Wake up! You need this relationship.

How do you wake up in the morning? OK. OK. I get that. You wake up breathing. That’s good. Keep doing that. But really how do you wake up? To an alarm? To music? To someone shaking you back to consciousness? Does a song ever wake you up? This morning I heard someone singing, “I … Read more

Running after bread crumbs

Once upon a time . . . and the story began. Does anyone else remember the anticipation of hearing all about the adventures of slaying giants and defeating ugly witches; Snow White fully grown and adoringly tended by 7 tiny gentlemen; Cinderella dressed in rags transforms into a beautiful princess when the glass slipper fits; … Read more

Within Tolerance

“Be still my soul, the Lord is on your side” … “In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.” Hovering between sleep and the first dawn of day, those songs made paths through my memory. To understand, you need the backstory. I don’t drive very often, and never when there’s a hint of poor … Read more

Learning from highlights of the past

I have a rule which I follow pretty diligently. Protect the first hour and last hour of the day – no televised news shows and no talk shows. They plant seeds of negativity that have to be weeded out before the roots take hold. If you’re into gardening you know how pesky those insidious little … Read more

Plan A … B … or Plan H – Life is about how you handle the setbacks

I recently read this inscription on a card created by Blue Mountain Arts.  “Life is all about how you handle Plan B”  How many times in a week do we say “Well that didn’t work!” and have to move on to the next idea – Plan B or maybe Plan C or H.  I’m thinking … Read more

Authentic vs Artificial: Assessing the Real Deal

Would it surprise you to learn that one of the top enticing scents, when put to a vote, is ‘that new car smell’? I know. I’m skeptical too. Which segment of the population chose new car scent over cinnamon or pine, right?  I’m not sure why we would ever gravitate toward the new car scent. … Read more

What happens at the end of Total Bliss?

When you’re reading a book and turn the last page, are you like me and think, “Oh good. That book is finished, now on to the next one?” I turned the last page in the devotional I’ve been studying this past month and thought, “No! How can this be the end? I thought I had … Read more

I believe you, God. Please help me trust you.

Do you ever wake up with someone on your mind and your thought comes with a vivid picture? What do you do with that? There’s a story in Luke, and it’s probably retold in other gospels, where the disciples and Jesus were out in a boat when a raging storm could have pummeled them to … Read more

The search for significance begins with one puzzle piece.

I’m missing a tradition today. For several years in a row, we spent the night of Christmas rapt in the comfort of friendship, chattering away over good food and catching up on life. The highlight of the evening was dumping a puzzle on the table and working together to create what it was meant to be. … Read more

Refining Grace