Westwoods

  It is a beautiful morning here in Gig Harbor. We left the world of snow and ice behind on Sunday while our home was getting smothered with the worst storm yet this year. I did a little happy jig in my heart after driving a couple hours on snowy roads and stopping at a rest area where the weather had taken on a balmy warmth.  As we stepped out of the pickup, the tree we had parked under was alive with chickadees in birdsong. It was as if they were singing the snow right off the branches and the ground. There was evidence of the big storm in the depth of snow still left on every available tree limb, lamp-post, and sidewalk. But those birds were doing their level best to sing it all away, as was my aforementioned heart. I read aloud, A Lesson in Hope by Philip Gulley off and on throughout the drive over while the roads got better and better. The snow disappeared completely as we drove into this popular little harbor. It really isn't little at all but living on a boat in an har...

  This morning I put lime juice in my coffee. That was not what I meant to do. Too much multi-tasking makes me sloppy. I was fixing another drink at the same time which is a powder that is supposed to help with blood sugars and calmness, so I thought why not throw a little lime in there for a more interesting flavor? But my poor innocent coffee was nearby and my brain was focused on other things like switching out the laundry or wondering if I should get something out of the freezer for dinner and that's when it happened. I went to Spokane with my girls yesterday. They were sisters and friends and I delighted in watching them. I am definitely the mom. I am not young and urban like they are, nor do I wish to be. There is a definite barrier between the things we know. It's a beautiful thing. I used to embarrass them, quite by accident, by driving over a curb or not watching where I was going in the aisles. (according to them)Yesterday, I pretended to fall out of the car when one ...

  I am troubled by the divisive spirit some Christians are sharing all under the guise of caring and sharing and thinking outside the box. Especially concerning politics.  I am an activist myself, concerning politics and my country's many troubles, but perhaps not in the sense you are thinking. Obviously people, even Christian people, have opinions. It could be we have more than the usual ilk of mankind. I'm not saying we should keep our opinions to ourselves but I do believe we should pass our opinions through rigorous testing before we share them. Here's how I am an activist of politics and my country's movements and the personal rigorous testing I put my opinions under before sharing how I feel about certain policies: 1. I read the headlines and gather information from many points of view. Most points of view make me feel unsettled and burdened. 2. I don't believe everything reported to be a true picture of accuracy. Everything has a tint or agenda of what the re...

  I mentioned last post that sometimes I struggle to pray for some requests,  because my brain tries to figure out what's wrong or how to fix the human problem in a practical manner, with words or doing of my own. Anyway, that's the whole point of prayer isn't it? To admit to Abba Father, that we don't know what to do, we can't figure it out and we need help.  To be able to say to God our Creator our burdens, needs, sorrows, and yes, even our trifles, the piddly stuff. And our praises and our worship and awe. That's the purpose, to get to..."Thy kingdom come, here and now, as You want it, Father in Heaven. To see our cluttered, tired souls as in need of rest and release from distraction and dread...this is what happens when we bring it all to Jesus. Humble and broken, we get to  peace and EASY. "For my yoke is easy, my burden is light." -Jesus Don't be like me and my prone ness to judge others' requests. It is simply a naughty, human way. ...

  The middle of the night... Fully awake...aware... Phrases of people's problems...real life's heart struggles, soul cries, longings, and cravings. There was a lot shared during the day. So many impossibilities. I got overwhelmed and a little lost in where to place it all. I found myself trying to rationalize,  speak sense, or lessen the need. I wanted to pray well for you and your problem, but my brain kept thinking practical things and I wanted to say ungracious, unkind things.  Like..."get over yourself!" Or "do something for someone else." Or even something self righteous, like... " You're being burdened with a false burden and the heavier it feels the less important it is..."  [Side note: Why does it seem this is the first instinct when prayer requests are hitting me every which way?] During the day, when it was all hitting me, I felt rained on and couldn't find my way to actual releasing it all to the throne of grace. Now. Middle of t...

  "No one who puts a hand to a plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." -JESUS   {NIV translation} Luke 9:62                   Happy New Year! Muddle: 1. bring into a disordered or confusing state. [verb]                2. mix a drink or stir an ingredient into a drink. [verb] an untidy and disorganized state or collection. [noun]                                         -the Oxford Dictionary and Google I bet you are wondering if we are talking about drinks or plows today. And how either have to do with the new year? One thing that was very clear to me in this last year of living, was the fact that all people are needy, hurting, and in need of a Savior. This includes the Christians of old and of today, as well as those who are lost, living without hope and knowing a Sa...

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...