Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what it would feel like to hold hands with God, not metaphorically, but literally. Jesus grabbed Peter’s hand when he was sinking under water. Can’t you see Jesus’ grip with angled bones, muscles and tendons straining to pull his friend out of the dark deep into the boat? …
Do you remember playing hide and seek when you were a kid? We played it at night and called it murder-in-the-dark. All the neighborhood kids gang in our yard, milling around and doing cartwheels until someone yells, “Not it.” The last kid to say, “Not it,” becomes “it” or the seeker. The first person the …
Toes dug in the sand, the water laps at my feet, sending chills up my back. I shuffle forward until the water reaches my ankles and suck in my breath. The beach chair and library book beckon, but the last time I came to the beach, I promised myself that I would get into the water. …
Hello Friends, You saw “What Defines You” on Monday and are probably wondering why you’re getting another blog notice this week. Today is a special day. Today is Ash Wednesday. How appropriate that Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day, because both holi-days amplify love. Valentine’s Day celebrates love between people, and Ash Wednesday celebrates God’s …
Who Are You? What Defines You? Decades ago I could hold a toddler on my hip while I dragged wet clothes from the washer to the dryer, kept an eye on dinner, and supervised a son’s homework. Multi-tasking comprised daily life. Now, I’m smug if I make it out the door with my purse and …
Do you see king cakes and moon pies in the grocery store now? Parade floats line the streets and beads hang detangled, ready for tossing. We may or may not get into Mardi Gras, but it heralds Lent. Next week is Ash Wednesday and the official beginning of Lent. Many of us practice Advent, and …
I discussed fetal hearing with a Safe Harbor client. The curriculum includes an exercise where the mother plays different kinds of music from a phone or other device that she places on her swelling abdomen. The mom laughed when she told me that her baby likes music with a beat! Her baby rolled over, kicked …
This past fall we drove fifteen minutes to the beach for our son to soak in salt water before he had to return to landlocked Tennessee later that evening. The skies had withheld rain for the past month, so the Gulf of Mexico waters were like liquid glass. We noticed a stirring in the water …
We’re still in January, and we have the whole year ahead of us. Most of us, though, stumble down the trail, because we have rocks in our shoes. Reoccurring worry over that thing, wounds with scabs that keep coming off, grudges, and regret chafe and jab into our feet. We either won’t travel far or …
The red balls and magical lights are packed away. Music listened to last fall plays through the speakers again but sounds tinny after the carols sung last week. In the corner where the Christmas tree stood, now hovers a photo-shot memory. Our beloved people, lounging on couches or crouched over screens, read, work and rest …
2018! This year has never happened before. We may anticipate some events, but others will surprise us. This January may seem like any other, but the month ushers in a year as unique as you are. 2018 is a gift. We can choose how we unwrap it. Maybe you begin a new role this year …
Mary was a virgin betrothed. During that era, a young women married when she was new to womanhood. Mary was close to 12 years of age. Twelve, that’s 6th grade in the USA. What is more remarkable is that she found favor with God. A 12 year old female at that time in Jewish history …