Today I Choose My Always
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
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