Monthly Archives: June 2013

Come to the Well {A Journey of Rest}

Peace of Mind

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

This is my favorite promise, and yet I don’t seize it daily. I’m not sure why it is so hard to master. Why my feet get stuck in the quicksand of fear or regret.

He bids us come–no restrictions–and promises rest, knowledge, a lightened load. Yet I have days where I hide in the bushes like my ancestor Eve.

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Let It Spill

I knew the message would be congenial and kind, encouraging even.

I knew it was coming, as she had requested my email address.

And yet, the flurries in my stomach were mixed: part jitters, part curiosity…

What did she have to tell me, this teen minister from my youth?

I clicked on her name in my inbox.

I want you to know I love you. And I am on your side. ALWAYS.

They were simple words. Profound words.

And they were simply profound.

Each sentence preceding these concluding words in the email surrounded my tender heart with unconditional love and a growing awe that here, before my eyes, were the very sentiments I’d longed to hear.

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Less Striving, More Abiding

striving

The message I am getting every which way I turn these days is that God is the One in charge. That it’s seriously not all about me. 

See, we all come pre-programmed to be independent, to seek affirmation, to do something great, to be right, to succeed, to somehow take this flesh-wrapped humanness and make something amazing out of it that will be applauded and made an example to others. We have dreams for what we can achieve, hopes for our future, plans for how we are going to take this one life and live it to the fullest.

I am.

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For the Times When You Feel Like You’ve Really Blown It

lake pic

We were sitting in the car driving back from a lovely summer afternoon at the lake. I gazed out the car window at the rolling hills, lush evergreens, and aqua skies that where sprinkled with fluffy white clouds. My heart pounded and I opened my mouth in a confession, looking out of the corner of my eye at my husband who was driving, “So… I lost it with the kids this morning. Again. And it was all over a lost library book. It’s not how I wanted the morning to go.”

My eyes looked down at my sandy tanned toes as my heart felt like a ton of bricks filled with a bit of shame and a lot of regret.

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He Is Sufficient

He is Sufficient

My mama heart jumped as my four year old took a hard fall to her noggin, leaving a fast swelling goose egg.

After applying ice and checking her baby blues for proper dilation, I had her walk across the floor patting her crazy curls while simultaneously rubbing circles on her tummy. She giggled and passed with flying colors.

I knew she was fine, but that evening as I tucked her in for bed I fought a fierce spiritual attack from the enemy.

Oh yes. The devil knows how to get to me. He knows my deepest fears.

Irrational visions of my daughter being diagnosed with cancer, or having sudden internal bleeding in the brain from a bump to the head, were worst-case scenario lies he used to shake my faith.

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All I Need To Know About Life I Learned From Dessert

“Life is dessert- too brief to hurry” ~Ann Voskamp

I like dessert. I mean, who doesn’t right? Dessert is the the delightful ending of a meal which beckons each of us to enjoy something that is usually good. Don’t we all long for something good? Don’t we all desire a happy ending? Something within us yearns for the satisfyingly sweet which says, “All’s well that ends well”. As I considered this simple thought recently I came to a few conclusions about life and dessert.

I chose three slices, I mean lessons, for us to enjoy together. Shall we dig in?

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Rain, Rest and a Covering…

It’s one of those days when the sky is grey and heavy. It holds so much, and you know it will take all day to empty out. There’s the steady rhythm of raindrops falling on the skylight and it keeps time with the blackberry branches tapping against the fence. A symphony of  Spring.

011a

It’s a rain-filled day, and I’m content. Unlike the months before this, I’m not anxious or worried. I don’t slip down in the dark of night to check the kitchen counters for dripping, or hold my breath when a storm arrives with unexpected fury.

Because they came.

The roofers.

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Live, Laugh, Love . . . Everyday!

Live Laugh Love

Live well, laugh often, love much . . . three short phrases from the poem Success, by Bessie Anderson Stanley written in 1904.

Live . . . well!

Do something you love. Do what you love with someone you enjoy. Do everything to the best of your ability.

Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light. Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true. Ephesians 5:8-9

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can.

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