Sometimes I need a kick in the butt. Other times? I just need a nap. And isn’t it just like God to offer both? Acts 22:10 says, “What should I do, Lord?” And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go.’” Oh my. Yes. I bet you’ve heard that direction too, right? God didn’t place us here–at this time, in this place—to stand still. He has something for us to do. We are part of his beautiful plan. And we can’t respond to his call if we refuse to move. I’ve discovered that God uses two different voices with me when He wants me to move. Sometimes Continue Reading
Have You Ever Had One of Those Days?
It was a bad day. I mean, a really bad day. My friend, David…the one in the Bible who wrote the Psalms…was having a day that makes me feel anxious just reading about it. Here’s how he described it in his 69th Psalm: …the waters have come up to my neck… …I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold… …the floods engulf me… …I am worn out calling for help… …My eyes fail… And then. The biggie. …Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head. You’ve got to be kidding me! I break out in a sweat and Continue Reading
Back to the Basics
So then this happened. Last week my pancreas got real ornery and decided it was just tired of working like it should. So, I spent several days in the hospital treating it with very loving care. Convincing it to just calm down. To take a rest. I sure didn’t see that coming. If you’ve had trouble with this enzyme-producing gland, you know that it has a big deal effect on your digestion process. The doctors couldn’t identify why it was acting up, so the most important thing I could do was just give it a break. They took tests and Continue Reading
Rewriting Psalm 23
At some point in my adult life, I decided to rewrite Psalm 23. Not my best decision. Or even a good decision. In fact, it’s one of my worst decisions. David was its original author. You remember David, right? He killed a giant by slinging a stone at his forehead. He was the King of Israel, a skillful musician, a shepherd, a warrior, and the author of 71 books in the Bible. And although David certainly messed up in big ways, he was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Yeah, he is kind of a big deal. I should have never 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
Whatever We Need
I had one pet growing up. It was a pig. His name was George. And may I just say, it delighted my father a whole bunch. For my dad, who lived and breathed farming, teaching, FFA (Future Farmers of America), and all things fields and farm animals, he was most definitely in his happy place when he was teaching us about raising pigs. My sister, Julie, had a pig too. I don’t remember his name. Showing my pig was part of my 4-H experience. (In case you are more city girl than farm girl, “showing my pig” means I would haul it in the back of Continue Reading