Remember the old Abbot and Costello skit: “Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third...”I have been pondering that question lately: Who’s on first? Who is first in my life? I wish I could say God was all the time but to be honest, that is not always true.I heard a speaker last week, Rev, Dan Schrock, pastor of the Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship in Goshen Indiana, speak about five attachments we cling to instead of God. Many of these affections are not bad, but just disordered. We hold onto them tightly, putting them in first place – a place reserved only for God. “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14.What takes the place of God as priorities in our hearts and lives?1. Physical objects – that new truck, our laptop, the home we have lived in for 22 years2. People – This could be a highly regarded mentor, a close friend and of course, our family3. Images of self – Being competent, your education, your job, … [Read more...]

When we traveled through Yellowstone this summer, the scenery overwhelmed me. I stood speechless in front of God’s incomprehensible creation of radiant colors in the translucent water pools and rising ghosts of eerie white steam against extraordinary blue skies.Behold the wonder of God. The planet we stand on is a mere glimpse of his creation, a small sliver of what he has made. Just imagine for a moment what God has created that we cannot see.God’s invisible handwork.As a nurse, I know full well the intricate marvel of the human body. The multitude of well organized mini-components working inside each of the estimated 100 trillion cells that makes up our bodies.Behold the wonder of GodThe Human Cell The power of a tiny microorganism to bring us mighty humans down. I am fascinated by the beauty of the viruses and bacteria who unfortunately spread havoc and fear in our world:Behold the wonder of GodThe Flu VirusOur … [Read more...]

Last Monday’s post about feeling shocked, awkward and embarrassed after watching myself in home movies struck a cord with many readers. Comments, emails and twitter responses flew in.“I can most certainly identify with your horror at seeing yourself in your vacation movies. I am very disappointed in me - and I'm sure God is disappointed in the way I have taken care of the body He bestowed on me.”“Our church broadcasts our services on local access channel - I cannot bear to watch myself.“Why do you think I have a yahoo avatar instead of a photo of the genuine me????”So I have been pondering this all week.I wonder if this is truer for women than men.What is it inside of so many of us that cause this lack of self acceptance?What does this say about how we deeply feel about our self worth?Why can’t I accept who I see in the mirror and love her?I work with stained glass as a hobby. In my garage workshop, I have bits and pieces of broken, shattered glass. Some have sharp, irregular edges, … [Read more...]

I love the word – serendipity. The meaning of this word is to find something unexpectedly. Most serendipities brim with delight, surprise and “oooooo-abilty.”Horace Walpole first coined this word in 1754 in his retelling of a Persian tale The Three Princes of Serendip. Serendip was another name for the country we call Sri Lanka.If you watch, God loves to send us serendipities each day to encourage us on our journey, to provide us with wisdom and guidance or just to pop into our day to let us know how much he loves us and is with us.Here are six times lately where I tripped upon God’s gift of serendipity:1. Opening my Bible to “just the right” word of hope I needed to take another step of faith2. Looking up and witnessing God’s creative artistry in the clouds or sunset. He loves to play and paint in the sky, you know. And on my trip through Yellowstone this summer I just knew he had lots of fun fashioning that area.3. Pausing and taking in the sound of my three month old granddaughter’s … [Read more...]

My best friend, Esther, celebrated her 98th birthday last week. Ask her what her secret to a long life is and she will tell you with a giggle:“Pie and ice cream.”Esther still lives independently in her own home. She goes out with friends and would mow her lawn if she had the strength. She does love working in the yard, picking the weeds and planting green peppers, tomatoes and flowers each year. Right now she is busy deciding whether to get her house repainted (lasting 15 years) or sided (to last much longer.)“They will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green.” - Psalm 92:14.When I read this verse, I think of Esther. What a role model she is for aging with grace.What lessons have I gleaned from watching her?Reaching Out – Esther reaches out to others with simple acts of kindness such as baking pies for funeral dinners and sending cards. But she also reaches out when she needs help. She has a broad network of people she leans upon for help and is willing to pick up … [Read more...]

  God's Tapestry One of my favorite stories: When I was a little, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. As from the underside I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat. She would smile at me, look down and gently say, "Child, you go about your playing for a while, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side." I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear Mother's voice say, "Come and sit on my knee." This I did only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or a sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so … [Read more...]