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Silence: A Lesson In Repetition

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God gets my attention through repetition. How about you? What I am continuing to discover in my almost four-decade "expotition" with my friend Jesus is He knows I don't usually get His lessons for me the first go-round. He repeats. He puts out virtual road signs.  Sometimes He puts out literal road signs to garner my attention and my gaze. He has specific Scripture rise to the surface again and again. He puts a word in my path and writes it in all capital letters EVERYWHERE so I can't possibly miss it. Silence has been the most recent. Jesus gave me almost a month of an empty nest to foster an atmosphere of solitude and silence. He has brought any number of lessons across my path to reinforce His message for this season.  My life has been filled with noise outside my head for decades and self-imposed noise for far longer. How do I avoid silence? How do you? Music Television Internet surfing Reaching out to others rather

Thursday Thanks Tank

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( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  I am serving at VBS for the first time in eight years, and it has been a true pleasure. My crafty heart is in its element amongst paint, glue, crayons, colored pasta, and pom poms. I've met some wonderful ladies who have served alongside me, and we have shared the message that no matter what comes their way -- at age 3, 4, or 5 -- God is good. The same is true for me. When life isn't fair . . . God is good! When life is scary . . . God is good! When life changes . . . God is good! When life is sad . . . God is good! When life is good . . . God is good! Life DOES get wild, and through it all . . . God is GOOD!  I am thankful to have friends who will vouch for me on a moment's notice. The depth of friendship is boundless, and I am blessed beyond measure in longevity and quality. Summer breezes. I am so thankful for the early morning

Thursday Thanks Tank

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( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  First, I'm going to walk a ways down memory lane and then head on to the thanks tank. Bear with me as I get a little nostalgic on you: Have you ever just had an a-ha moment blast you out of nowhere? I had one of those recently.  When I was growing up, we had a nightlight in our bathroom. Just a little plastic box with a light in it that had a Scripture verse on it. My mom probably got it at our local Berean Christian Bookstore.  I truly never thought much about the nightlight or what it said. It was just always there. It lit my way to the potty if I got up in the middle of the night.  It shed a warm glow at the end of the hall way if I needed to find my way without waking anybody up.  That is, if I came in late once I had a curfew ( and oh, did I come in late more than once! So I got to be an expert at all the squeaky spots in

Rejoice: A Choice

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I wake up most mornings with a song in my head. This morning it was this one . I struggle with starting out on the positive side of things. I have to intentionally make a choice. As I turn to Philippians I find Paul makes a repetitive command throughout. As a matter of fact, Paul used "joy" or some form of it 16 times in this letter. Choosing to rejoice is an act of the will. I can wallow in my circumstances, my shortcomings, the things I can't control right now . . . or I can choose to rejoice. Today I rejoice in: God's provision for me. I am not going hungry, and I have a roof over my head. The vibrant, colorful creation all around me. He is the consummate artist, and His color palette astonishes and delights me every day. I paint, because He inspires it. The assurance that He knows what's next for me. The God winks in each day. He surprises me, and when I am attuned to what's going on around me I find I am always on His mind. His W

Pushing on Past the Past

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Do you ever wake up and do a double take? Your subconscious was so crystal clear and so real you have to shake it off in favor of what your eyes take in as the fuzziness of sleep drifts away. Disoriented. You may have slept and lived a complete movie's worth of activities somewhere else, awakening with those events plastered on your now conscious thoughts as if what you dreamt is what you're currently living. The beauty of dreaming is we get to wake up. We get to toss off that cloak of darkness with the bed covers and embrace the dawn of a new day with all the freshness and newness that awaits. One of my favorite books and movies of all time is Anne of Green Gables . If you are around me for more than a hot minute, you most likely will be regaled with some sort of quote or reference to the kindred spirits who come alive in those pages. Wisdom. It's liberally woven into the story of an orphan girl who desperately wanted to belong -- just like we all do. Yet Anne is

Grace upon Grace

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"For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:16 (ESV) From His fullness. God gives out of His abundance. We receive grace upon grace. Unmerited favor. I don't deserve it and neither do you. I can't do anything for it. I can't be enough, do enough, give enough, or offer Him anything, because He doesn't need anything. God is not losing anything to give to me out of His abundance. He has no lack. As He gives, there is no less of Him to offer. He is pleased to give to me, His beloved. My job? To receive. To accept the "grace upon grace" He so freely offers from the very fullness of what He always is. My Jesus is always the same. Scripture affirms this: "Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 That sounds easy in theory. He offers freely. Freely I receive it. In other areas of my life a free thing is as uncomplicated as finding cash lying on the sidewalk. Would I ever just pass by

Kindred Spirit Friends

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We all have an inherent need to be known. We're created for community. Camaraderie. Kinship. Kindred spirits .  Whatever you call it and whatever personality type or Enneagram number you may be; none of us were created to be perpetual loners. I am an introvert (INFP) by design and find it difficult to put myself out there, because extended periods of time with people, especially people I don't know very well wear me out.  I am your classic "drained by others" kind of gal. I  can  make small talk. I have lots of experience with it. But if I am forced to chat inanely for hours or for multiple events night after night, I come home emotionally, mentally, and physically blitzed--desiring my pajamas ( sounds like llamas ), a cup of tea, a blanket, and sometimes a dimly lit room. On the other hand, I  do  find myself lonely at times and longing to be known by someone, anyone, ( maybe not just anyone ) but you know what I mean. I seek to find that person who will ta