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. 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 like showing up for your tap dance recital and your whole troupe is tapping several beats behind Continue Reading
Let’s Go See What They’re
Talking About!
The “Pickles” cartoon in Sunday’s Star Tribune made me laugh out loud. The creator, Brian Crane, always brings the joy! Earl and Pearl are an elderly couple having this conversation: Pearl: Anything good in the mail? Earl: Just a Christmas newsletter from the Hansens. Why don’t we ever send out a Christmas newsletter? Pearl: The only reason to do a Christmas newsletter is to brag about the things you did during the year. What have we done worth bragging about? Earl: What about those warts you had removed? It just makes you Continue Reading
Start a New Chapter
This is such a great reminder! 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. 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 God who promises to restore what’s Continue Reading
The Unmet Expectation Creep
I really try and focus on JOY and HOPE. Because life is good, and God is faithful. But sometimes, I get swallowed up in the creep. The creep of unmet expectations. They showed up with great fanfare about a month ago. Ugh. Maybe you can relate to moments like this? … We have plans, but someone else changes them. (Our plan is to get home by a certain time, but someone else is late, delayed, or changes their plans.) Our hopes are high and then they hit the ground hard. (Thanksgiving family get-togethers? Gathering with friends Continue Reading
Hope and Hallmark Movies
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
My New Book is Available!
Hello, friend! This is such an exciting day … “Getting My Ducks in a Row and Other Stories of Faith” is hot off the press and available to you! My heart is sending up balloons and confetti and my stomach is doing a lot of flip flops which is stirring up all the butterflies, because, you know, it’s a little scary putting your words out into the world. But I gotta’ tell you … I’m really excited about this book. You will laugh, nod your head as you recognize yourself in some of my life moments, and you will experience a refreshing Continue Reading
Our Lifejacket and Anchor
Our weekend sailing trip started with blue skies, white fluffy clouds, and a whole lot of sunshine. Nothing signaled that a storm was just around the bend. Until it hit. I thought the thick, low-hanging, midnight-black clouds would reach down and wrap us in darkness. The wind tipped our little sailboat precariously onto its side. The icy rain came at us sideways; it felt like shards of glass on our faces. Once we were able to get the sails down, our captain yelled only one command: “Just hang on!” You bet we did. I’ve never been Continue Reading
Kindness is My Responsibility
Hi, friend. I’m writing this the weekend before the Tuesday elections. When you read this, we may know who our President is for the next four years. And perhaps we are still waiting to find out. Whatever our situation is … Kindness is our responsibility. Yours and mine. Some are excited about the next four years and are celebrating. Some are worried about the next four years and are grieving. Kindness is our responsibility. How about this … Lord, help me to guard my tongue. Remind me that boasting and gloating in Continue Reading
Farmers Taught Us Well
I learned it first in farming. Farmers and families coming together when the fields were ready for harvest and the rain was coming tomorrow as sure as the sun comes up. Trucks and combines moving across dusty gravel roads in single file and descending on someone’s farm to help them get their crop in. Then the John Deeres and Massey Fergusons caravanning to the next farm with ears tuned in to weather reports while turning on lights to break through the dusk, and men and women in overalls praying for just a couple more hours. People Continue Reading
Let Something Go
Along with replacing the tank tops in our closet with sweatshirts and flannels, the Fall season invites us to cleanse, purge, start again, and “finish the year strong!” (I’m a little over the whole “finish the year strong” thing. I’m just focusing on finishing today strong. Because my “strong” needs a nap.) A change of season does seem to signal a time to reflect and consider what the next few months could look like though. A time to start again. And that can be healthy. But it’s easy to mess this up. How? We believe that Continue Reading
My Emergency Board Meeting
So, I had a little meeting with myself this afternoon. Kind of like an emergency board meeting when something is bubbling up that needs to be addressed right away by those responsible for overseeing all things before the situation gets out of control and does more damage. Since I’m CEO and chief overseer of my life, I scheduled the meeting, put myself on the agenda, prepared a snack (strawberry kiwi collagen protein drink), and called the meeting to order. The agenda item? Moving out of the swirl and finding fresh strength. Have Continue Reading
Give me Jesus
These words tumbled out of my heart today. I am praying them as a prayer for you, dear friend, as you live in your daily. Wherever you are and whatever you need . . . Jesus is there. Give Me Jesus When my worries are great, Remind me that you are greater. When everything seems so dark, Please bring me a ray of sunshine. When the world screams, Help me hold my tongue. When I feel forgotten, Nudge me and hold me tight. When life seems lonely, Please send me a friend. When my heart is sad, Show me the joy. When I want to Continue Reading
My Words and Calvary Love
