Updated on February 25, 2017
How to stop being the holder of all the things
In our family, I have a very special and coveted title. I am the holder of all the things: the discarded sweatshirts, the muddy shoes, the unneeded hats, the random rocks, precious leaves, pre-chewed gum, tiny little reward stars, water bottles, tissues, backpacks. There is no limit to what I can hold. It is my super power. I can hold things.
Updated on February 1, 2017
Knocking on doors that won’t open and seeking answers
Knocking on doors is a favorite activity in our neck of the woods. We live in a neighborhood packed full of active little adventure seeking boys. And every afternoon my youngest hardly finishes the last word of his daily reading assignment before he announces, “Hey, mom! I’m going to knock on doors!”
Updated on January 20, 2017
A prayer for this Inauguration Day
It seems that history will be made today. Since 1937 and the inauguration of President Roosevelt, January 20th has stood on the calendar as the time when power changes hands here in these United States of America. It is Inauguration Day. And because we live in “the land of the free and the brave”, a country where men and women have died protecting our right to freedom of speech, we can openly say how we feel about this day, January 20, 2017.
And we have.
Updated on January 13, 2017
When you want to pray for greener grass
I have a lot of friends who are traveling right now. I am hiding behind the closed bathroom door returning some texts when I realize this. “Will you pray?” my screen full of messages asks me. Friends headed off on mission trips, work events and even vacations have reached out to update me. “Will you pray for all the things?” one text requests. And sitting cross-legged on my bathroom floor, I assure them all that yes, yes I will pray.
Updated on January 5, 2017
New Year. New Word. Come and see.
I have worn glasses since high school and that Human Phys. class where the teacher perplexed me with all of his blurry diagrams on the chalk board. I thought it was just me. Science isn’t really my thing. But, it turns out that being able to see the notes on the board can make science a whole lot easier. In fact, being able to see has a way of making all of life a little easier.
Updated on December 31, 2016
Why I need a word for this New Year
2016 is down to its last few hours. And some folks are quite happy about this, according to my Facebook newsfeed. The death, destruction and chaos that have dominated the news cycles lately seem to have everyone running headlong into 2017 with the hope that it will be different. And it might be. A new year always dawns with hopeful possibilities laying out in front of our eyes like freshly fallen snow. But. I need a minute. I need a minute with 2016 before stepping forward into this new year. A minute to turn away from the news reels and the pundits’ predictions and to look at the path left by my own footprints. I need to see the goodness and the sorrow of this year all wrapped up together; to see where I have been before I cast my eyes on where we are going.
Posted on December 24, 2016
On Christmas Eve — the final piece in our Advent series
It’s looking a lot like this around here today. Christmas Eve and I can’t even find my desk. There are still gifts to be wrapped and children whining about not having anything to do (are you kidding me?). There are shirts that need ironing and church services to prepare for and food for tomorrow that needs cooking and…. my hands are shaking just typing all of this. It is Christmas Eve for goodness sake!
Updated on December 19, 2016
The Truth about Joy — the Fourth in our Advent Series
The joy candle is broken. You can see it up there in the picture. And I keep forgetting to buy a new one. As if a trip to the store could simply replace the broken joy. I believe it was a ball that someone threw or a somersault that some kid turned too close to that table that snapped the joy right in half. It doesn’t really matter how it happened.
Updated on December 13, 2016
Seeking love — the third in our Advent series
It won’t be much longer now. The days are ticking off the calendar at a rapid-fire kind of speed. My boys rejoice as we light the third candle and the store clerk at Walmart sends me into a full on panic when she asks if I am ready for Christmas. Umm … no, I am not even ready for supper tonight. But, ready or not, it appears as though Christmas is coming! So we light this love candle, take a deep breath and lean forward into all that these coming days hold.
Updated on December 6, 2016
Seeking Peace — the second in our Advent series
The second Sunday in Advent blows in cold and rainy here in the South. And it seems that the sun never quite wakes up as we gather in the sanctuary; cold rain beating hard on the roof and near darkness covering the room.
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