Time to Weed
Someone once gave me a definition of sin—trying to fill legitimate needs in illegitimate ways. As I ponder this definition, I can’t help but wonder how often we separate the definition of sin from the consequence of sin. I also wonder how often we think of sin’s consequences only in terms of how it affects […]
Focus on Joy
Is joy so hard, really? Is it possible have peace and joy in the moment, like floating still in the eye of a hurricane where threatening wind and waves surround? Yeah, it’s possible. Maybe not easy. But possible. Barring some major chemical imbalance where body overrides will, peace and joy can be cultivated right where […]
Open and Close
Some of us had a heel-kicking good time yesterday. And some of us didn’t. Spring grasses have greened and some creatures can’t wait to munch. But spring grasses are rich—too rich in sugar—to allow unlimited exposure. If you have horses, you have to take time to introduce spring pasture slowly. Too much rich grass can […]
Be Delighted!
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3-4 Trust. Do good. Delight yourself. Desire. What does it mean to trust the Lord? What does it mean to do good? What […]
New Beginnings
There’s something so special about new beginnings. Hope. We all need hope for start-overs, fresh slates, first times. With hope, all things are possible. Without hope, the spirit withers and dies. God reminds us to hold onto hope with seasons and life markers. In Wisconsin, where winters are long and skies stay gray, we […]
Pride and Humility
We climbed the mountain last week. Mt. Wrightson, at 9,453 feet, is the tallest mountain in the Santa Rita range south of Tucson, Arizona. On our last day of vacation, we decided to do a little day-hiking. And what were we thinking? Not much. We set off with two large water bottles each, a bunch […]
Prickly Pears
I remember our first trip to the desert with our kids. We warned them not to touch cactus and what did one child do? She touched a cactus and promptly got a needle stuck in her finger. Of course, we were in a public place with no instruments to extract it so we had to […]
Thirsty?
How does one become so sick—so dehydrated—when one doesn’t even feel thirsty? I found out and learned something beyond body needs in the recovery process. After several days in the desert place, enjoying the company of good friends, eating great food, and hiking at a time when cactus are blooming everywhere, I felt great. And […]
Desert Truths
When I thought of deserts, I thought of arid, horribly hot, lacking color and life. Here I am, in the desert, literally. I have been to the desert a few times in my life—desert places of desperation where tongue sticks to roof of spiritual mouth longing for a drop of refreshing. Just—one—drop to sustain one—more—day. […]
Rise Above
Heading south toward the airport, lightning bolts tear through sky fabric dark and wet. We are flying to a dry place—a desert space where we don’t need faith in the sun we can’t see. Spring in Wisconsin often gives dry thirst where we long for warmth but have none—where we long for sun, but […]
Fear Not
I knew it was bound to happen one day. Someone would discover my writing. Someone would search the Internet to find my heart—not to embrace but to criticize—to find “ammunition” to support negative theories. Perhaps this is why I have waited three decades to answer God’s call to express. Perhaps I needed this much time […]
The God of All Comfort
Juggling horrifying and heavenly—being blown this way and that by the ever-shifting winds of life–such is the raw and rugged stuff of human existence in a broken world, not yet healed. Yesterday, another terrifying and deadly bombing killed several and injured many in Boston. Closer to home, a dear friend found one of her horses […]