Welcome to My Blog
My Favorite Description of God
Adam Clarke wrote,[God is]"the eternal, independent, and self-existent Being;the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence;he who is absolute in dominion;the most pure, the most simple, the most spiritual of all...
Martha Heard Half the Message
"Martha, Martha!" Jacob yelled as he ran up to her out of breath.Martha looked up, first with expectation and then confusion. "Where is He? Where is Jesus? Didn't He come with you?""I gave Him your message that Lazarus is sick and I thought he would follow me when I...
The Micro-Manager Rises Again!
Larry and I were in Seattle to take care of three-year-old Raphael (grandson) while daughter and son-in-law looked for a house to buy. Because of my back problem, I couldn't lift Raffi so Larry and I were a team in caring for the little guy. And boy, was I shocked to...
Back to “Hope:” What Waiting Reveals about Us
It's been awhile since I wrote about hope but here's another post on the theme of hope. The last time we focused on it, we read the last reference to "hope" that was found in the book of Job. Now we'll be starting to work our way through the Psalms. And there are a...
“I Tried That” –NOT!
As I talk to women at parenting seminars or at women retreats, when I suggest something like a discipline technique to train their child or a "make marriage better" idea, I frequently hear, "I tried that, it doesn't work." When we try something to make things better,...
Easy Evangelism Tool–Follow Up!
I returned two days ago from being gone 10 days on a speaking and visiting family trip. While I was gone, my mother, brother Chuck and I stopped at a fast food restaurant to get some drinks on our way to lunch. I sensed the Lord prompting me to ask the gal at the...
What Does Sanctification Look Like?
Our three-year-old grandson, Raphael, left today and took his mother with him. It was a great visit of five days enjoying their company, along with Darcy's best friend, Janene, and her three-year-old daughter Chloe. It was a wonderful, noisy, fun few days.What's fun...
Formerly “The Born-Blind One”
I love this guy!In John 9, Jesus heals a blind man. The formerly Born-Blind One is instantly put into a religious controversy and he handles it with aplomb and diplomacy. Just imagine, because of his blindness, he's most likely been on the fringes. Verse 8 says,...
Mary Said “Whatever…” at a Wedding and Presto! There Was Wine!
I paused to think about how Mary viewed her Son, Jesus, as I read about the wedding in Cana in John 2. Mary learns that the wine has run out and says to Jesus, "They have no wine." Even though Jesus gently reminds her His ministry hasn't started yet, Mary commands the...
A New Thought about Blessing Others
My friend, Joanie Rich, recently gave me a definition of "to bless:" "to bless is to ask God to interfere, to take action in one's life, to bring them to the desired relationship with Himself so that they are fully blessed and fully satisfied" (author unknown)....
Be Like Ducklings
The lake at our golf course is home to several ducks. A few weeks ago, the momma duck showed up with 14 ducklings. We'd never seen that big of a brood. We've been fascinated to see the obedience of those ducklings. They are responsive to every little squeak of their...
Easy Evangelism Tool
Two doors away from us is a house rented out to others, and over the last couple of weeks, we'd talked a few times to the family who are currently the renters. We invited them over last night for dessert and had a great time. They are returning home to Canada...
When It’s Ripe…
Larry called out to me, "This cantaloupe isn't any good." He sat leaning over a partially eaten half-of-a cantaloupe. "It's so hard."I went over to the other half sitting on the kitchen counter and touched it. It was as hard as a rock. "Well, no wonder you think it...
Review of “Living with Less So Your Family Has More”
I was eager to read Living with Less so Your Family Has More by Jill Savage and Mark Savage because I knew I could use some inspiration in an area of simplicity and frugality that God has been nudging me to consider. Jill and her husband, Mark, did not disappoint. And...
Our 40th Wedding Anniversary–What I’ve Learned
Tonight at 7:15pm, Larry and I will be officially married for 40 years. June 20, 1970, the most romantic night of the century, I walked down the aisle of a little church in Downey, California, and was thrilled that my Prince Charming, Larry, waited at the altar for...
No Need to Cook for a Cruise
Next month, Larry and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary and I'm very excited that we'll be celebrating on a Hawaiian Islands cruise. So I'm getting things ready so that I can really relax. I've already started cooking our meals and freezing them. That way...
Off With Your Head, You People Pleaser!
In 2 Samuel 1, I read about an Amalekite who brought Saul's crown to David, claiming that he had assisted in killing Saul--at Saul's command. David had the man killed."Wow!" I thought. That's a pretty stiff penalty for doing what Saul asked him to do. Then I did some...
The Bible Isn’t A List of Bullet Points
Lately I've had more and more of a sense that the Bible is not a list of bullet points. A bullet point format seems to allow me to focus on one point and not see the total picture. I'm trying to see more and more the connection between verses and paragraphs and...