My neighbor texted me to ask if we had nets to cover the two fruit trees in our backyard to protect them from the anticipated winter weather. I have to admit, I had not even thought about how the cold temperatures could bring death to our trees.
Freeze Warning
After the unexpected bad weather we experienced a couple of years ago in South Texas, people took the anticipated freeze warning seriously. The forecasted eighteen degrees definitely fell below any normal winter temperature in the South.
Not on Our Own
We are all on a journey. Interestingly enough each one travels his or her own unique path, but there are commonalities that tend to draw us together.
What We’re Here For
What started out as a normal Wednesday morning quickly changed into one ordained by God, an indescribable blessing!
Voice in My Head
When our pastor started preaching from the book of Romans, we received stickers of a visual way to share Christ with others. I stuck mine in my Bible and promptly forgot about it. The day it fell out changed my life and eventually the life of someone else as well.
Seasons: Day 5
As I write this, it is still August and still hot. However, in the little garden by my front porch something interesting has happened. The day lilies, whose spent foliage stood like brittle, brown sentinels during the hottest part of the summer, are sending up new green leaves. On more than one occasion, I was sorely tempted to pull up my little garden eyesores and be done with it. Only one thing stopped me: those husks could be providing shade and protection for tender life beneath the soil.
Seasons: Day 4
During a recent lunch conversation, a friend and I got on the topic of “significant” birthdays. The particular number under discussion was one looming on her horizon, but solidly in my rearview mirror, making me the expert on the subject.
Seasons: Day 3
If you ask young children to name the seasons, some might answer, “Christmas, Easter, July 4th and Halloween.” Following that train of thought, the sign of each new season would be the bursting forth of appropriate merchandise on the shelves of local retailers. Ah, sad, but true…
Seasons: Day 2
On day 4 of Creation, God placed two great lights in the heavens. Lights we recognize as the sun and our moon; one direct and one reflective.
Seasons: Day 1
As I write this, it is August and it is hot. The recent rains were only a temporary respite from temperatures that promised 90’s and threatened 100’s. But, I know this: the heat of August won’t last forever and better days—days of dappled sun and fall breezes—are ahead. I know that because I have experienced many years and many seasons.
The Love of God Pursues Us
“One, two, three, seven, thirteen, twenty. ““Ready or not, here I come!”
Don’t Miss Out
How do you feel about darkness? Copper Breaks State Park in Texas offers darkness as its main attraction. Miles away from city lights Copper Breaks is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park (IDSP). A Dark Sky Park is a land that possesses an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment.
Overcome with Awe
My daughter and I used to be angels. Years ago, we participated in our church’s annual Christmas concerts. We were angels with other women and girls, garbed in white gowns and barefooted.
Drop the Blanket
It went with her everywhere… my daughter’s baby blanket was her security for years. They did everything together. She even named it “Bobbie.” When the blanket was over-loved, I repaired it several times. Eventually, it was packed in a family memory box.
No Place to Stay
It was late at night when I received one of those dreaded phone calls. My son told me that his three-week old daughter was lethargic and in respiratory distress. They were at a hospital emergency room in the Dallas, Texas area.
Hope
For many years, my Christmas cards have held the message, “May all your hope and expectation be found in Him”. Christmas is a season of hope. But there are often so many unspoken and unrealized expectations that we are left disappointed when the tree is put up and the wrapping discarded.
Peace
“Ah gots peas like a riber in my sooooooooooooo”. My toddler-daughter sang it loud and long throughout the Christmas season. I’d never really thought of “I’ve Got Peace Like A River” as a Christmas carol, but that didn’t matter to my girl. I asked her what peace felt like. She said, “sssshhhhhh quiet, f’ever”.
A Hard Christmas
It was a Christmas to remember, all right. It is my first thought when Christmas is mentioned. My memories are so near that it seems like only yesterday.
Joy
The joy of Christmas. I’m just not feeling it! Instead, I feel the weight of programs, projects and plans; of school, schedules and sickness; of my own aches, anxieties and angst. Where is that joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8, KJV)?
Immanuel
My granddaughter is four months old. If she cannot see or hear mom and dad, she cries, turns red and kicks her legs. Little does she know, they are close by, probably watching her every move on the baby monitor. As soon as she is aware of her parents’ presence, she starts to calm down.