noticing and responding to God in our everyday life
Bedtime is approaching. We are knee-deep in lego play. I don’t fully follow the scenario we are acting. I quietly sort out people, we are on a search to assemble a Jack Sparrow like figurine. Most of the heads are yellow or peach. One brown one stands out. “Sam, who does this one go to?” […]
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Newlyweds. Our little tudor house in south Minneapolis waiting to be filled. “Let’s paint the dining room red!” It seemed to be a color of love and warmth and invitation. A promise of dinners shared just the two of us. Lively conversations with friends lingering over a shared meal. Those red walls held so much […]
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I push the overflowing grocery cart out the automatic doors. My vice, a red carton of caffeine hidden on the bottom. I pause as I admired the deep blue sky. I feel like I could fall into it. Fluffy clouds resting on treetops. The rolling hills of Western PA in all their glory. My car […]
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I love fall. For quite a while I couldn’t understand how it was not everyone else’s favorite season. I am now more open to other perspectives, but it still is the season I most anticipate. The one where my soul sighs and says yes, I’m at home. As I look forward to fall, I had […]
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“As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.“ Psalm 84:6 A couple of weeks ago I reflected on Psalm 84:5 and the Pilgrimage of our Hearts. The word pilgrimage stayed with me, stuck to me. This morning I moved on […]
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“And on that day when my strength is failing The end draws near and my time has come Still my soul will sing Your praise unending Ten thousand years and then forevermore” The words to this song echo in my mind. Burst forth in my heart. They can’t be sung loud enough. Over a thousand […]
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Today is August 28th. For eight years, August 28th has been etched in my mind as the day the phone rang. I can picture, no more than picture, I can feel my husband, mom and I in my parent’s basement. We were visiting them in Minnesota from Seattle. My dad was out playing his normal […]
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The morning quiet. My secret. My fuel. The morning quiet. My children’s safety and nourishment. My husband’s support and joy. My day’s structure and flow. The morning quiet. The Spirit’s outlet. Grounding, freeing. Redemption of tired. Of cranky. Of drained. The morning quiet. Her stillness and grace. Always making room for all of me. I […]
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I took a breath in as I explained, for at least the hundredth time, the scenario. Once again I was met with a scripted reply. I held the phone away for a moment. I wanted to shout “You aren’t listening to me, this is not a scripted reply situation!” As my eyes gazed out our […]
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I recently was reading a biography on Frances Ridley Havergal. She was born in 1836, a poet and hymn writer. Her best known hymn is most likely “Take My Life and Let It Be”. What struck me tonight was the mentioning of some of her last whispers: “I did so want to glorify Him in […]
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I pulled the shirt out of a pile, getting ready to do some yard work. I paused as I put it on. My college had separate Mothers and Fathers weekends every year. I always looked forward to them. My hands ran over the words “Wheaton College. Fathers Weekend 1988.” I remember the year that Fathers […]
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“Blessed are those whose strength is in you. Who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” Psalm 84:5 What does it mean to set our hearts on pilgrimage? It must mean something different from setting our bodies on pilgrimage. For we could live on the same cul-de-sac our entire life and be on a pilgrimage […]
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And this button if you would like to read last years:
