God the Creator displayed his multicolored masterpieces last weekend for my hubby and me as we traveled in update New York. We arrived at the perfect fall foliage point. What a feast for the eyes and the heart. The hills wrapped themselves with a warm sweater of fall shades. Everywhere we looked we drank in spicy muddy browns, bright mustard yellows, rich ruddy reds and spikes of exploding oranges. I asked God why. Why take the time to create such an amazing autumn artistry? God didn't have to present such a wonderful show. God could have skipped the colors and dashed from green to bare in an instant. But God chose to mesmerize us with his heavenly hues. God the Artist opted to paint. [contact-form][contact-field label="Name" type="name" required="true" /][contact-field label="Email" type="email" required="true" /][contact-field label="Website" type="url" /][contact-field label="Message" type="textarea" /][/contact-form] I studied these … [Read more...]
A Peek into God’s Creativity
God's creativity brings me into his wonder and awe. I love God's imaginative creativity. When I watched this video last week, I was caught up once again in wonder and awe of his holy imagination and inventiveness. Take a moment to enjoy God's inspiring ingenuity. Can you see the octopus in the beginning? I had trouble uploading the video but go to this web page and you can see it. Seeing the world through the lenses of wonder helps us see God's creativity. I wrote more about God's wonder on this post. What wonder has God shown you lately? … [Read more...]
Inspiring Quotes Surrounding My Desk
I was typing away the other day, lost in a world of words, punctuation and verb tenses. My eyes left the screen momentarily, landing on a quote scribbled and taped to my desk. I stopped and breathed in its wisdom, "Look at God Looking at you... and smiling." Anthony de Mello I smiled. For one brief moment, God and I just sat together. Not doing. Not accomplishing. Just enjoying each other's company. Today I sat back and looked at the wise words of others decorating (or cluttering) my writing space. I thought I would share some of the wisdom with you that inspires me: "If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one." a Russian Proverb "We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment." Jim Rohn "Spare moments are the gold dust of time." Bishop … [Read more...]
The Back-up Quarterback School of Faithfulness
I admit it: I am an Ohio State Buckeye fan. We have a wonderful nationally recognized, Heisman potential quarterback who unfortunately sprained his knee in the first quarter of the first game this year. In comes the little known back up quarterback. Kenny Guiton is a senior. A highly talented player who has been overshadowed his entire college playing career by other players. He wasn't even going to attend OSU originally, but a coach came recruiting him from his high school in Texas. He found out later all the other recruits OSU were seeking chose other colleges. He arrived in Columbus as a last minute back up, starting at the bottom of the list. “I was under the radar. That’s what my mom always told me: You’re under the radar, so why not just go out there and work hard and do what you can?” And he did. In 2010, Kenny in his first collegiate attempt against Indiana was intercepted. In 2011 with another chance ahead of him to be picked … [Read more...]
Cedar Point’s Guide to Living
Think going to Cedar Point is only about fun? After all Cedar Point, located in Sandusky, Ohio, has been voted the “Best Amusement Park in the World” for a record 15 consecutive years. I spent this past weekend at the Roller Coaster Capital attending Bloggy Con to learn more about blogging. I never expected to get a life lesson on top of the fun and education. On Sunday morning, a small group of us ventured out just before sunrise for a photography tour of the park. (All these photos are from that morning) Our tour guide was Cedar Point's marketing manager, Bryan Edwards. He held the key to get us into the locked gate to enter the empty park and shared stories about the park. Bryan also gave us a key to living. He said, "Here at Cedar Point, we value the past, look forward to the future while enjoying the present." I know too often I have struggled to stay in the present. I live in either/or living. On some days, my … [Read more...]
The Truth about Easy Targets
Our local newspaper is an easy target. I write for them so I'm sensitive when people become critical about how they cover a story or make a mistake. Easy targets. Unfortunately when a newspaper makes a mistake, everyone berates them. If someone's name is misspelled or a headline reads funny, the phone calls pour in from all the "yes I use English perfectly all the time" people. If one school doesn't make the front of the sports page, all the fans cry favoritism. Newspapers are put together fairly quickly. Mistakes will happen. Sometimes the results may even be humorous. Easy targets. What I can't figure out is why do people think it is ok to bash, blame and belittle an entity that is really supportive of the community? Newspapers are easy targets. Easy targets When I am on the receiving end, my fists come out or tears cascade down. But I began thinking about easy targets this morning and realized I am just as guilty. I think the Lord is exposing my own critical … [Read more...]
Lessons from Vincent Van Gogh
[contact-form][contact-field label="Name" type="name" required="true" /][contact-field label="Email" type="email" required="true" /][contact-field label="Website" type="url" /][contact-field label="Message" type="textarea" /][/contact-form] The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam announced Monday, the discovery of a newly identified painting by the artist. The landscape is titled "Sunset at Montmajour." What is so unusual about the discovery is the painting laid neglected in an attic for many years. The painting was first thought to be a fake and worthless but after study, research and perseverance, the truth was revealed. Truth often isn't obvious at first. One has to take time to study and know. We hurry past the real stuff to consume easy, convenient and artificial flavors of the world. We swallow the first analysis or opinions instead of letting the facts unfold and emerge. The van Gogh painting, banished to the attic, unknown to … [Read more...]
Praying ‘Round the Clock
Is clock watching a curse or a blessing? I used to think mostly negative things about my relationship with Father Time. I quit wearing watches years ago. Time became the enemy. Time took the form of a stubborn toddler having tantrums. When I wanted time to move quickly, it dragged its feet in defiance, become spineless and lay unmoving right before my eyes. Then I woke up one morning, another decade older, looking at winkles and brown spots on the face in the mirror. Moments dissolved and vanished. Children once babies and giggling in my arms, now mother kids of their own and manage mortgages and careers. I researched and read every book ever written on time management. My expertise led me to even gave presentations full of tips about time. But it was a losing battle. The hours mounted a mutiny with my common sense, minutes evaporated and seconds flashed by quicker each year. My war with time focuses most often on what I think I can get done within a … [Read more...]