Category Archives: Realizations & Ponderings

Self-explanatory

TGYWTT

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This morning I realized that I forgot Thankful Thursday again!  So instead of TGIF, today I say TGYWTT:  Thank God Yesterday Was Thankful Thursday.

This time I want to thank God for the things I usually think of as negative or unwanted in my life.  I know He uses everything to help us grow, to strengthen us, to keep us humble, to help us remain desperate for Him.  Thanking God even for the awful things you encounter is a way of saying “I trust You, God, and still believe that you’re good.  I believe what you said about causing all things to work together for good.” (Romans 8:28)  Like the Psalmist said in chapter 118, “Thank God because he’s good, because his love never quits.” (The Msg)  I thank God because He’s good and that never changes….so I can always be thankful.

As a follower of Jesus I say that I’m content whatever comes my way because my life belongs to Him and I trust Him.  Can I take it a step further and actually be thankful for the hard stuff that comes my way?  Sometimes I can.  I try to.  I guess that’s what the song means that says “we bring a sacrifice of praise.”  Being thankful can actually feel like sacrifice.   We may not feel thankful but we choose to be.  So here goes… Continue reading →

Pencil marks on a wall

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For a long time there were gray lines on our brightly colored, floral kitchen wallpaper.  My brother, sister and I were always eager to compare the measurements dad had made the year before and see that we had grown. Sometimes we couldn’t wait a year and asked him to check us more often, hoping to see a change.  We’d check to make sure everyone had their heels on the floor and stretched our necks up as straight and high as we could.  Just having that little pencil-line proof gave us a little boost of confidence and made us smile proudly.  Of course, inside we hoped to end up taller than the other two siblings. Continue reading →

Really, I’m fine

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It was not how I had planned the day would turn out, not in my weirdest dreams.  The girls and I made a spontaneous decision to go to Six Flags because we had a family pass and we could.  It was still summer and since John was working we headed out the door, just the four of us.  Of course, every good amusement park aficionado knows you should visit the bathroom before starting your adventure around the park so that’s what we did.  First thing through the gate we visited the nearest ladies’ room.  We were pumped.  Roller coasters and log rides, here we come!   If I remember correctly, Kimmi was 10, Kaitlin 8 and Krissy 6.  As I walked into the bathroom stall I closed the door by holding onto the top of the door and pulling it closed without noticing that there was a bar across the top of the doorway.  I smashed one of my fingers.  It hurt!  Wow, did it hurt.  I sat down and thought to myself, “I’ll be fine.  The pain will pass.  This is no big deal.”  I shook my hands, rubbed the sore finger, and then started getting light-headed.  Continue reading →

‘Tis Thankful Thursday

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I forgot about thankful Thursday last week  ~gasp~ so I want to post before I forget again.

Thursday makes me think of being really close to the weekend

Which makes me think of free time and a lil’ bit of sleeping in

Which makes me think of pillows

Which makes me glad someone invented pillows

Which makes me impressed by people who invent things

Which makes me think of our brains

Which makes me ponder a moment in awe of God’s ingenuity

Which makes me want to try and think harder and use more of my brain’s potential

Which makes me laugh a little

Which makes me feel good, laughing that is

Which makes me glad God thought up laughing, what a great idea!

Which makes me want to show you this:

I lift up my hands

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I lift up my hands in prayer – presenting myself wide open and vulnerable before You, God.  I trust You.

I lift my hands in awe and amazement and then spread them far out in front of me as I kneel down with my head to the ground.  You are holy.  The palms of my hands press against the cool earth, a reminder of where I came from, that I’m really dust.  How is it that you care about me, God?   Continue reading →

Love is the Reversal

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Yeah, nothing here’s as good as it should be, ’cause this is the rehearsal.  In between the “was” and the “could be,” love is the reversal.  – Starfield, Beauty in the Broken ©2006

Sometimes I picture this path at twilight, with a chill in the air.  I’m walking with my hands in my pockets, the collar of my coat turned up around my neck, being drawn by the warmth I see way off in the distance:  tiny golden squares of light which are the windows of home.  The lights stay on no matter what time of day it is, I just see them more clearly when it’s dark out.  I don’t know exactly when I’ll get there but I keep walking.  There are lots of people walking the opposite direction.  They seem to be oblivious that home is far off in the other direction.  Or maybe they don’t realize this isn’t their real home, this dusty path on earth.   My Papa’s love compels me to reach out, grab their sleeve and try to convince them to turn around and come with me.  “This life is good in many ways, sure, but it’s nothing like it could be and will be if we follow Christ!  Come this way.” or “I know this life really sucks sometimes, hurts and leaves us broken.  Come this way with me and find healing, hope and love.”

Ever feel like an outsider in your own life?  Continue reading →

Know your enemy

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Someone I dearly love has been wrestling with lies from the enemy and shared more openly with me tonight about it.  As I listened I got mad, furious that he would torment her and give her such ideas, ideas to harm herself.  I reminded her that he doesn’t care about her and she doesn’t have to listen.  She said she needs a miracle.  The beautiful thing is that we serve a God who does miracles all the time.  Read this and be encouraged:

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(I posted this on my old blog a few years ago – I want to post it again)

Our spiritual enemy wants the opposite of what God wants for each of us. He will use lots of different tactics to try to drag us away and turn from God.

In order to defend yourself or even have a chance at defeating an enemy, you must know about the enemy. Here are a few things you need to remember about our spiritual enemy, the devil: Continue reading →

Connecting

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I’m in the middle of my week-long social media fast and so far, so good.  I do miss it, miss that community I feel a part of.  I realize that it’s a habit for me to tweet a lot because whenever things happen or I have a thought I want to share with someone I reach for my phone thinking, “I should tweet that!” and then I remember that I’m not using twitter right now.  I also feel like I don’t know as much of what’s going on in my friends’ and family’s life because I often see on facebook where people are going, what they’re dealing with, and how they feel.  In fact, a day or so ago my sister sent me an email (something I’m still using) and said, “Hey!  What’s going on? John just put on twitter that 3 churches are interested in him?  I need details!”  And I replied, “So do I!  I don’t know what you’re talking about!”  Continue reading →

Oh, to be like Gumby

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My freshman year roommate was sweet as can be but decided after living with me for a year that she wanted to switch to someone else.  One of the reasons that surfaced was that I moved the furniture of our room around all the time.  She would come back to the room at night and the stuff would be in a different place.  I’m guessing that wasn’t fun in her opinion. Especially if she walked in without turning on the lights.  Of course, she never told me while I was doing it so I just kept up my quirky habit in ignorant bliss.  Now that I think about it, I probably wouldn’t have been so hip on that either if I was her.  She did have bruises on her knees quite a bit.

I love to move furniture.  It feels like a fresh start or redecorating without having to do a big project or spend money.

I changed my major three times.

We have changed addresses at least 8 times since we got married. Continue reading →

It’s going to be good

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I don’t know what’s ahead tomorrow; don’t even know what’s ahead in a few hours or two minutes from now.  But it’s going to be good.

It may be something different from what I plan.  It may hurt.  It may make me laugh.  I might be overjoyed or concerned, scared, relieved, bewildered or surprised but I belong to a good God so it’s going to be good.  Good doesn’t necessarily mean “happy” or comfortable or even pleasant.  There’s a deeper good that God knows and wants to give.

My God who keeps His promises.  My God who loves and loves and loves.  We can’t out-give Him.  He is good.

Sadly, the hard stuff of life can sometimes cause me to see God as indifferent, angry, or unkind.  What if instead I saw Him as He is:  a wholly devoted, attentive, compassionate Dad who can relate to how I feel in every moment.

Have you ever bought a gift for someone and you know it’s exactly what they want and waiting until it’s time to give it to them is almost unbearable?  You just can’t wait to give it to them because you know how happy they will be and you want to make them happy because you love them.  God probably has to restrain Himself from bowling us over with revelations, blessings, and knowledge of outcomes because it’s for our good, because it’s not time yet or we’re not ready to receive what He has for us yet.  I think He can hardly wait to help us and show us all that He has planned.  I imagine it’s especially hard for Him when He has to remain silent, watching while we cry out, all so that we will search more, grow more, and become stronger.

Sometimes when talking with friends about things I don’t understand we say that when we get to heaven we can ask God about it.  Maybe then He’ll finally show me what it was all about or why certain things happened.

You know what?  I don’t think I will care at that point!  When I see Him face to face – the One who somehow shrunk His vastness down into the tiny, frail body of a human baby and grew up among the limited, common folks He Himself made out of dust, and then actually gave his life up for all of us because of unrelenting love – I think all I will be able to say is “thank you.”

All the stuff that happened here will be wiped from my memory and won’t matter anymore.  All that will matter is that it drove me to Jesus and helped me get home.

It’s going to be so good.

“…open your eyes and see—how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.”  Psalm 34:8  The Message

“You bless all of those who trust you, LORD.”  Psalm 40:4  CEV