Looking at a beautiful mountain range, I considered how life is full of peaks and valleys. There are good moments and bad moments. But at the height of the peaks, I cannot see the valley ahead… just looming past the horizon.
Complain Less, and You’ll Be Happier
I love to see scientific studies back up Bible verses. While I’m not surprised, I just think it’s fun to watch science catch up.
Just today, I read an article on how complaining and negativity rewires your brain for anxiety and depression.
The Promise That Kept Going
I listen to Christian music throughout the day, so it’s no surprise that’s how I hear God speak many times.
Tapestry of Friends
I got an unexpected email this weekend from the first babysitter who ever kept my boys.
Quiet Movement
What moves you?
I mean … moves you to action … compels you to do something.
Anger? Injustice? Anger can motivate.
Building
What do you build on?
For many years … I found hope and joy from my next vacation or the next new, fun thing for my house or fancy meals eating out.
I built my hope on the things money can buy.
Reverence and Awe
Wow, Hebrews is intense! I am becoming more and more aware of that since I’ve been sauntering through its pages. I see that even God’s man Moses, at the base of Mount Sinai (12:21) said, “I am trembling with fear”.
No More Dragging Your Feet
And so, with our eyes fixed on Jesus we have entered that race marked out for us (12:1-2). Make every effort is not lost on me. To race is to do just that—to expend all the energy you have till you reach the finish line. The Greek underscores your effort with godly fear—with the reverence of a minister or deacon (Strongs).
Owl Eyes
What a lovely May day it was. As I gazed out my back window, mesmerized by the deep blues of the hydrangeas and the emerging pinks and reds of the roses, a couple of horn-rimmed eyeballs caught my attention. What in the world was an owl doing in my pecan?
Untangling the Knots
How easily we can slip into outright sin and its entanglements. Tie on your godly truths securely; or like your dangling shoelaces, the ways of the world will trip you up. Sir Walter Scott's quote may possibly encompass all the devil desires from us: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." Deception could be the root of all evil. The serpent in the garden used that ploy, and look at the sin that entangled us all.
Sauntering
As I longed to be out on the mountain trails this summer, the following quote by John Muir, writer and naturalist, caught my eye:
“People ought to saunter in the mountains, not hike! …people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre, to the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers.”
When the Wind Blows
We spent the day in lawn chairs watching my brother, his grandsons, and a “windmill expert” assemble a 100-year-old windmill in our pasture. By the evening, the seemingly random pile of metal transformed into a functioning mechanism for pumping water from a hundred feet below the ground’s surface.
Wheat & Weeds
My Sunflower Vine vigorously twined up my garden trellis. I allowed a wild vine to grow nearby thinking they would just mature side-by-side. However, by the time I realized my mistake, the damage was done. The wild vine had choked my Sunflower Vine!
A Tranquil Moment
But, for that instant, I could rest in the quiet beauty when all was well. I must not miss those moments, for they are rare among the rush of the world. They exist as God’s good gifts, like His Son, His Salvation, His grace, His love, and His ever-present counselor, His Holy Spirit.
Beyond the Mud and Mire
On multiple occasions God lifted David’s feet from the slimy pit and gave him a new song of praise. David faithfully documented those rescues with pen and parchment.
God and His Creatures
I walked through the pasture attempting to solve a mystery, an unusually large tangle of feathers hanging from the fence. However, upon closer examination, I gasped to see two large eyes from within the tangle staring directly into mine.
Stop and Help
Have you ever stopped to help someone, but then later realized you were the one who was blessed?
The Serpent's Lies
Pythons like to slither into holes. A young Portland woman discovered this when her pet BART crawled into the gauge hole of her earlobe.
Old Lies
As we stood at the sink washing Thanksgiving dishes, the family secret was revealed. My mom casually mentioned how sad she was when they “put Dudley down.” My hands stopped scrubbing as I turned to her in unbelief. More than 30 years ago, I had believed my parents’ story about our dear German Shepherd they would take to live “on a farm with lots of kids and dogs.”
Borders
Sleep is the most precious commodity to a new mother. She will do just about anything to ensure her baby rests for as long as possible. Note on the door? Check. White noise machine? Purchased. Whisper and tiptoe. Obviously.