Just this week, I saw a Facebook post that feeling thankful lowers your stress by 23%.
It sounded good, but I wanted to check it out.
What I found excited me.
How Well Do You Multitask?
We used to think we could get more done by multitasking, but the latest research shows this to be false. According to numerous studies, multitasking causes more errors than focusing on a single task.
I know this all too well.
Singing the Wrong Words on the Back Row
I don’t have a singing voice. In fact, I am somewhat tone deaf. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.
While that sometimes stops me from singing now, it did not stop the 5-year-old me.
What Makes You Feel Special?
As a child, I felt special every time I took a bath at my Granny’s house.
At that time, Granny only had one bathroom. The tub, sink and toilet were probably 30 years old. The water pressure wasn’t that great, but I didn’t care about any of those things.
What Did You Expect?
When my son was around two, he thought he saw his daddy from behind. He started running toward the man, and when he rounded the corner, I saw a horrified look on my son’s face. The man was not his daddy – not at all what my son was expecting. The man looked very similar to my husband from behind, from his build to his bald head, but one glimpse of his face revealed the truth. I explained to the man that my son was a little surprised and upset because he was not who my son had expected him to be.
Au Naturel Consequences
My friend was having trouble getting her 7-year-old daughter up and ready for school in the mornings. After repeatedly asking her daughter to do her morning routine, she decided she had enough. She asked her daughter to come to the bathroom to brush and style her hair, but she didn’t keep asking. Her daughter hadn’t come in to get her hair styled by the time my friend was finished in the bathroom. When the girl wanted her hair brushed, the mom calmly told her that she had missed her chance. She didn’t follow her mom’s instructions, so she would have to go to school with her hair as it was. Hair au naturel – the natural consequence.
Trust or Unbelief?
Are these new verses to you? Not likely. Many of us have these verses memorized, and we even classify these as all-time favorites. These words are truth, but it is difficult for us to really live them out.
What Are You Searching For?
The other day I was taking off my jewelry, and I must have pulled too hard on my ring. It flew off the end of my finger when I pulled it over my knuckle. I heard it hit the carpet. I immediately got on my hands and knees to look for my ring. I must have looked for 20 minutes before I decided to stop and try again later. After looking later, I still could not find my ring. I knew it was there, and I also knew that I would find it with continued searching.
Let My Words Be Few
Once my daughter and a friend of hers got into a little disagreement. As I asked the girls what the problem was, each girl began telling her side of the story . . . simultaneously. When they realized that neither was backing down, each girl spoke louder and louder. My son was standing right beside me, and his observation was, "That's too many words!" I laughed and had to agree.
Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes
One last stop in Oregon ladies, at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Astoria. Surely you know of Lewis and Clark; but let me refresh your minds.
Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes
Are you up for a bit of adventure today ladies? We’re about to enter Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Feast your eyes on the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in perhaps all the world, stretching 50 plus miles south to north between 101 and the Pacific. The National Forest Service maintains this area; their brochure and plaques along the way fill in the stats. For instance, the foredunes nearest the beach can be 25-50 feet high, while those further inland—average, 2.5 miles—rise maybe 200 feet, the record being 500 feet.
Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes
How then shall we live, you and I, in the amazing grace of the Branch (Jesus) from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)? That’s the big question. It all began with the tree of life (Genesis 3:9); it will end with the tree of life (Revelation 22:14). In the interim, in this life, how indeed do we function like the trees planted by the streams of water that we now are, in Christ?
Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes
Time for a hike today, ladies. Lady Bird Johnson Grove beckons. In June, or so the park ranger tells us, the rhododendrons are in beautiful bloom. Today we are amazed by all the lush ferns carpeting the forest floor. The trail through the tropical rainforest proves to be extremely refreshing. Some of the old redwoods are monstrous. So are the fallen logs and stumps, purposefully left au naturel by the park service, to do their thing—shoot sprouts of new growth up to the sun. I am intrigued.
Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes
Hop aboard, ladies. We’re taking a ride up the Oregon coast this week to see some amazing sights in God’s creation. First stop, a touch of grandeur in Redwood National Park. The California or coastal redwood, scientific name sequoia sempervirens, grows only in a narrow strip of land from northern California through Oregon, close to the coast yet not too close as it doesn’t like salt spray. Plentiful rainfall and summer fog of the region are just what they need—fog drip accounts for 30% of the yearly water supply. The “redwood” name comes from a bright red, fibrous bark when freshly exposed. They boast the tallest—Hyperion, at 379’—but cannot match the 102’ girth of the General Sherman, a non-related sequoiadendron giganteum in the Sierra Nevadas.*
PEACE JOURNEY
No suspicion of a cancer diagnosis was in my mind that day—it was just a routine checkup. The shock of the radiologist’s brief clinical explanation caused me to sense a surreal atmosphere. I visualized to-do lists and calendar pages flying through the air like paper airplanes landing directly into the wastebasket. Recovery from shock was gradually realized in a few days when a reservoir of inner peace began to flow.
MIGHTY GOD!
I didn’t deserve to go on this mission trip. My registration occurred during the same month of the deadline. Some choir and orchestra members had prayed, saved their money, and rehearsed the repertoire of almost 90 songs for two years. Six concerts were to be performed throughout Italy to sing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Letters
Mamertine Prison in Rome, Italy, is where Peter and Paul were imprisoned at various times. It is a quiet and solemn place. Our tour group viewed the prisoners’ spaces below the floor. The relic of a piece of heavy iron chain brought visual images of the reality of their captivity.
FERVENCY
Have you ever listed the women who have most influenced your life? Luke’s list makes me wonder why Mary, Joanna, Susanna and the many others who served Jesus during his life were notable in first century AD. Surely these women suffered. I’m not sure if I could have endured an exorcism administered over Mary to cast out seven demons. Who would have the stamina to serve and live in the household of Herod?
The Fine Arts
The year I committed to methodically read through the Bible brought many joyful and new surprises. Don’t be impressed, though— believe me— I am too old to admit that I had never read the Bible all the way through in one year!
Renewed Strength
I strained to see them and marveled at their graceful movements among the rocky cliffs of Israel—the Ibex mountain goat. They actually looked like petite antelopes. Visitors to Israel often get to glimpse them springing from rock to rock as they navigate the mountain heights, graceful and confident. One glimpse immediately brings a familiar verse to mind, one you might have seen on wall hangings, plaques or even have in your own home!