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Assurance and Restoration
We pick up an item from the store with excitement to have something new. As we open the package there is anticipation about how the item will fit into our lives and the uses it will have. Then we use the item once or twice. It tears, it shrinks, it breaks. Has this happened to you? I find it happening more and more these days as good quality is hard to come by. When I buy a product, I like to have the assurance that it is going to do what it says it will or have the quality it is supposed to have. It is very frustrating to purchase…
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Focusing on What Isn’t
It’s just so easy to do. Think about it – you get together with a group of friends and it turns into a gripe session. You get up in the morning thinking of all you have to do and you are focused on the whole ‘too much to do too little time’ thoughts. You start to think about what God would have you do with your life and you focus on all the negative aspects of particular choices. You experience grief or loss and all you can think about is what is missing in your life. At one time in my life my career was not where I wanted it.…
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My Time is in Your Hands
In a recent Bible reading I was drawn to these particular verses: “But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in Your hands’; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let Your face shine on Your servant; save me in Your unfailing love.” (Psalm 31:14-16 NIV) There is so much to unpack in these words. But first, why is this topic on my mind so much at this time? My niece spoke of time passing fast in her last days. She knew her cancer was progressing; but it amazed her how quickly the changes seemed to come. One…
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Working Through Hurt
As I hold the sweet little baby in my arms I am amazed at her tiny, intricate form. I love examining her little hands and toes and feeling the softness of her fine baby hair. At 19, it is a new experience for me as I haven’t been around babies much in my life. I am most certainly in love with this dear sweet niece. As a toddler, she and I are blessed to spend time together. We have our adventures when I take her out for the day to give her mom a break. The thrill of that little hand in mine brings immeasurable joy. Her smiles and laughter…
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What Should We Be Looking At?
Have you ever felt invisible? It doesn’t feel great. It conjures up emotions of unworthiness and insignificance. Neither of these is desirable or healthy. The culture of the world today values those who are strong and smart, wealthy and influential. Who gets noticed in the media… the rich, the famous, the well dressed, the athletic, and so on. Often, if we don’t meet up to these unrealistic expectations of value, we feel unworthy and less important. We strive to be something we are not, in the hopes of being recognized. Even in the time of King David, appearances sometimes took precedence. Samuel had been given the task to anoint the…
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All Things New
As another new year begins, our thoughts frequently fill with ideas of how we can improve ourselves or make our living situation better in the upcoming year. Have you made any new year’s resolutions yet? These resolutions are so easy to make, but also so easy to break. We have lofty ideas of what we can accomplish, but reality floods in and our best intentions get carried away on a rushing stream of busyness and forgetfulness. As we ponder what our year will hold, we often look at our own shortcomings. These flaws, whether large or small, seem glaring to us. Frequently we cannot see our lives as being okay…
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It’s Time for Opportunities
It is one of those autumns where I wonder where the days went. How can we already be into December? I find it even harder to get my mind in gear for December activities as we don’t yet have any snow – a rarity in my prairie area. As I sit and consider what I need to do with my students for the last three weeks before Christmas break my head is in a whirl. My calendar is already filled with numerous events and I still have curriculum to teach as well. It is a juggling act to balance all that needs to be done. Christmas celebrations are important; but…
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Catch Me if You Can
When my youngest daughter was a toddler and just learning to talk, she often used the words “catch you” when we were at the park. What she actually meant was – Will you catch me? But she was repeating my words where I assured her that I would “catch you” when she came down the slide. She was reluctant to try things like slides, but her uncertainties were dismissed when she knew for sure that I would be there for her and that she was safe. It is interesting how things changed when she knew that she had a safety net. Before I knew it, she was giggling as she…
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Every Moment of Every Day
Life gets busy. Some days seem to go by in a blur of activity. I get to the end of the day and wonder what did I truly accomplish. It is easy to get caught up in the things of this world. Family issues, job expectations, household upkeep, financial concerns, health habits – all intertwine to keep our minds on the go. Perhaps, like me, you find it hard to fit the spiritual in all that some days. It’s not that I ignore God but I assume I can get to matters with Him at some future point. Sure, there are little blips of prayers going heavenward in a day,…
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Help Wanted
It is the time of year in our congregation where we are seeking nominations for various church boards. Even though our local church is a good size; it seems to be an ongoing struggle to get people to help with the ministries of the Church. It is not just our church that sees this issue. We face this lack of willing workers with various town organizations who are looking for volunteers to run programs. What’s with the lack of service attitude that seems to be increasingly prevalent today? The standard answer people give is that they “are too busy”. Having just come off of a few weeks of doing report…
