God's Not Done 8/11/2021 - My mom suffers from dementia. It has been a slow decline over the past 10 years. The year of isolation due to Covid 19 restrictions in her Long Term Care Facility caused a very rapid progression of her disease. I couldn’t visit her with the consistency she was used to. Once I was allowed to visit again, she struggled to know exactly who I was. Luckily, the years of spending time with her taught me to just roll with it. I don’t spend my time with her trying to make her remember. I just enjoy being with her. My mom is a believer and one day she will be completely whole again in every sense of the word. I long for that day for her. But what about the “now?... Read more
Garments of Grace 8/4/2021 - So often when we sin, we tend to allow shame to pour itself over us and hang on us like a heavy coat. We keep wearing the coat of shame and condemnation, because after all, don’t we deserve it? Don’t we deserve to feel the uncomfortable pain of shame after we disobeyed and sinned against God? What if instead of wearing that coat of shame, we allowed Him to cover us in garments of grace? What if we allowed His mercy to peel off that shameful coat, and step into a garment of forgiveness that He made just for us?... Read more
How Will They Know? 7/28/2021 - How will they know? Will it be our coffee mugs, jewelry, or t-shirts? Where we park our cars Sunday mornings or the music playing on our radios? Maybe the political signs that appear in our yard every few years? Perhaps our modest dress and white weddings? No, wait. I’ve GOT IT! I know the answer. It will be by all the scripture we can regurgitate as we lead others to Christ... Read more
Abide 7/21/2021 - I was making Kraft mac and cheese for the 7,389th time in my life. It was for one of my picky kids who wouldn’t eat the other stuff I was making. Honestly, I was more focused on the meal I was making for my husband and I because it would be more delicious and more diverse than Blue Box. It was on the back burner literally and figuratively. I know how to make it, I don’t need to read the instructions. I turned the burner on high to get the water boiling, dropped in the noodles and a minute later it overflowed. So I turned it all the way down to stop the gooey, noodle water from dirtying up my stove top. A couple of minutes later I realized I never brought it back to boiling, so the noodles are just marinating in the lukewarm water. I turn the knob back to high and go back to cooking the other food. And it boils over again!... Read more
A Time To Laugh 7/14/2021 - How long has it been since you’ve had a good laugh? I mean a really good laugh that was so hard it made your sides ache? Recently I attended a wedding reception, and as is the custom, as soon as the dance music started it was rare to see someone brave enough to challenge the empty dance floor-except one fearless toddler who had the dance moves of a misguided tornado with twice the energy-“…a time to laugh.” I did my part not to join in, as that would’ve created a time to laugh (for a whole different reason), weep, and mourn... Read more