Thinking on these things . . .

I am not a roller coasting loving kind of girl, nor am I fond of small tight places. Unfortunately I remembered each of these facts after being launched into a five story tube of water. Deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths. It was pitch black in here. I was okay for a few seconds and then the tube twisted on itself launching me against the side. More breaths. Ragged. Shallow. A distinct impression that the walls were closing in. Ah, lights! It’s the end! What a relief! ... ..... ....... ......... ........... ............. The darkness, if possible, seemed deeper as I continued to rush forward leaving the lights left far behind. How long was this going to last? How long could I last having no awareness of anything beyond the darkness and falling and the feeling that I wouldn’t make it if this lasted much longer? A water park ride is one thing but when you’re plunging through life and circumstances with no control; that is a kind of scary that doesn't end in a...

There is something special about being pregnant around Christmas for no matter how frantic and frenzied everything gets around you your thoughts never get too far from the life you’re carrying within you. Be pregnant this Christmas. Yes, I do mean you… Be cognizant of the life you carry within you – in your heart. Remember that the relationship you have with the Savior is what those around you, harried in their busyness, are seeking. This season is all about peace, joy, and love. We, as children of God, know the truest meaning of those words. We have experienced peace in the unsure, joy despite long dark valleys, and love that is unconditional. We know the real reason for the baby in the manger. We understand that Christmas is really all about Easter. And Easter is all about God who so desires a relationship with us that He’d sacrifice His Son for our redemption. Christmas is all about the gift of God’s love. Birth that gift into your world this season.

Just in case you hadn’t notice the million ads on television or the four inch thick paper that arrived on Thanksgiving, today is Black Friday. This is the day that officially kicks off the Christmas shopping season with special sales that began at 3 am so, if you played your cards right, you could be done by breakfast! I am sure that there were hundred of thousands who were out this morning and I know my girlfriend was one of them; only she wasn’t at the mall but instead cooking breakfast at a battered women’s shelter. Few are the things that motivate us to get out of our beds in the middle of the night; for some it may be the thrill of being in a crush of a holiday crowd (although I don’t know who!), for her it was the chance to do something for others and thereby show the love of Christ, and for some, out this morning, it was a sacrifice of their own comforts in order to afford a gift they know will bring a loved one great joy. Many bemoan the fact that Thanksgiving has become ...

Chronic -ugh - even the word makes one cringe! Merriam Webster's dictionary defines it as " marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time" . This word originated around the 1520's from the Greek khronikos meaning "of time" and vague disapproving sense is from association with diseases (a connection found since c.1600). I hurt my back last week and since then have a new appreciation and sympathy for those who have chronic pain. I know how crabby I've been, so I can't imagine what it is like to wake up every morning knowing the day will be pain filled and one's ability limited. But, the more I think about it, I realize that we all wake up each morning to chronic conditions. It may be physical or perhaps it is emotional, spiritual, or relational in the form of an ongoing situation, besetting sin, or problematic relationship; something that, as you look back over your life, has been there for years upon years. I was flipping th...

My whole world has titled off its axis just a bit since yesterday. Why, you might ask? It’s because I washed all my windows. In Chicago we've had some unusually mild weather so, before the blizzards blow, I took advantage of the warm days and cleaned all the windows inside and out. A clarity has been added. Gone are the smudges, the built up dirt that distorted the view as I looked outside. The light in my house is now brighter, clearer and it changes what I see and how I feel. Life is messy. We get smudges on our souls and the dirt of discontent builds up on our spirits; but then God provides agents to wash it away. It may be a song, a sermon, a conference, a comment, a catastrophe, or a circumstance and suddenly we see life more clearly and it changes everything. Matthew West sings in My Own Little World about his small safe world with "population: me” until he sees a homeless widow and now his world consists of two. What would we see if our eyes were opened? ...

I know not - how God moves how prayer works what God plans why bad things happen or what my future holds. BUT I know the One in whom I trust and am confident that He is capable. Those who know your name trust in you for you O Lord have never abandoned anyone who searches for you . ( Psalms 9:10 NLT). I know whom I have believed  and am persuaded that He is able  to keep what I have committed to Him until that day ( II Timothy 1:12 NKJV).

  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6,7) "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost . (Matthew 18:12-14) O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away.  You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am ...You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head . (Psalms 139:1-5) 

The streamers of ribbon and pearls rode the wave of long brown hair cascading down her back; her headdress telling all that she was special, she was royalty, for tonight she was the princess. She was also the mom who had thrown on her daughter's crown as she was walking around with her family as they trick-or-treated. She was the rapidly aging woman who was realizing she was no longer as attractive, fearless, hope-filled, or energetic as once she was. She was all grown up now and, at the rate her kids were growing up, she’d too quickly become an empty nester. Her castle was filled with projects well intentioned but only begun and piles of responsibilities waiting to be sorted. Her lists were always longer than her hours and she’d discovered the white horse, that her knight had arrived on, involved a great deal of upkeep. Her court of ladies brought her great joy however castle responsibilities left them little time for repose. There were the endless rounds of engagements t...