When I was in 6th or 7th grade, I realized I was getting bigger and taller than many of the other girls (and even some of the boys). I was so disappointed! I wanted to be cute and petite but was feeling big and awkward. My body was not cooperating!  But since then I’ve accepted the truth: I was meant to be tall with wide shoulders. I’ve been able to appreciate and even enjoy it, most of the time.  Just about every woman I meet wishes she could change one of her physical attributes – height, body structure, eye color or maybe hair texture. At some point, though, we need to acknowledge that God has chosen otherwise for us.  Along with accepting our physical attributes, God asks us to accept His control, reflect His purposes, and be a conduit of His love. That can be a tall order when we realize our weaknesses and selfishness. Altering these attitudes and behaviors can be much more difficult to embrace than even accepting some physical attributes we don’t like! Accept His Co...

Scene 1: It was a pleasant and fairly warm fall day when we settled into the plane and began our flight across country to our new home in Chicago. I was excited about our destination and yet, in the months ahead, I experienced times of soul starvation due to loneliness and adjusting to new conditions (people, weather, culture, jobs). Scene 2: It was a pleasant and fairly warm fall day when we squeezed into our cars and started traveling north to our new home in Oregon. I was excited about our destination and yet, in the months ahead, I experienced times of soul starvation due to similar feelings of loneliness and adjustment. Scene 3: It was a cool day in March when I woke up, ready to see the new flowers that welcome spring in Oregon, and to make that week’s connections with people and needed tasks. But there was something very wrong. The pandemic had exploded and our state was shutting down. I realized I was heading into a time of greater social isolation where I would experience som...

This is the fifth in a series highlighting the simple and the sacred. It all started with a curling iron. We were newly married, and funds were tight. I wanted to go away and Bruce agreed. We either could have a few days at a fancy place or go camping. I said I’d go camping if he could get me a curling iron that worked with no plug.  A few weeks later, he came home brandishing a propane one…and that was the start of our camping adventures.  Camping can be dirty, messy and inconvenient. Especially when our kids came along and I found myself nursing in the night, working on potty training, and bathing kids in small bins while camping in a tent. Yet it’s been a life-long, ongoing adventure. We’ve taken short trips to one place, and long trips where we stopped in many places. Our gear has evolved over the years, but we’ve never lost our love of camping. I realize that some of the things we’ve done while on camping trips could have been done at home. But just becau...

This is the fourth in a series highlighting the simple and the sacred. The “sacred” invites us to see something as special, as set apart. The sacred invites us to experience God in a way that speaks to our minds and to our hearts. Today I want to highlight Communion – a sacred act Jesus implemented.  I want to highlight this because I think we all can take this ceremony for granted. And yet, it is such a powerful reminder of what Jesus has done – and will do – for us.  Who were the first people to take communion?  On the last night of Jesus’ life, he and his friends met for the annual Passover meal. As a religious Jew, Jesus had taken the Passover Meal for years. The elements and words repeatedly spoken told the story of God’s angel of death passing over the homes of the Israelites when it came to Egypt. Every year, the Jews re-told the story of God’s promises, deliverance and redemption. The symbolism for the Jews was powerful.  But on this last ni...

Th is is the third in a series highlighting the simple and the sacred. What kind of simple activities do you enjoy? The “simple” invites us to engage in the moment –to place our attention in what is happening right now. The simple can help us lay aside the burdens of yesterday and the tasks of tomorrow.  Have you ever been fruit picking? Until I was an adult, I had little experience in picking fruit. I bought most of my fruit in our local suburban market. Since we moved to Oregon, I have had many more opportunities.  But today I want to tell you about some of my first experiences as an adult: enjoying the unexpected pleasures of fruit picking while traveling.  Several years ago, our family was on the way to a camping spot in Fruta, Utah, and saw a sign for picking peaches. At the entrance it said you only would be charged for the fruit you took out of the farm…not the fruit you ate on the tree. With big smiles, our three kids quickly climbed the ladders i...

This is the second in a series highlighting the simple and the sacred. The “simple” invites us to relax and enjoy a variety of pleasant experiences – without analyzing or even evaluating.  The “sacred” invites us to see something as special, set apart, not for common use. This definition could apply to a number of things, including taking communion, participating in a Sunday morning worship service, or even offering prayers that Christians have shared through the centuries.  Today I want to highlight sacred music, because “music is the prayer the heart sings”. The point of sacred music is to experience God in a way that speaks to both our minds and our hearts. Such music can be experienced in any number of places, in any number of ways, with any number of voices or instruments. · In a candlelit sanctuary in England, in a very formal service, I listened to a choir of children’s voices.  · In a camp tent at a college retreat, a staff leader ...

This is the first in a series highlighting the simple and the sacred. I think there is a place for both the simple and the sacred in our lives.  The challenge is that we can forget to take time to experience the simple pleasures of life or feel we should have grown beyond them. A simple pleasure or task is something that is easy to understand – no demanding thinking or figuring on this one.  The other challenge is that we can become rooted in how we believe connecting to God should look. This can preclude learning and growing in our relationship with him. The word and concept of sacred, simply means that something is connected to God or dedicated to a spiritual purpose.  So for the next set of blogs, I will highlight either a simple pleasure or a sacred practice. I hope these will be an encouragement to you, and help you experience God in some vibrant and delightful ways.  Today’s blog highlights the simple pleasures.  We've forgotten ...