Read: Genesis 8:11 In the story of the flood, God looked at the wickedness of man and it broke his heart. To get the full picture, read Genesis 6-8. When the flood waters receded, the dove brought back an olive branch. A symbol for Noah. An olive branch is a symbol of peace. I chose …
Out of the Chaos
Inspiration for living outside of the chaos.
Read: Ephesians 4:31-32 A while back I perceived I had a falling out with a dear friend. I contemplated reaching out through a letter a few months ago, but did not do it. Every once in a while it would come back to me. I pondered it and then pushed it to the back of …
Read: Ephesians 4:3-6 Once in a while, Dave and I disagree. And as we discuss whatever the issue might be, we begin to polarize. You know, I go to the extreme end of my point of view, he goes to the extreme end of his. If we aren’t careful, some small point of contention becomes …
Read: Ephesians 4:2 A friend shared this story with me. Ten years ago she had out of town family visiting. On the last night they would be in town, she invited her other children for one last evening of fun. She busily made dinner, all the while helping her daugther with a baby that had …
Read: Ephesians 4:1 My granddaughter is two and a half. As I expected, she started asking, “Why?” a couple of months ago. Me: Finley, let’s put the toys away. Finley: Why? Me: Because we are done playing with them. Finley: Why? And on it goes. Sometimes I want to know why. Why should I be …
About a year ago, I wrote about kindness in Kindness Matters. I challenged myself to intentionally practice kindness toward myself and others. Today I want to respond to the challenge I accepted that day. I find it most difficult to be genuinely kind to myself. Sometimes I listen to the things I say to myself …
It was Friday morning in the dark hours of early morning when the phone rang. My daughter needed me to come be with the girls. Finley had a fever. I stumbled out of bed, grabbing my toothbrush on the way to feed the dog. It’s electronic (you can read about it here in Kindness Matters) …
Life is like… …a box of chocolates. –Forest Gump …a mountain railroad. –Patsy Cline …a camera. –Ziad K. Abdelnour How would you describe life? Many have tried to capture life in a single phrase and at different times, all of them are correct. This week for no apparent reason, the phrase “life is like a …
Read: James 1:17-18 This scripture is a beautiful picture of God’s heart toward us. Every good and perfect thing in our lives is a gift from him. We can count on his character and divine nature. We might use the word “shifting” to describe someone of unreliable character. Someone who is shifty goes from one …
We asked. Katlyn asked for “golden.” I asked for dry. We both asked for the weather to cooperate for an outdoor ceremony. We didn’t get it. Instead we received the worst storm I have experienced this summer. The rain pounded, the lightening flashed, the wind blew. But we celebrated. Celebrated a covenant of love! Read: …
Out of the Chaos 