Westwoods

It's been a whole series of wonderful, weird weeks since becoming empty nesters. Days and Nights are taking on a different rhythm than the past 25 years. We still wake up to do a days work, 5:00 a.m. early... on the days Bruce leaves the house for work. My fingers hover over the keyboard on my phone, tapping out a message to one of the kids, I stop myself from sending it just in time. It is still too early? Or maybe it is intrusive and irrelevant? I'll wait to send it and ask the Holy Spirit to do a little editing while I have one more cup of coffee. Not that I am an intrusive or irrelevant person. I know this is not true. I have confidence that I love and have loved them all to the best of my ability. But I also see and remember the thing of letting go. Our parents did that well. Now, I wonder if it was harder to do than they made it seem. Wisdom, O God. The house woke up slowly while the kids were still home. I always snuck out for my morning quiet and had Bible and coffee be...

I have let this topic steep too long. And now it has turned into this impossible thing to explain. And it's not. It's simple. Before you get into this mini sermon I will tell you, I am talking about a song that got stuck in my head and why it did. The song is 'I Will Sing of the Goodness of God' by Jenn Johnson-Bethel Music. I tried to link it but it won't. I guess its up to you to find it if you want to.  I was recently awestruck by God in 2 Chronicles chapter 20. Because it gave me hope for an impossible situation of my own. And the parallels for my own life were...In-My-Face-Real. In other words...the parallels were obvious to me. I urge you to read it for yourself. And I hesitate to summarize it because the facts and the lesson get all jumbled in my head. I will attempt to briefly mention the things that grabbed my attention and name the way it resonates with me. Verses 2-4 NIV  Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from ...

  It's good to be home. It's been a long time coming with all the trips and weddings. I kept landing and repacking for the next thing. Since February I've been living like that. And in the weeks at home I've been in the garden and at the sewing machine or watering the flowers God provided for the weddings. And don't forget the food prep and canning and freezing and hosting events. Needless to say, it's been a lot. A lot of "a lot" is good and fun. Blessings and praise...as well as grieving and loss of what was... but that thought is only briefly landed on. Like a bee on a flower. Mostly it's blessing and praise because that's where the goodness of God is best noticed. I got home to a mattress still leaning up against the bedroom wall because we replaced the old and are now waiting on the people that want it to come pick it up. There's a chair also taking up prime real estate in my bedroom because we did a living room shuffle yesterday. Whic...

Because confidence is only quiet when it is anchored in Jesus. It's the kind that doesn't have to figure out why something happened as it did, and who didn't get it right. It isn't busy fixing things, straightening crooked pictures, fluffing pillows just so, or joining someone in their drama or extra noise of the day. Quiet confidence is able to know a thing and not have to explain or expound on it because you gave it to God Almighty and now trust the work of the Holy Spirit to do its work.  Without any more "help" from you. Goodness, we need this today in politics and churches and in homes. What if we prayed about it....(bring it before the throne of grace)...much much more than we talked about it? How important is it in God's eyes, for you to know and share your thoughts and opinions to others? What I think or feel doesn't change who God is and what He will do. We better be praying a whole bunch more.  Quiet Confidence in Jesus is hope and trust and ...

   I sat in this chair at the lake yesterday and pondered HOPE. I don't know how to explain it. Hope. It is ELUSIVE to those who see things 'realistically and practically'. Often these are the two words that pop into a conversation one might have concerning an especially hopeless situation.  If you are in what feels like an ongoing difficult situation remember these facts:  Hope is mentioned 129 times in the Bible.  49 times are directly from the original Hebrew.  It is mentioned alongside faith and love and other virtues like peace and joy.  God is a God of hope. Romans 15:13 NIV May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. To me it seems like too many times we are like Garrison Keillor's Lutheran hometown. If ever someone is too positive or happy or joyful they are due for a reality shock and probably not living in victory. Because being a good Christian m...

  Be ok with the things of life that give you: A lump in the throat because you can't have what you wanted ...You put in so much effort and it still blew apart...You have daily unanswered prayers. A gnawing in the pit of the stomach for more. More rest. More peace. Answers. Light and Joy. Longings. Cravings. Hunger. Learn to sit with these uncomfortable things. Not for punishment or pity or exaltation or attention. But for wonder. What does God want to fill me with if I turn all those things over to Him each time they appear. For praise...turn your eyes upon Jesus. For trust...The Mighty Right hand of God. He goes before you. He is doing a work we don't have eyes on. He does tho. Trust Him to fight your battles for You. ******************************************* It's not fun. It's not easy. It takes practice. But here's a thing I'm learning...If you can be strong and very courageous, moving forward in faith, and also by the power of the Holy Spirit, you can r...

  My sister once time told me, she hates when writers talk about their writing or their blockages and inspirations. Every since then, I have been sensitive to not doing this. Mostly, because I didn't want to be on her bad writer list. But also because I kind of agreed with her. There is nothing worse than hearing someone express thoughts as if its a real problem and no one cares. It's just noise in an already noisy world. Anyway, I am a writer. I know this because I write about everything. I write to sort out life and why people behave as they do and what makes sense or doesn't make sense. One important lesson for a writer, is to not take too much advice from non-writers. Don't let others' opinions dissuade you from creativity, character growth, and from expanding your art-form. Keep after wording correctly. I am drawn to teaching as well. I am eager to learn so I expect others are too. If I have learned and relearned a very important lesson, I feel the deep need to...

