Ok, I know this movie was released in 2009 – so I am behind times but this past weekend my husband and I watched and thoroughly enjoyed the Pixar film, “Up.”  We laughed. We wiped away a few tears. And the movie’s lessons linger with me.Basically UP is the story of an older man, revisiting a dream from his youth. When he was younger, he and his wife both dreamed of going to South America on a big adventure. After his wife dies and life as he has known it changes all around him, he decides to go on that adventure even if he is alone. But he is not alone as an eight-year-old boy stows away on his trip. As they explore together, they met a menagerie of talking dogs, an evil villain, and a really cool bird.This movie is full of rich lessons:·      Treasures can be found in even the oddest of relationships. Everyone has a story and we can learn and grow from sharing those stories with our fellow companions on life journey. Makes me wonder who am I missing, ignoring or walking past on my … [Read more...]

 Ice breakers!  Love  ‘em or hate ‘em – they do help to create a group spirit and build relationships. Sometimes they are fun. Other times, thought provoking.I attended a retreat a number of years ago where the first night they had us line up in two lines facing one another. We had 60 seconds to talk to the person in front of us before a bell rang and we moved onto another person.  We shared: If you were having lunch with Jesus, what one question would you ask Him?I will never forget the answer I heard over and over again:Am I doing ok?Most people said the question with lots of hesitance and obvious self-doubt as if they weren’t doing alright, God wouldn’t love them as much.Why is it so hard to bring the love God has for each of us from our head to our heart?Why don’t we really believe, grasp onto and share with others this unconditional, overwhelming love?Why can’t we accept ourselves, as imperfect as we are, as God’s children?I watched a Chonda Pierce video last weekend where she … [Read more...]

The prediction today is for Ohio to hit 50 degrees. The blanket of snow that has been like a permanent part of the ground since December is disappearing.Here was my backyard a week ago:Here it is today.  I think by day’s end, all the snow will be gone from the table.Shhh, can you hear the snow? Like the scene in the Wizard of Oz it screams, “I’m melting…I’m melting.” Yes the EVIL snow is dissolving out of sight. Ding, Dong the witch is dead!!But in reality the snow doesn’t resist how the Lord is changing its texture from a solid into a liquid. Quietly and unseen, the snow yields its present form, allowing God to use it in new ways.Wow, I never thought I would want to be like snow! Yet when I think of how snow yields to its Creator’s ways, the image of melting warms my heart.I hear the Lord whisper in my heart – “Melt into My ways. Yield to where I am calling you.”I look at my backyard garden and see a small hand tool, buried all winter, reappear.  The musical drips of water from the … [Read more...]

  If you visit this blog often, you know I am not a winter person – difficult for someone living in the Midwest. I struggle with finding the beauty in this stark, raw time of year. I have shared some of my discoveries in past posts as I try to appreciate this season in new ways this year.   This is the first winter being in my new office in the house and I am blessed with a wonderful window that looks out onto my snow covered garden backyard. The highlight this year though is the bird feeder with its many visitors – sparrows, finches, cardinals, and doves to name a few.I realized this morning how the pleasure of simply watching the birds this winter fills me with joy.·      Full of energy and celebrating in the delight of finding seed to eat, they dance on my porch.·     They look after one another. Often the female cardinal will come for seed while her bright red companion watches from the bare lilac bush 20 yards away. One sparrow sits on the banister while the rest of the crew … [Read more...]

Do you have a favorite Bible Story? One that draws you back to read and read again?The story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after Christ’s crucifixion is one story that I continually discover new insights that touch my heart and feed my soul. Often when I don’t know what to read I meditate on my favorites verses to guide my path.Oswald Chambers used a verse from this passage in My Utmost for His Highest on the February 7 entry:“But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.” Luke 24:21Chambers writes, “Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer…The purpose of prayer is that we get a hold of God, not the answer…If we will only obey and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him.”  Chambers asks us what have we been praying for, expecting an answer from God? Is today the ‘third day” and God still has not done … [Read more...]

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.  ~Anaïs NinAs regular readers of this blog knows, I have some of most honest, open conversations with God in the middle of the night. My restless prayers this past weekend focused on seeing people and situations through God’s eyes, not mine.My perspective is blurry, out of focus, and often skeptical. I see only the broken sharp pieces of ragged glass, not what God sees: the completed magnificent stained glass masterpiece.Lord, help me see as You see.Awaken my heart to others longing to be noticed.Shake my complacency to notice where they hurt.Slow me down so I notice, actually pay attention, to whoever is in front of me and look at them with love.Lord, help me hear as You hear.My ears are clogged with my own thoughts, fears, and chatter.I know You hear the deeper meanings hidden in conversations reflecting hurt, loneliness, and pain that I fail to comprehend. Lord, help me feel as You feel.I hesitate in fear You will answer this … [Read more...]