Undeserved Election
Why are we so bothered by the word elect, when we spend so much of our actual lives waiting to be elected? We wait to be picked for a team in grade school. We wait for an invitation to the prom. We sit through interview after interview before we get a job and feel incomplete…
He Holds My Hand
In the past five years, attending funerals has occupied more of our calendar space than attending weddings, a new chapter in our journey. My wonderings,my curiosity, my trust about heaven stirred, a good thing…
My Niche in Jeopardy
Niche - A comfortable place, or status, or position appropriate for a person. From google and the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Why was a niche so important to me? What did the niche provide for me?
In The Ring
My husband sometimes watches college wrestling on TV. He enjoys it. He understands it. He wrestled in high school and college. I rarely watch with him. I don’t understand it and I don’t enjoy it. That’s sometimes how I feel about life. It’s like a wrestling match or a fight. There are so many “hards” swirling around me. I don’t enjoy it…
Eating Humble Pie
I am so thankful for Romans 8:1 There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. You know, there are some stories that sometimes are just so embarrassing you don't even want to share them. If you do, you learn you not only minister…
Wiggle-Room
Rachel celebrated her 30th milestone last July. She connected with several of us (older, ah-hem) friends asking for a gift - our gift of words written on a card and delivered by snail mail. How old-fashioned. I loved it…
Saturated with the Sacred
On this ordinary Tuesday, as I glanced through Facebook, this phrase stopped me, saturated with the sacred. My thoughts went back to last September as my sisters and I gathered around Mom's bed. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow, our hands holding hers. We prayed, we sang, we told stories…
Be Still
Sue Tell continues to share from her blog, Echoes of Grace, and takes on some of my favorite scriptures and topics. Often as I read, I think she is living a life similar to mine. I like her thoughts on scheduling white space in our calendars to give us wiggle room, recognizing the sacred in ordinary places…
Me Too! The Ministry of Vulnerability
Yes, the social media campaign ignited the Me Too message. No, I was never sexually abused. Yes, I'm raising my hands, me too, but with a different message. I have experienced the ministry of vulnerability. As Brene Brown says, "vulnerability is at the core of meaningful human experiences"…
Ignoring Shame, Experiencing Joy
The theme of shame begins in the story of creation. Genesis 2:25 translated in the New Living Translation (NLT), "Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame." Adam and Eve, totally exposed and naked, felt no shame. Before the fall, they were completely at peace with who God created them to be…
Hurling Hurts or My Experience of Psalm 23
I wanted to hurl hurts right back! The title of the book, Hurt People, Hurt People by Dr. Sandra Wilson, defined me that afternoon. My hurt morphed to madness. I grabbed the leash of our golden retriever, Lexie…
Bill’s Depression and Me, Part 2
Bill, one of the Navigator Vice Presidents, attended a meeting of the National Leadership Team in January, his first day to return to work. That evening he and I went out to dinner with one of the senior consultants and counselors for The Navigators who…
Bill’s Depression and Me, Part 1
My marriage verse was about to take on a new meaning. We were both blind-sided…or perhaps it is more accurate to say we were so caught up in the next thing, the thing we should do, that we were unaware of our reality.
Marvelous Love
Sue Tell says that: Like you, I wear many hats. This scripture (Today’s Treasure) is my all the time, always in season hat – I am a child of God, the truth from which the rest of my life flows. One of the favorite parts of my day is the stillness of mornings.
The Gift of Community
Over the past week Christina Fox encouraged and challenged us to see and embrace the beauty of the gift of community. Today’s Treasure is one of my favorite passages because God makes a covenant with Abraham…
Maintaining our Union in Community
Have you ever been in a church where there was conflict of some kind? Perhaps a few people disagreed with something a church leader said. They shared their thoughts with others and before long, more people sided with them. Eventually, there were people on both sides of the issue, arguing and pointing fingers…
Loving One Another in Community
Last year, I found my kids these fun Star Wars Valentines. They had cute sayings like, "Join the heart side" and "You're my only hope." It's interesting how a concept…
United in Christ for Community
When my husband and I married, things changed for us. We were no longer two separate individuals but one couple. With that union, came membership into an extended family. My name changed. I learned the rhythms and ways of the Fox family…
Our Fallen Community
Whenever our family talks about taking a trip to Disney World, my husband reminds us, “A trip to Disney isn’t complete until everyone is in tears—even the grown-ups.” We laugh because it’s true. A place that’s supposed to be the happiest place on earth ends up bringing us all to tears…