As a life coach going through the certification process, I learned about the power of open-ended questions. If we ask the right questions, people will often figure out the source of the problem. They may even come up with the best solution all by themselves. In the past with various religious experiences, we were told …
Someone recently asked me, “What do you do to find rest?” My oxymoron reply, “I have to intentionally work to find rest.” Except for the times when life throws me in bed with an illness or unresolved grief, I have to plan for rest. My strong work ethic was forged on the family farm where …
Words pour out of me—a torrent of expression and emotion. Stories, articles, journal rantings, blog posts. Revisions three or four times, then a sending of the results to editors, publishers, agents. This writing is how I process grief. How I find my way through the valley and back to life. Future joy is hidden within …
As my son deposited his first check from a ‘real’ job, I encouraged him to give some away. “Even if you think you don’t have enough to spare, give anyway. You’ll discover God’s math is different from our math. He can make money multiply out of nothing.” Through the years, I have underscored this principle …
My deck umbrella waves in the slight April wind as I ponder in its shade. God has granted a beautiful spring morning. A time for reflection. So beautiful outside yet not so lovely within. Every stinkin’ day for several weeks, some type of something has gone wrong. It seems as if my life is shadowed …
While typing and printing off documents, my printer suddenly decided to morph into la-la land. Electronic devices are wonderful — until they don’t work. Then we’re stuck. Frustrated, I tried several times to print the last document, not realizing what was happening on the other end of electronic cyberspace. After rebooting, unplugging, and still not …
Since God is timeless, it is always a sweet surprise when I discover him working — right on time. A year ago, I bought a lovely journal to add to my stash. Never enough journals for a writer, you know. This particular journal caught my eye because the cover was a quiet country scene with …
“The days are long but the years are short.” According to Google — that great know-it-all in cyberspace, Gretchen Rubin is the author of the above quote. It perfectly describes how it feels to jump into a new year. I wonder if Rubin is a harried mom who feels as if she is working a …
In different seasons of life, our spirituality fluctuates. No right or wrong involved. Just the normal ebb and flow that reminds us we are mortal. We may feel condemned as those old legalistic tapes scream, “Where is your joy?” But the truth is that feelings do not determine what or how we believe. Sometimes when …
In those foggy moments before the alarm rings and consciousness reminds me of the day ahead, I listen hard for the divine whisper. It is often in the early mornings when the meditations of my heart remind me that I am not alone. The treasure of Psalm 127:2 becomes reality, “God gives to his beloved …