  So far today... I made a pot of coffee and turned the dryer back on because those bathroom rugs did not finish drying. I let the dog out and refilled his water. I remade the bed because there are only a few hours in be-tween of sleep being taken there. (Bruce's night job) I made breakfast...bacon, eggs, and toast, for Bruce and Shaunti. I drank several cups of coffee while reading a little in Deut. Psalm and Gal. somehow they all once again have a common thread. One of the old law and obedience and the other the new law and the spirit living in us...no longer bound to the old but made new in Christ...still obedience but walking after the spirit...no longer serving the flesh. Wrote in my journal for a minute. Got distracted with something. Can't remember what. Filled the dishwasher, washed off counters, and started a load of laundry. Ate breakfast and placed an Amazon order of sandals, a belt, and Corelle dishes. Put silverware in my Amazon Cart for Shaunti for later... Let th...

Something I have learned after miles and miles of marriage is that God often improves on what seems like failure to me. After our door was unlocked and we were safely in our car, headed down the highway, we felt exhaustion slowly seeping into our bones. The miles seemed to creep by. But we were thankful that the roads were good and we were heading home once more. Throughout the afternoon, Google maps informed us of road closures due to snow storms, but all the roads we chose for our route still looked good.  So onward we drove. North into Colorado, a scenic route we had never taken before. Occasionally we saw drifting snow beginning to form on the edge of the highway. Tumble weed rolled across the road countless times. Even elk and coyotes were on the move. Things took on an ominous feel shortly after we entered a small town late in the afternoon and began looking for our new road. We only got about 500 yards down our new route when abruptly the road stopped. The snow bank covering...

  Miles and miles of marriage. That's true after 27 years. The last two anniversaries have been quite memorable. The one last year was so extreme that I've only talked about it in small sketches. It is far enough away finally, that I am beginning to see the humor in it. This past anniversary celebration was on vacation in Italy. Which in a lot of ways was not nearly as bizarre as the prior one, but still had it's moments of touch and go. My husband has the ability to shut out a bad memory about five minutes after it happens. So when you are in the midst of a series of unfortunate events, each one disappears as a new one makes it approach. I am not like that. My experiences are felt, tasted, and seen with deep poignancy, joy or agony. Except I do have to admit, after 27 years I am learning to temper all those emotions with realism and practicality and help from the Holy Spirit. Thank God. Anyway...Anniversary #26 We are in Arizona...It's six a.m. and we are just leaving ...

  Sunday afternoon. I look up from my computer and see a small area of blue sky and sunshine. We are rapidly losing our snow. I don't mind at all. Winter lasts forever and takes away all hope of another spring.  And then suddenly, the forever of winter is over and hope comes alive with buds forming and muddy walking trails.  Bruce and I are leaving on our first trip to Europe this week. It's our anniversary month. 27 years, if you were wondering...In 2020 we started picking and doing an adventure of some sort in the dead of winter. This year we are finally able to go to Italy. One thing I am learning about life is that it brings lows with highs and sorrows with joys. It's often both at the same time. Also, I am thankful more than ever for the steadfast love of our God. His faithfulness unto all generations. I have a current situation where fear lingers on the edges of trust. If even for a moment, I take my eyes off God Almighty and His power and His victory, the fear and ...

  I dreamed last night my cell phone was stolen. In my dream I was surprised at my depth of grief over its loss. I had no idea how attached I had become to minute by minute reports of my children's whereabouts and their well-being. Shaunti is starting her second term of Bible school and has been sick for two weeks of the three weeks of first term. I hear her voice over the phone and watch her program over the internet and see her carry her familiar water bottle around on stage...the same tactical part of her that sits on my kitchen counter most evenings in preparation for the next day of work, when she's home. Funny how a lifeless item can mean something to a mom. A week goes by so quickly. So does a year. I went in for a cleaning to the dentist this week and found it was time to renew my yearly plan. And that I have need of a crown. This doesn't suit me at all. I am going to Italy the month of February with my man and that is expense enough. About crowns...I figure if I am...

  It has been wicked cold the last week. Cold makes people do weird things. Like browse seed catalogues, debate about hybrid or organic practices of horticulture, order seeds, and plan their gardens. They sit inside endless hours looking at the beautiful sunshine and resisting the urge to go out in it. Looks can be deceiving as we know, the frosted over windows and doors bely this. Better to stay inside and stay safe. However, after a few hours of snuggling in with YouTube, Instagram, and Netflix or Prime, you feel generally overwhelmed with the state of the world. Some people, will even succumb to its clutches and let it upset them and make proclamation about how people are getting dumb and dumber. And I agree. Except I think people have always been getting dumb and dumber but didn't always have social media platforms to expose themselves to the whole world. Which leads me to remember the lawsuit many years ago about the woman who spilled hot coffee on her lap from a known fast fo...