Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? My mom read this poem to me as a kid what seems like a gazillion times, a gazillion years ago. I never once wondered what it meant. Now, I wonder. And I’m perplexed. Exactly WHY was Mary contrary? Contrary. Webster defines . . . Opposite. Incompatible […]
Growing Up
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 Saturday was prom day for our youngest who turned 18 three weeks ago. I close my eyes and see him in that navy blue & white striped shirt he wore the day I held him for the first […]
Walking by Faith
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6 Walked out to the barn to grain the horses around 9 PM last night, unusually late. Though the moon was […]
Glory Hunting
I wake to the the sun streaming on my side of our bed. A new day. My first thoughts? A prayer formed from words in Lamentations about hope in the midst of affliction. Oh God, because of Your great love we are not consumed, for your compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great […]
Hardened Off
It’s May but still cold here. My potted geraniums survived the winter by staying put in front of our family room’s south-facing windows. Now it’s time to harden them off, expose them to the sun and outside warmth. When the temperature drops at the end of each day, I carry each one into the garage […]
Who Guides You When You’re Anxious?
The Lord is MY shepherd . . . Psalm 23:1 Sometimes the fog rolls in on this farm covering pasture like cotton plucked and pulled thin. Sometimes anxiety rolls in over me too, shrouding me. Sometimes I just shake for lack of vision, for need of compassion, for someone to reach out and touch […]
Hurried and Empty
I scramble out the door carrying too much at once. Managing to get into the car without spilling self-brewed Starbucks all over me, I realize I forgot the keys. I set my coffee mug in the holder and throw everything else onto the passenger seat. Run in. Get keys. Run out. Sit down. Close door. […]
The Power of Three
Three deaths. Three funerals. Three weeks. A trinity of holy. 35 years old. Husband. Father of three. Killed in a car crash. 62 years old. Friend. Sister of one of my best friends. Heart attack. 88 years old. Ministry partner for years. So how can such suffering, so close together, be holy? All are grieving, […]
Empty? Full? Which Do You Want?
The build up to Easter is over. His death. His resurrection. His leaving the tomb. The empty tomb. The reason for rejoicing. And yet, we still deal with empty. Don’t we? We’re constantly running around trying to fill ourselves up. Aren’t we? Power. Acceptance. Comfort. Control. We all know EMPTY, don’t we? Alive […]
Terrier Terror and What We Have In Common With Dogs
Instinct. That’s what it is—the reason why our little terrier pup scared me by running off into the wild blue yonder after that rabbit. Downright ignored the red bell. And the shaking salami container. Why? Because Baker just had to. Because that’s what dogs do. They follow their nose. Instinct. That’s what drives us all, […]
A FAREWELL FOR JO (AND THE HOPE FOR US ALL)
My dear friend Nancy, my neighbor, lost her sister Jo Monday night. 62 years old. Vibrant wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend. Heart attack. Alive in the morning. Gone by night. There’s agony here around this farm, this Holy Week, as we march to Maundy Thursday, the day our Lord wept in a garden as he […]
Wait a Minute!
I worked out hard yesterday because soon I’ll have to shimmy into my shorts. Time to shred the winter belly I swear looks like it was inflated with a tire pump. So I started the DVD. Thought I might die, right there on the family room floor. There was this trainer on the screen, her […]