Who Turned Out the Lights?

As the hum of the fans diminishes from the sudden power outage, the volume of the Mosque call-to-prayer over the loud speaker escalates. In this moment I know, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Power failure happens regularly in Kenya. We scurried around looking for the “on” switch to the back-up generator to restore temporary power to the necessities of life.

I do the same thing. Some major power source in my life fails and I seek to turn on a temporary/alternate source until the main line can be restored.

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Truth, This Generation’s 4 Letter Word: What Happens When We Ignore It

It happened last summer: I’d had it with the carpet. My son spilled a berry smoothie on it for the last time. Yes, it coordinated well with the beige paint I spilled on it a few months ago, but still, the carpet had to go and NOW. Maybe I was feeling a little too ambitious, but by the end of the day I was proud of the rolled up nasty, dirty carpet and linoleum strips that lined my driveway awaiting the dumpster.

The only thing that bothered me and my family now was the continual white bottomed feet and fine dusty floors that could never be swept enough. No, I didn’t have a plan when I ripped up all the flooring from the kitchen to the living room. I was hoping inspiration would come soon – I’d take it any minute…

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What Now?

Change

It’s what I receive back at the checkout stand.

It’s what happens between 12 and 18 years of age.

It’s how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

Change

It jingles in my pocket.

It’s also what must happen in my heart to follow Jesus.

It must happen sooner or later-

Change

I feel it in the breeze that blows on my face.

I hear it in the voices that echo in my home.

I see it happening, like leaves changing color in the fall.

The wind changes direction and ushers in a new season

Do the trees willingly embrace their bare branches? Does it hurt to bud new leaves?

The colors of fall are breathtaking. Yet, the temperatures of winter are harsh.

Change can bring exciting, new ideas. Yet my heart beats in fear.

Change leaves me feeling uprooted, like a transplanted rose bush. Caught up in the nailed marked hands of my Gardner, I go only where He places me.

He gently surrounds me with Songs of Deliverance as He prepares the ground.

Two sparrows are sold for a penny, the Word says. And the strands of hair on my head, numbered.

I am worth more than many sparrows. My life is in His hands.

Change

O Lord, soften up my soil. Prepare the branches for your pruning and plant me where I will produce fruit for you.

Massage the soil of my heart that my roots do not break off in my attempt to hold on to where I am. I want to go where you want me.

Make me more fruitful Father. Harden me with your gentle love to endure the wind, rain, heat and cold of this life.

Replant me by your streams of water that I may always bear fruit.

Thanks Flickr for the photo.

What Happened When God Trumped My Plans

“You need to be OK with not knowing what comes next,” my husband said eye to eye with our oldest son.

Caleb loves a plan. He loves executing a good plan even more.

“And after that, we can do ____, and then come back and go _____”

There’s always ONE more thing to tie a bow to his well packaged plan.

I am no different. It’s funny how the things that bother me most about my children really mirror what bothers me about myself, if I’m honest.

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What I Learned Through My Parent’s Divorce

Last Friday I wrote a post called What Happens When We Meet in the Middle.

I like it. But I started thinking about all the marriages around me that are either entering divorce court or their divorce is already official. When you’re in that position, how do you swallow words about meeting in the middle? What happens when meeting in the middle hasn’t worked?

And you’ve tried…again and again.

It’s like the couple desperate for the pregnancy test to say positive, but hears their best friend has the news instead. It hurts. Doesn’t mean you’re not happy for them. Doesn’t mean their joy isn’t justified. Just doesn’t help you and your desperate situation.

So, to those individuals, this one’s for you.

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What Happens When We Meet in the Middle

Marriage is hard. Not something that just comes together like a fairy tale. Two people meet, fall in love and live happily ever after.  It just doesn’t happen like that in real life.

I’ve made many mistakes over the years. God had distributed much grace over those mistakes and allowed Adam and I to still hold hands before Him today. One thing I’ve learned is to take the advice of an old country song I used to hear in High School about two kids too young to drive so they’d set out on foot and meet at a central pine tree…

“I’d start walking your way, and you’d start walking mine. And we’d meet in the middle ‘neath that old Georgia pine. We’d gain a lot of ground cause we’d both give a little. And there ain’t no road to long, when we meet in the middle.” (Meet in the Middle by Diamond Rio)

Never thought I’d say this about a country song, but how true those fiddle playing words are!

Meeting in the middle is essential and a critical maneuver in marriage. Yet, it’s one of those things that oftentimes, I don’t feel like doing. I don’t want to meet in the middle, I want my husband to come to me.

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When My Day Didn’t Go As Planned

T-50 hours to Kenya!

This trip is getting off to a great start. I’m being sarcastic if you couldn’t tell.

My husband wasn’t planning to go into the office much at all this week to give him and the people there the ability to change gears and start packing up the piles of bug spray, Dramamine, snacks, and clothes accumulated through-out the house.

That was before the office manager came down with pneumonia. So not only has he been at work ALL week, he’s been there early and stayed later than usual to work on payroll, schedule tax payments, anything to buy our Team Member time to recover.

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What Stays Still, Yet Holds Great Power?

I have figured out why I love words –

They don’t move.

The rest of my life doesn’t like to stay where I put it down last. Put the clean dishes away in the cabinet…only to get them out again for dinner. Vacuum up all the dog hair…only to see it pile up again or blow away as you try to sweep it up! Wash, fold, put away the clothes…only to, yes, wash, fold and put them away again.

My kids. I’ve tried to make a deal with each of them to stop them from growing up so fast. I told my daughter I wouldn’t allow her to turn 4, just wouldn’t allow it. Then, when she didn’t listen to me and was on the heels of turning 8 I told her this, “Ok, so, how about you don’t turn 8 and I’ll forgive you for turning 4, 5, 6, and 7?” Again, she laughingly declined and actually turned 9 this year! Not what I call being still!

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What Happens When We Blur the Lines: My Response the Bruce Jenner Saga

Everyone else has written about this topic, so I might as well join them.

I keep reading about how we who call ourselves Christians just need to love this man more. That we have no right to call what he’s done right or wrong. I keep reading that somehow by me not agreeing with his lifestyle choice, I’m judging him. We just need to love more. Love, love, love. It’ll solve everything.

I disagree.

Yes, we must love. It’s by our love that people will see Jesus.  But in this case, I see the issue being more about truth than love.

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How Does God Confirm His Will To Us?

Finding God’s Will can often seem like staring at two jigsaw puzzles with the pieces all mixed together. Which piece goes to which puzzle? And what image are we piecing together?

I’m not a famous artist but I remember how my mom ( who is a famous artist ) taught me how to draw a tree. It’s a series of Y’s. I drew this in my journal one day as I thought about the different choices I’ve made all trying to be in God’s Will.

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