“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining, the waves were breaking, and my friends and I were enjoying the teen scene at the beach. It was a day like many before; we were just hanging out and having fun.  All of a sudden, several of us noticed that Sharon had drifted away from us and now was waving urgently to get our attention. She didn’t seem in danger; just distress. A couple of us swam over to her and discovered that she had lost the elastic in her bathing suit bottom…and the waves then had swept it away! All of sudden she found herself unprepared to join in our party.  What do you do when you’re half-naked in the waves? And why did Sharon go into the water (as she later admitted) with a loose suit to begin with?  I see her unfortunate experience as a great metaphor for life. Poorly pr...

A few days ago, my daughter gave birth to her daughter.  I am sitting and holding this little bundle of life, with an overwhelming sense of the treasure she is: a little person whose life outside the womb has just begun.  I believe life begins at conception, so little Miranda Renae started life even before her mother and father knew about her. A tiny heart was pulsating and pumping blood. Backbone and spinal cord were forming. The digestive system was being created and small buds appeared which would become arms and legs. Between those beginning moments and this moment nine months later, Miranda has grown into a fully-formed – and small! – person.  Her entrance into the world now gives her new freedom of movement and growth in every aspect of what life holds: spiritually, mentally and physically. How amazing!  In this new life, it will take time for her to unfold, as it were. For a while, she’s going to spend lots of time sleeping and eating. Her little b...

Only $35.00. Just $35.00 to take this class on “lotion and salve making”. I would love it! It would be fun, I would leave with a new skill, along with a batch of recipes and ideas to custom-make my own stuff!  Just $35.00 and only three class sessions. I’ve wanted to learn this skill  for quite a while. I’ve visited numerous booths at fairs with people who create their own lotions and creams and soaps, and I’ve been wanting to figure out how to use lavender…one of my favorite scents. I’ve cut lavender, I’m growing lavender plants, I’m drying lavender, one of my favorite teas is Lavender Earl Grey, and I enjoy a good lavender scone or cookie. And here I am with lavender hanging in our barn, and lavender essence of oil waiting in my cupboard. I could learn to make lavender lotion!  So why not sign up? Why not spend the $35? The issue really isn’t all about spending the money, but the more significant issue of spending time and energy. For attend...

With the passing of Labor Day, we enter into a time of transition. The seasonal shift from summer to fall begins to take place.  It’s often the little things that catch my attention. In our flower garden some bushes have come and gone, in our vegetable garden less produce is being picked, and apples are beginning to fall from the trees.  If somehow I miss these obvious signs, school starts for the kids of our community this week. Change is in the works!  This time of transition has caused me to reflect on the upcoming season. Fall seems to be a particularly full time of year for many people. School, many sports and other activities gear up when the calendar turns to September. The fall also includes special Harvest or Halloween activities, Thanksgiving, and then quickly heads into the Christmas season.  So I wonder, what does my heart feel as it faces this unfolding season? I can feel a sense of adrenaline rush: so much to do; so little time. I can fee...

Last week I read Luke 22 and was struck by a phrase Jesus’ uses twice: “Pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Verses 40 & 46).  It’s the last night of Jesus’ life. He has gone to pray at the Mount of Olives, in order to prepare himself for the ordeal that lies ahead. In his humanity, he is tempted to turn away from the will of the Father and avoid the pain and shame of crucifixion. Yet as a faithful son, he does not want to choose that path.  He knows that prayer – and prayer alone – will sustain him. Only prayer will give him the strength of mind and heart to avoid temptation and hold firmly onto his trust in the Father.  Jesus knows that his closest friends also will be tempted. As they watch him be arrested, tried, and crucified, they will face the torment of fear and doubt.  “Will the authorities come after us next?” “Could we have been wrong about Jesus? Is he really the Messiah?” Such fears and doubts are real. Jesus knows t...

Our new barn is being built as I write. It’s a huge project, with numerous steps and massive amounts of labor and materials, and it’s exciting to see it go up day by day.  Like many visions, it’s been an unfolding story; one that started several years ago. Soon after we bought our historic farmhouse, on an acre of land, we started to talk about re-building our present barn. It’s old, the roof leaks, the walls have weeds growing through, and some of the siding is missing.  Sadly, we realized the old barn was beyond repair, so the conversation moved to building a new one. And when our son relocated here, our idea…our dream…our vision…became a reality. Months of planning, discussion and design-creation ensued.  As materials arrived and excavation began, my anticipation began to build. In June the cement footings were poured, and a month ago we started to frame the building. Week by week, I’ve seen the pieces move into place with the labor of my son, my husband, an...

I’ve often wondered how to understand the phrase “Taste and see that the Lord is good” that David penned in Psalm 34:8. I can’t even see the Lord, much less actually “taste” him.  But today God provided a lesson to help me gain clearer understanding of what that phrase might mean.  Leaning on the edge of our front porch is a big flowering bush with pink blossoms. In this season, it is in bloom and some flowering plants – like this one – produce sweet nectar that attracts bees. As we know, the fuzzy bodies of the bees actually move the sticky pollen from flower to flower and help the plant produce fruit.  If I’m quiet, I can hear the buzzing of their wings as they flit around, then then stop to gather pollen. But before the bees land on the pollen-laden flowers, they have to see where to find it. They don’t fly to our succulent plants, nor to our cedar tree. They look for and find the flowers they can pollenate, attracted by the sweetness of the nectar. It is...