Thinking on these things . . .

I’m a big baby. I caught my finger on the edge of a metal can and tore off a tiny piece of skin, so I had to stop what I was doing and find a band-aid. Did it really need the care and protection of a band-aid? I thought so. I’m sure almost anyone else would have just shaken it off and gone on without having to stop and take care of it but it hurt and it was bleeding and mattered to me that it was taken care of. One of the things I love about God is that what matters to me, matters to Him. The tiniest things that hurt me I can bring to His attention. I don’t have to be “strong” or “brave” or just “suck it up and deal with it”. I am welcome in His presence. Throughout each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me…give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. (Psalms 42:8, Psalms 55:22) The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort.(Psalms 41:3) In my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his

My daughter came stumbling into our room at 4 a.m. “I had a bad dream”, she said as she crawled into bed. Did she want to talk about it? An immediate, adamant “No!” Ten minutes she was sound asleep safe in her dad’s arms. Safe When she experienced this bad thing she went to where she would feel safe. Later in the morning she told me about her bad dream and it wasn’t as scary to her in the 7 am brightness as it had been in the dark. Could we have explained that it wasn’t that bad and just a dream to her in the middle of the night? Not a chance, at that point she just needed to feel surrounded and protected. When trouble comes, overwhelming troubles like the constant crashing of waves on the seashore, where do you go to be safe? I wrap myself in scripture and claim the promises that God is… a refuge and help in time of need (Psalms 46) the Shepherd who supplies my needs and walks with me through the valleys (Psalms 23) the God who knows the way that I am taking (Job 23) who delights in e

Mid November, 40 degrees Saturday, 4:30 pm The last errand after a day full of errands Milk, toilet paper, movie rental and we’re homeward bound. Walking out of the grocery store bags in hand, keys? Where are the car keys? Oh no, they’re still in the ignition… All day long I’d been sending my daughter back to the car to lock the door when we’d stopped. I wish I hadn't sent her back this time... She sang Christmas carols as we walked home, skipping and swinging the plastic bag. I was too busy being angry at being so stupid. Seriously I left the keys in the ignition!?! It doesn’t get much more stupid than something like that and now I had to walk home, get the spare key, ride the bike back to the car, shove the bike into the car and then I could drive home. The afternoon had been overcast and it would be dark in less than an hour so now I’ll be riding a bike in the cold and the dark. So stupid…! There was no doubt that this was all my doing, all my fault, my bed to lie in, my really

9:05 a.m. “I’d like to make an appointment.” “Let me take your number and we’ll call you back.” By the end of the day still no phone call to schedule the appointment, not to mention then how long it may be to have the actual meeting. A lesson that is learned well and early is this: If you want to have an appointment by September, you’d better call and schedule it in July. My education came with my first call to the OBGYN. “I’d like to schedule a prenatal exam. I just found out I’m pregnant!” “Is there any particular day that you’d like to see the doctor?” “As soon as possible. I’m available at any time.” (Of course I was available any time of any day; nothing would stand between me and the health of my baby!) “Okay, let’s see… the earliest available appointment would be at 2 p.m., three weeks from Thursday.” Three weeks from Thursday! How could they put me off for that long? I was pregnant. This was my first baby; terrible things could happen in three weeks – didn’t they understand how

I watched my girlfriend dancing at her daughter's wedding and can not even communicate the pure joy that was causing the Cheshire like grin on my face. She was having the time of her life and I was so thrilled for her. Everything at the reception looked familiar as place cards, favors, programs, and centerpieces have been the topics of our conversations over the past several months. I've watched her running here and there and compiling information for weeks as she's helped her daughter with all the planning and preparation and now it had all come together and it was absolutely fantastic. Being happy makes us, well, happy! And it's not often that we feel deliriously happy as we go through our days. We're not sad either, we're just normal, balanced, dealing with whatever we are at the moment. But then there are those precious moments like this where you are filled with joy, or laughter; when you are just delighted. Often Scripture mentions how God takes delight in

I have decorated the inside of my home with garlands of fall leaves. It looks nice. I have beautified a small space. God has changed millions of leaves into an array of brilliant colors. I drive down long boulevards under colorful leafy canopies. If I were to drive hundreds of miles in any direction I will see the same thing. God has beautified thousands of miles in this season. We can do something but what God can do, in comparison to what we are able to do... well, there is no comparison. In my own effort I can do things for God but if instead God is doing the work through me...I don't think we can even imagine what is possible. D.L Moody said, "The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him." Do what you can, where you are and when you have done all you can trust that if your heart's motivation is the glory of God that God is more than capable to take your small effort and increase it's impact far beyond what you can imagine. We

This year the procrastinator in me did not win because I’ve been given the gift of a second chance in the form of a 70-degree day in November to get my bulbs in the ground so that this spring there will be flowers. I'm planting hope. Working now for future results. Burying ugly lumps of dried up flaky-skinned brown bulbs in expectation of colorful daffodils and tulips five months from now. You, who are in ministry, you too are weekly consistently planting hope as you present God's Word in expectation that it will take root and blossom in lives. You, who are parents, are planting hope that the things you've said a million times to your children will become the principles that guide them in their adult lives. You, who are married, are planting hope as you sacrificially give your time, love, and attention to your spouse that when you reach your fiftieth anniversary it is because you still love each other and not that you just never got divorced. You, who are a friend, are pla