Traveling Towards Home

Sometimes we are so focused on the future or a result of some work, that we fail to enjoy the present. It is with difficulty that we slow down to see the smaller moments and treasure the little things like the color of the lingering fall flowers, the smell of the earth after the rain, or the touch of a loved ones hand. Lately I've been so focused on when and where we will end up, that I've forgotten to appreciate the here and now. But in my haste to be somewhere, I've forgotten the precious gift of the present. God is able to wrap wonderful gifts up in the strangest paper sometimes. Rodger's joblessness this past 6 weeks has given us opportunity to spend time with our son and his wife. Their gracious sharing of their home has given us the time to get to know our daughter-in-law better and to be of service to them as well. The time spent eating together, running an errand, scrubbing a floor or straightening a room has been a blessing to all of us. I know that Rodg...

Perhaps you have experienced times in your life when you just wanted to give up, to throw in the towel, just call it quits. You felt that you could not go on. I have moments like that. Yesterday Rodger and I were blessed to speak with a dear friend who has been through incredible health issues. Recently both he and his wife have faced life-threatening illness. Today, he is thankful for each day, a gift from God to be thankful for. Our conversation focused on his gratitude for the little things; their jobs, their home and the once-overlooked joy of walking down the street. In pondering on our phone call, I thought on the obvious idea that God has a different view of our life. He can see the conclusion of the situation we are in. Although we cannot see it now, He has given us what we need to stand firm in our faith and face what the future brings. If we are truly His, we have the strength from God within us through his Holy Spirit. I recently read this quote by Helen Keller, ...

This morning, one of the sales blogs I follow asked this question. He went on to explain how attitude can make or break your sales. It isn't just about a good gimmick, or sales pitch. He used as illustration his delightful one year old daughter, who is happy to just 'be.' She spreads sunshine just by enjoying her little world. Just so, attitude can make or break our influence in every aspect of our life. We know that circumstances can make us unhappy, cranky, even belligerant. If we do not have a heart full of joy and gratitude, we can become selfish and demanding. I sometimes feel obligated to be angry and upset, because the world is just not a nice place. I begin to think I have a right to react negatively to it's rough and tumble treatment. But I find that is not what Christ wants from me. As His child, He asks me to supercede my selfish wants and desires. He asks me to act, not react, to the world. I don't mean that I am putting on a performance. It...

Some years ago, my dr. noticed I was very tense and suggested, "When in doubt, breathe!" I laughed and relaxed. At times of tension and stress in the years following, I have remembered those 4 simple words. Sometimes I have to consciously stop holding my breath and take the next breath. It's a simple act, but it helps to clear my foggy brain. Fresh air and fresh thoughts begin to fill my head and I can clearly see the next step. Once I can think, I am able to hear God as He directs my steps. Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps."

Sunday night following our visit with the Lonestar congregation, our youngest daughter tapped her father's shoulder. He thought she would say she was getting hungry, as it was late and we hadn't eaten supper yet. But she surprised him by saying, 'Dad, I want to be baptized.' He came to get me and I burst out crying . . . tears of joy, but also of surprise. She has always been aware of things more than many her age, but I was not expecting this. We try hard, being a minister's family, not to push our children beyond their years, and yet, it is inevitable that she would hear and think on the spiritual things. That, indeed, has been one of our goals. I said long ago that if I entered heaven and did not find my own children there, I would have failed my mission in life. As a mother, my first and foremost goal is to bring my children up to love God and honor him with their lives. I can't make that happen, of course, but I can guide, teach, admonish and ooint...

Proverbs 14:23 In all labor there is profit ,But mere talk leads only to poverty. It is awesome to find that much of conventional wisdom is based on Biblical teaching. When we kids were young and would whine about the hard work my mother gave us to do, she would always say, "Hard work never killed anyone." End of discussion, get back to work! :o) Everything at our house was done the old fashioned way; from scratch. Cakes did not come out of boxes or from the bakery. Meals were made from individual ingredients and always included jars of fruits and vegies we had put up ourselves. We appreciated what we had because we not only put those fruits and vegies up ourselves, but often picked, dug or cut them first. I have always loved asparagus, and let me tell you, cutting those things in a dusty field, at the end of an already hot summer day was no picnic! But oh, did it taste delicious when we pulled them out of the freezer the next winter. We were thankful for the good fo...

Yesterday was, in effect, a day of losses. In the middle of packing and storing our home of 2 years, Gabe called to fill us in on Jen's latest doctor visit. Just a short time later began a series of increasingly sad calls. On her way home, she had severe abdominal pain. He rushed her to the ER and they took her by ambulance to another hospital. She had an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in internal bleeding and miscarriage. She was doing well last night, but due to the blood loss, they were watching her, with the possibility of going home today if she continued to do well. Jen's physical recovery will be fast because they were able to do the surgery laparoscopically. But the emotional impact of losing their baby tugs at my heart. Miscarriage is as real and tangible as losing a child you've held in your arms. Hopes, plans, and dreams are crushed and scattered. It challenges your view on life, death and what is fair. Faith is battered. Sometimes we don't get w...