A PERSONAL PRAYER God, There are times I think I have it figured out. Things make sense. If I do A, then B will happen. And since I want B to happen, I will do A. I can move down the road confidently toward my goals and my preferred future. But there are other times when I am not sure what I should do. Things don't seem to make sense. Doing A doesn't lead to B like I thought it would. I feel confused, conflicted, uncertain. These are times that I fall on my knees and turn to [...]
A PERSONAL PRAYER God, Today, I will make lots of choices, and I need your help. In every moment, and in every opportunity, I pray that... I will choose joy over anxiety and fear. I will choose compassion over apathy and self-centeredness. I will choose positivity over cynicism. I will choose action over complacency. I will choose growth over stagnation. I am not at the mercy of my circumstances, God. I can choose how to respond to whatever comes my way. So today, God, I will let your light shine, and will not put it under a bushel. Like a candle [...]
It is almost VBS week – our favorite week of the year! The church will soon fill with adult and teenage volunteers who will decorate classrooms, organize supplies, practice skits and songs, line up at the copy machine to multiply coloring pages and word finds, and everything else required to have this campus ready for the little ones' arrival on Monday morning. This is our 13th year volunteering at VBS, so we know the routine and over time we’ve seen the themes of camping, beach party, superheroes and outer space repeat. We’ve clapped and sung along with all [...]
A PERSONAL PRAYER God, why have you blessed me so much? Why have you poured so much goodness into my life - great friends, more than enough food and provision, a wonderful family, a marvelous church? I hear that I am "blessed to be a blessing." Am I doing that, God? Am I accomplishing the purposes you have for me? Am I doing all that you want me to do with the life you have given me? I am comforted, God, when I read the stories of the people in the Bible. Boy, do they make mistakes. I am often embarrassed for them, even [...]
Our inside-out habits: We pray and worship. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, In the movies, the soldiers get shot and killed, and the plot just moves on. And, I guess in the real world, that happens too. The world just moves on forward without those who are lost. Except, of course, for the loved ones of those who gave their lives for country or cause. Those families will never be the same. They will move [...]
Sometimes you scratch your head and ask yourself, “Where do I begin? What can I remember?” This story begins with my wanting to talk with a World War Two veteran. I have read countless books on the subject, so I was hoping for a first-hand account to be able to share with my kids someday. I wanted to hear the vets story, what they remember, what they felt during and after the war. I met Louis Gammons through contacts at St. Luke’s. I tell you without exaggeration; a busier and more active man doesn’t exist, at any age, [...]
A PERSONAL PRAYER God of love, There is a worm that lives in my heart. Most of the time, I think he must be sleeping. But sometimes, he wakes up and begins to eat away at all the good feelings inside. The worm has a name - envy. When the worm is at work, I compare myself to others and spend my energy wishing I was as good as they seem to be. I wish I had the gifts and talents they have, the success they have achieved, the friendships they enjoy, the courage they seem to muster, the discipline they appear [...]
Ken and I talked about children before we got married and agreed if the other decided they wanted children we would have them, but we didn’t feel strongly about it either way. We checked in with each other from time to time and never got the itch. We had nieces and nephews on both sides of our families so we had lots of children in our lives and I got to help mother most of them. We have been Auntie and Uncle to all of the kids and their friends. Hailey is our great niece on my side [...]
A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I am so grateful to have lots of moms in my life - my own mom, the marvelous mom of my children, the amazing moms of my grandchildren, the spiritual moms who have shared their faith with me along my journey and who still pray for me and for my family, and the loving and caring moms in our congregation who like to "mother me." These are all people who have chosen to give themselves away, investing themselves in my life, sharing a piece of their lives with me. I am so grateful to [...]
A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I remember when I felt that full fire in my belly, and I charged out the door every morning ready to change the world. I confess that sometimes now, God, I find myself coasting, hoping for easy rather than world-changing. I remember when I leaned forward toward the next exciting thing God had in store for me. I confess that sometimes now, God, I resist change and prefer to stay comfortable. Still, it seems that as I have grown older, my steps have become more consistent, more disciplined, more steady. I am coming to [...]