Be Encouraged
Dis—couraged. I purposely broke that word apart. The word means to deprive of courage or confidence. To DISHEARTEN. To hinder by disfavoring. To DETER. To attempt to dissuade. Dis—courage. Dis—hearten. Dis—favoring. Sounds like hellishness to me. But I feel it deep inside. I can FEEL courage and heart and favor being sucked right out of […]
He Reigns
The horrible. The gorgeous. The juxtaposition of ugly and beautiful right next to each other in one day. Isn’t this life? Not normally one to spend much time on the phone, I found myself with cell attached to ear more than I like yesterday. People I care about are dealing with some downright ugly evil. […]
Steaming Real
Ever been steaming mad? I have. Ever been steaming mad at God? Me too! I’ve been so hot and steaming mad that I’ve screamed till my throat was raw. I’ve screamed inside my car. I’ve screamed while I’ve walked our 44 acres of trails. I’ve steamed, alright. And I’ve found that steaming screaming is purging. […]
Remember and Know
What do you do when your insides are just like your outside—rainy, foggy, soggy? What do you do when you feel like you’ll never see the sun again or feel its warmth? How do you hold onto faith when it’s dripping wet and slippery? When faith that should be warm by now is still cold […]
Lessons Learned
What do perfume, lilacs, erosion, homework assignments, and Jesus all have in common? All five contributed to great lessons learned. As always, I pray my way through my days, “Help me see, Jesus, what you want me to see right now, and teach me through everything you bring across my path. Help me see you […]
Robin in the Road
Driving along a country road this morning, I saw a bird. She sat in the middle of the road, not moving as my car approached. I drove around her and noticed in my rear view mirror that she was still sitting there. Should I keep going? Should I stop, put my car in reverse, and […]
Twisted and Torn
What do you do when life is reduced to rubble? When you have 16 minutes to take cover and hold on? Hold on to what? What do you hold onto when whirlwinds come through, more powerful than you, and rip everything apart, flattening everything you’ve ever worked for and taking what you most love? Where […]
An Elegant Life
A dance well-danced. A score well-played. A life well-lived? We began in church, as we do every Sunday. Pastor spoke about life—the sanctity of life—how it is vital that equality, liberty, and sexuality are viewed first as issues of authority, fundamentally, when making determinations about these issues judicially. Our highest courts are making mighty judgments […]
Life Changes
Sometimes life just doesn’t go as planned. Yesterday, on my way to a meeting, I got stuck behind a farm vehicle rambling along ridiculously slow with a fishtailing wagon on back, making it impossible to pass. Why does this always seem to happen when I’m on a schedule and I have to be somewhere at […]
Hope for Spring
There’s so much LIFE to be seen and heard during a Wisconsin spring! Lawns have transformed from tan to Irish green. Birds are busy building nests and are having feeding frenzies, storing up to nurture their hatchlings. Horses finally have pastures to run and fresh grasses to eat. And the flowers! Trees are budding, near […]
All in One Day
Anybody? Does anybody have days like mine yesterday? I don’t know, but I’m still feeling fuzzy this morning even after a seven hour sound sleep. Is this what Lazarus felt like when Jesus called him forth? A bit fuzzy and stiff and maybe a bit stinky? Just sayin! Let’s see if I can remember […]
Faith–Keep It Simple
When I think of our Anna, I think of simple. First, she is simply beautiful without a speck of makeup. Her slight but strong frame stands exactly five feet tall and she weighs in at 95 pounds. Her shiny brown hair with natural golden highlights simply glows in the sun. Large chocolate eyes framed by […]