Do you find this to be true too? It is almost impossible to refrain from complaining when I am doing burpees. Or any other form of exercise that requires me to jump up and down, do a push-up, and shoot my legs back, all within three seconds. When I worked out with my friend Jody at the Y, I typically made sure she knew how I felt about burpees and any other exercises that were hard work. Ugh! Nooo. I can’t! That many more? Whine, whine, whine, and then we’d laugh. But I always explained to her, “I’m not complaining, just informing.” 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
A Little Nudge
Sometimes we need a little nudge, don’t we? When I’m feeling stuck or like I’m pacing in circles (perhaps even literally pacing in circles), I just need a little oomph or push to get me back on track and stop the slow spinning. Much of the time, my pacing is because I’m wondering about something in front of me. I’m trying to make decisions, but I don’t have all the information I need, or the significance of any of my choices loom large and I don’t want to mess it up. Wishing I had the complete action steps laid out in a 3-ring binder Continue Reading
Write a Fabulous Ending
Wouldn’t it be cool if we each had a ghost writer writing our life story? If all we had to do was wake up and follow the script that was written for us? It would be an ideal day script filled with only happy scenes that tell us exactly what to do, where to go, what to wear, how to act, what to eat, who to see… you get the picture, right? But, nope. We write our own stories. We are the playwright, producer, stagehand, director, costume designer, and lead character in the story we write each day. (I think “costume designer” is the role Continue Reading
Life Updates
This week’s note is a little different. I’m sharing some quick thoughts from my Morning Time, a few life updates, and letting you know I’m writing a new book! Thank you for being here. Have you had the type of morning when you just can’t seem to get settled? I absolutely love sitting in my blue chair looking out my window just after the sun comes up, opening up my study books and Bible with great anticipation of talking with God. But this morning? Everything felt ... off. Distractions came waaayy too easily. I felt like crying but Continue Reading
Find the Fun!
You know that fun thing you’ve always wanted to try? Go and do it. You know that fun thing you used to do before you got “too busy” or “too old?” Go and do it again. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for the perfect time to do that fun dream. That one that has lived so quietly inside a corner of your heart for too long. Maybe it’s time to let go of the excuses. Maybe it’s time to move through your fear. Maybe it’s time to stop worrying about what people might think. Maybe it’s time to let go of doing it perfectly … or Continue Reading
Cheese and Pickle Sandwiches
Some days it feels like I’ve sat down at a summer picnic, enjoying a juicy cheeseburger with ketchup and onion and relish, paired up with Ruffle chips, sweet potato salad, Bread & Butter pickles, and tangy baked beans. Everything feels perfect. Other days, it feels like the heavens opened and life offered a spectacular treat—bubbly Hawaiian pizza and Special-K bars made with just the right amount of chocolate chips. Life is exceptionally tasty. Dreamy. True bliss. And of course, there are those days that feel like I’m staring at Continue Reading
I See You
We were celebrating my nephew’s birthday. Danny was turning two. His afternoon was filled with little kids’ birthday party favorites -- cake, presents, streamers, lots of noise – attention. I realized I hadn’t seen his older brother around, so I went looking for 4-year old David. I found him sitting on the top step of the stairway, removed from the celebration, crying his little heart out. Through deep staccato sobs and a snotty nose, David explained, “It’s hard for someone like me when it’s not my birthday.” Bless him. That was over Continue Reading
A Fresh Start
I love fresh starts. If I don’t like what I’m writing, I hit the delete key and start again. If my hair is having a bad day, my comb winds its way through and I start again. If my hamburger dish doesn’t turn out…well, I just throw that out. The thing about fresh starts is this … At some point, we have to change our response to what’s cringing, disappointing, or frustrating before we can start again. Right? Continuing to stay with what’s not working, staying in the messy, doesn’t get us to a better place. And making that change, Continue Reading
Pack the Lunch
“If only I knew what was going to happen next…” “It’s hard to plan when I don’t know what work or life is going to look like…” “The disagreements on what’s the right thing to do are making my head spin…” I bet you’ve heard some of these comments lately, as we all try and figure out what we believe is best for our families and communities. Even without a global pandemic taking away so much of what we know and love, it’s easy to struggle when we’ve lost control of things that matter to us. I’m learning … Here are three things we can Continue Reading
Clothes and Shoes and Wandering
Shopping for clothes is not my happy place. When I walk into TJ Max, I start to get a headache. Then I start breathing funny. When the rash on my neck starts, I know I need to find the nearest bookstore. If the clothing is brightly colored and it fits? I’ll take it. If the shoes are flat and they don’t pinch my toes? I’ll take them. Thank heavens my sister, Julie, has a great sense of style, loves to shop, and tells me when my “look” needs a bit freshening up. (It was a sad day when she told me my favorite blue sweater just shouldn’t be Continue Reading
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