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
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
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
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
I Got This
This note of encouragement comes from something I wrote several years ago. Its message has been bouncing around in my head lately, and I knew it was something I wanted and needed to share with you. We were moving my friend when this was written. You know what that means … lots of ugh’s. Right? May your heart be encouraged! **** I’ve got this. If my nephew Scottie said it once, he said it a hundred times. I’ve got this. They were the best words of the day. No, of the week. Perhaps the month. Moving from one home to another Continue Reading
What We Can Do
There is something I can do. The shootings. Grieving families. Unimaginable tragedy. Uvalde, TX. Buffalo, NY. Laguna Woods, CA. The list continues. How can this happen? The answers just don’t come. It would be easy to turn off our TVs, shut out the news, and hope it doesn’t happen again in our community. And for some, it’s best to step away from the horror and the tragedy. We each have our own health boundaries. But, for most of us, we can’t ignore the reality. We shouldn’t. We can do something. And we must. We Continue Reading
God is Able
I wonder what God’s voice sounds like. It must be a blend of strength, gentleness, immense power, vibrant spirit, hearty laughter, and sweet kindness. I’ve never heard it audibly, but the Holy Spirit has whispered into my heart at times. Sometimes it’s a few words of encouragement. Other times, He’ll remind me to get my act together. He’s like that you know. Tender and direct. This morning as I settled into my Bible study time, the Holy Spirit nudged me with this reminder: God is able. How timely and encouraging. I’ve been working on Continue Reading
Be the Reason
The doctor called it transient global amnesia. I called it the day I lost a day. It’s been almost six years since amnesia briefly swept through my brain. (It occurred just after exercising at the YMCA, and I truly believe it was God’s way of telling me never to do another burpee.) I wrote a short post about it a few years ago, and I wrote a longer, more thoughtful reflection on it in Getting My Ducks in a Row and Other Stories of Faith. The life-changing take-away for me? Life is good and life is short. Let’s not miss a moment of Continue Reading
A Netflix Drama from Long Ago
This story has all the components of a made-for-TV movie. Or a binge-worthy show on Netflix. Taking place centuries ago, the story highlights how God works in us and for us. How He meets us. It is not without drama, consequences, tension, forgiveness, mercy, and love. The principal male role is a patriarch of the Christian faith. A man of obedience and strength who looked beyond his own capabilities and relied on God’s power. And he was a man who made mistakes. His wife is the leading female in the credits. Childless and barren, Continue Reading
Dental Drama and Gratitude
What am I thankful for today? Dentists and oral surgeons who wake up in the morning excited to poke around in people’s mouths. It’s been 40+ years since I had a disastrous dental procedure that went horribly wrong and completely changed the way I would view future dentist visits. They were no longer an opportunity to sit back with my feet up and get a minty-fresh cleaning and a new tube of toothpaste. The check-ups became a too-long moment of high anxiety that included instruments of torture and the absolute assuredness that the local Continue Reading
Get Out There and Dance!
This little note of encouragement has had its fair share of fits and starts this week. The words I was stringing together just couldn’t get settled on that white sheet of paper on my computer screen. And my cursor blinked, frozen in one place, more often than it moved across the page. So, I stopped working so hard at it. What do I really want to say this week? The answer came so quickly that I knew my message needed to shift. So I shifted! Perhaps this shift is a result of having a blast at my nephew’s wedding this weekend. Continue Reading
Getting My Ducks in a Row … Or Not
Good grief. If I had a milk chocolate-covered caramel for every time I’ve tried to get my act together … well, I’d be enjoying a lavish consumption of chocolate. And my stomach would be upset. And my act would not be together. We work hard at it though, right? Trying to find some level of order and calm in the chaos and overwhelm by fixing, directing, and controlling. Intensely trying to set the perfect habits that will change our lives. Setting up work and home and people systems so everything and everyone functions like clockwork. Continue Reading
When Life Becomes the List
Last Sunday afternoon I picked up one of the books I’ve written and started to re-read it. I know. That sounds kind of weird, right? Maybe it was the horrible Vikings game that seemed to drain the life right out of me. (Come on, Vikings! What on earth?) And of course, there’s all the stuff going on in the world that invites us to believe that Hope has walked out the door and bought a one-way ticket to Pluto. Meanwhile, my to-do list seems to be screaming at me while the days get shorter. Sigh. But. I knew that my emotions were Continue Reading
You are a Treasured Possession
Hi, friend. There’s something on my heart I want to share with you. So, pull up a chair and I’ll scoot over next to you. Let’s think about this together. Our communities and states—perhaps even our homes—are filled with a lot of noise these days, aren’t they? On TV, in newspapers, conversations at work, discussions online (have mercy!). . . there is more focus on disagreement than our shared beliefs and values. I find myself wishing that people would just stop talking because so much of what is said is not helpful. Many of these words Continue Reading
Fairy Tale Realities
I wonder how happy we would really be if we lived a fairy tale life. If we had the 18” waist, the long, thick hair that was sometimes styled into a perfect braid instead of a messy bun, perfect skin that didn’t know rosacea was a thing. If we walked through trees and wildflowers wearing tiny slippers that covered feet that didn’t have protruding bones or pinched toes, and an ankle-length dress that never got dirty, singing like an angel while butterflies perched on our shoulders. Well, that wouldn’t be all bad, right?. In our Continue Reading