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5 #Biblical Promises for #2020
I don’t know about you, but I am tired. Weary of many things, many circumstances I expected to be better by now, back to “normal”. It is times like these, times of seemingly endless waiting, that the promises of God we daily take for granted are our only hope. Here are five I am meditating on today. I hope they encourage you as much as they did me. We have salvation in Christ alone. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 2. God gives us strength when we are weak. Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives…
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For Such a Time as This
It took me a while to notice. I mean, the first week back at work was such a whirlwind with new protocols, last minute schedule changes and the typical business of a new school year, and I’ll admit, I was fairly inward-focused, drowning in all I needed to get done. In the midst of this, one of my former students came to drop off a book, and stayed. He honestly didn’t like my class much last year, but he wanted to talk to me, tell me about his new schedule. He was happy to be back. And it kept happening, students stopping by just to say “Hi” and catch up…
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Do Not Forecast Grief
The first week my boys and I were home as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine, we watched the movie The End of the Sword. A life-long Elisabeth Elliot fan, I am not sure how I never read this book or saw this movie, but along with a deep emotional reaction to such a stark picture of forgiveness and redemption, I was reminded of how the story of Elisabeth Elliot captivated my friends and I as young college girls. We may have even “snuck” into a locked football stadium at the University of Oklahoma to journal and pray, just to be like her. In the reading I did after graduating…
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A #2020 Confession
Lord, Forgive me. During this time of shutdowns, COVID, and unrest I have despaired Feeling overwhelmed and isolated from others I have failed to trust in your sovereign will and promises I have feared You continually say, “Do not be afraid” But I have feared disease, death, discomfort and change I have hated In my pain and discomfort Those who disagree with me and those in power over me Instead of trusting that “ . . . nor anything . . . in all creation can separate me from your love” I have spouted off In person and online Impatiently voicing my frustration for all to hear Instead of being…
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Raising Children in a Success Obsessed World
twitter.com/PCACDM/status/1291310561783951360
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Like a Child
I never tire of the mountains. I want to be in them every day-rain, snow, sun-it doesn’t matter. While we don’t own a mountain get-a-way, we only live one hour away, so we try to go as often as possible. And the lack of organized activities this year has allowed for a bit more of that, I’m happy to say. Our dear friends do own a cabin, however, and let us stay from time to time. So, my boys and I snuck up there for a night to be in nature, escape wifi, and hike. It was the first time we’d been there without either their grandparents or my husband,…
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Today, I Will Be #Thankful
Yesterday, we hiked as a family. My husband and I hiked a lot when we first met and married, and now, after years of training, our boys are old enough to hike almost anything. One of my sons has a hurting heel, so we decided we needed to hike something that didn’t involve too much climbing. We decided on a trail we haven’t hiked in years. It was not only beautiful and peaceful but provided that familiar aroma of unadulterated fresh air mixed with the fragrance of pine. When everyone was hungry for lunch, we decided to walk a little further only to realize that the photo my husband and…
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Love my neighbor? I Can Barely Put One Foot in Front of the Other
I sent a text the other day to one of my friends. With the shut down of school (and society for a while) I have lost touch with so many of my friends, especially those associated with my work or my kids’ school. I asked her how she was intending to see how she was dealing with all of the #COVID-related issues, but the response I got was nothing of the sort. Two of her family members living in Africa had just passed away for unmentioned reasons. In addition, she had lost a total of 8 family members there so far this year, 4 in a car accident. As I…
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When Step by Step is All We Have
I love school, in any form. The smell of pencils, crayons, new books, all of it gives me a strange feeling of excitement. In fact, I have never missed a fall in school, not one. My boys have bought into my excitement, and are ready to go back now-especially after spending 6 months at home. But, I have to admit, this fall has a different sentiment, an added feeling of unpredictability I’ve never experienced before. Sure, there are plans, but they are all tentative. I am hopeful we will go back, but there are so many unknowns. How will it work? Masks, schedules, lunches, sports-the questions are endless, and unanswerable…
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#Living Water in Desert Times
When I was 18 years-old, I signed up to work with a group in Yellowstone National Park. We were to work in various areas of the park in various jobs, either housekeeping or food service, and offer Bible studies. It just so happened that I was assigned to work at Yellowstone Lake. Having grown up in Montana, I was accustomed to the beauty of the mountains, but living at the lake that summer was such a serene and awe-inspiring experience. In addition to the hiking almost daily, I spent time every day sitting by this vast body of water, surrounded by mountains, journaling and praying. Now, more than 25 years…