One fall day a few months ago, while sitting outside, I felt a cool faint breeze brush across my face. It was portending the winter to come. It was gentle and comforting. In that brief moment, I felt something else. I suspect it was God’s presence. I was stunned into stillness to ponder my rest in Him….to slow down my hurried life and just be with Him. I pray you and I both have more and more of those moments. …
Category: Renewal
I recently went to a silent retreat for a weekend. Once there, I noticed it was taking quite some time for my body and soul to unwind and slow down. Both finally matched the restful, tranquil and sacred place where I was. Why did it take so long for my body and soul to wind down? Like a car at 160 miles an hour, it took time to literally slow down my thoughts, the pace of my walking and my …
I knew one day during this cancer journey, that at some point, I’d likely be curled up in a ball of pain. It happened a few weeks ago after a shot of Neupogen, a medicine to spur my white blood cell count. It brought about excruciating pain in my joints and bones. In the middle of that pain, I realized I have a choice. Stay inward, focused on the pain and my needs – or direct my eyes to the …
We went to Hilton Head recently and I got to do something quite special. I sat alone in a beach chair in the water as the tide went out. For 30 minutes my mind and soul were transfixed on the wonder, scale and epic nature of the ocean. For me, the vastness of the ocean is a powerful metaphor of the immense nature of God and the expanse of His everlasting love toward us. Even the waves lapping on the …
I am finding that I tend to be ok with the big challenges of life, but that I often hold onto the small day-to-day challenges – little pains, dealing with the healthcare bureaucracy, being tired, etc. I keep these things to myself and don’t give them to God as I want to. I need to pray about why this is so. I know Matthew 10:28 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall …
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 My daughter and I went to Texas recently to visit my sweet sister who is valiantly and gracefully dealing with cancer. Because her immune system is weak, the doctor suggested she and her husband move to a more secluded place away from the college campus of Baylor. So, they are now living with dear, sweet, loving friends they have known since the mid-1980s. …
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 I have often wondered why more people don’t do all sort of really bad things to get what they want. Why isn’t the crime rate much, much higher? There are certainly people down on their luck who could justify any numbers of crimes to get what they …
Despite our past failings and mistakes we can still experience beauty, goodness and joy. About 10 years ago, we planted new trees and shrubs in our backyard. As a centerpiece we planted this Japanese maple where we could see it outside our patio windows. We knew its color would be awesome, not to mention its beautiful shape. When the tree was still small I noticed it leaned to the right. I tried to correct it by pulling it …
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:1-7 I would bet you have musical favorites that stir your soul….songs that you instantly tap your foot to or that you (want to) sing at the top of your voice….sounds that send your heart …