Thinking on these things . . .

There seems to always be something that needs to be taken care of be it the lawn or the laundry, the bills or the baby. At no time does anyone sit down and say "Well then, I have nothing to do!" because it's all just unending. And then while there is stuff to take care of there are also people to care for; friends, children, spouses, neighbors, co-workers, etc ad infintium... But who cares for you? There are days (like today) when what I want most in the world is to be taken care of; to have someone else come along and say "Don't worry about that stuff, I'll take care of it." For when people help us care for what we have to take care of, they are actually taking care of us. For me it's a huge thing when someone else decides what we're doing for dinner (and I know that sounds ridiculous but...). Sometimes it's nice to have someone else say, "Let's do this so you won't have to do that." My son started washing the dishes, on hi...

...with a set up like that I should have a profound way of finishing this sentence! True worship begins... ...when your realize your brokenness and God's amazing grace. ...when you humble yourself before God. ...with an honest heart and open eyes. True, aren't they? But what I was going to say is that True worship begins in the kitchen . :) Do you have a place in which you can worship? Full out do and be whatever it is you're needing to be at that time in your worship? We come together to church to worship with stirring music and challenging insights from God's word but do you have your own place of worship? The place where you can openly and honestly respond to God without thought of anything but Him? I read a quote a long time ago that said "Souls dealing directly with God have no curiosity to outside events." If I am praying or singing in church is there a part of me that is aware of what the people around me are doing or what they would think if I raised...

I love to travel; however I hate the actual journey to get there. It's amazingly mind stretching to see new things and go new places. You can't capture in photos or words what standing at the foot of the Grand Tetons does to widen the borders of your soul. But it is a tremendously long drive to Wyoming...! We don't travel many short roads. Most of them are really, really long. Like the road of grief, of recovery, of marriage, of raising children, of sickness, of caring for aging parents. These are great destinations we're heading for - a time of remembering ones lost with less than soul strangling anguish, where addiction ceases to have hold over every thought when you are synced with your spouse as your best friend and biggest supporter when someday they'll be grown up, and whole, of good character and leading rich lives, to be able to function day to day, every day, leaving all infirmities behind... and of aging parents - well, there's such a desire for them...

As you know, Scripture needs to be read and interpreted in context; and this morning in Isaiah 40:11,12 I found the most amazing combination... "He will feed his flock like a shepherd (ala Psalms 23 and John 10) He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young." Beautiful isn't it? Christ, the Good Shepherd, holding us, leading us, responsible for our lives and well-being, tenderly watching over us, carrying us in His arms... "Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed out the mountains and hills? We are held by the same hands that have held the oceans and measured out the heavens; the hands that scooped the earth onto scales and made the mountains - these, these are the same hands that surround you today. It's little wonder then that we can say, "God is our refuge and our strengt...

This morning I made some banana bread and the whole house smells so very good! The first step was to select the bananas. There were bananas in the bunch that were good for packing for the lunches today and then there were the bananas that were all soft and mushy and therefore perfect for my plan. You'd be reluctant to peel one of these bananas and eat it outright because it doesn't look so great. It's lost it's resiliency and unblemished yellow skin. It has been beaten up a bit and it's not a brand new banana anymore; definitely not the prettiest banana in the bunch...but this is exactly the banana that I need to make something wonderful. Do you ever feel that way? Like the old banana? The one that's sat in the fruit bowl too long or that went out in a lunch bag and came back bruised? You've not found your purpose or you've gone out there and come back the worse for wear? I was encouraged today that the bananas I needed were not the ones that were the ...

Help meet : it's from the old KJV where in Genesis 2:20 it is observed that all the animals had mates but Adam had not a "help meet for him". In today's English Adam needed someone to help him - the Hebrew word 'ezer means "help" or "one who helps." I've decided tonight, as I was tackling the mountain of dishes and pots and pans on my kitchen counters which apparently were invisible and inconsequential to the rest of the family until they needed a spoon!, that I need a "wife"! Where is my "one who helps"? Apparently the female species was created to be helpers... that's sure what it looks like to me from Genesis 2. But the more I think about it, the more true it seems to be...(stay with me now it's not as sexist as you may think) Women are helpers. They are the most amazing and creative helpers on the planet. Girlfriends call when they haven't talked to you in a couple days just to see how you are or when t...

It feels like Spring is coming. The night’s stay above 0 and the day temps are regularly getting to 40 and beyond! (And yes, it's crazy how "warm" those first 40 degree days feel and how we run out with only long-sleeves on as opposed to those first 40 degree days in the Fall where we're swathed in hats, gloves and scarves!) There are little green stalks emerging from the flower beds and squirrels trying to eat them... But the biggest indication of Spring is the receding of the snow. In some places it's totally gone and yet other parts of the same lawn still sport a solid ice pack. It's all about where the sun has been shining; even though some areas are now greening and growing there are still these stubborn areas of frozenness; hold-outs resistant to a new season of growth. They are bitter and cold and they're going to stay that way. A lawn is one thing but a heart is completely another. Let the Son shine today in all the corners of your heart. And wa...