Learning
Growth
Unity
After With, What?
At the Habitat ReStore, I work the floor. The role is part concierge ("Let me know if I can help you"), part Sherpa ("I'll load out that giant armoire and meet you at the roll-up door"), part friendly grandpa ("It's Lucky Hand Monday! Guess which hand has the fruit snack?") and part free listener ("Sure, I'd love to hear your story"). Awhile back, a regular customer, a guy I know from the store but not outside of it, and who is a Jesus-follower, came into the store followed by a dark cloud.
“I Want to Hold Your Hand”
I was recently thrust back into this piece of nostalgia by the death of my best friend’s wife. As I reminisced about our past, this song came to mind. It took me back to an old relationship.
A Tattoo on My Soul
One sentence. If you blink or let your mind wander like I did some years ago when I skimmed past it, you might miss it. After all, it’s only one sentence—one sentence in one paragraph in one section of one chapter of one book.
With
The other day while Claudia was out and I was reading/napping in my chair, the doorbell rang. Our little Annie-dog goes nutso whenever someone comes to the door, so between getting coherent and corralling the mutt, it took a bit to get up to see who was there.
Taking the Long Way Around
This past weekend, I strapped on a helmet and—putting my life in Dan’s hands—hopped on the back of his motorcycle.
He didn’t share his flight plan, but I knew our destination: a tiny country store east of town. So why was he heading in the wrong direction?
Passion
It is easy to set our eyes on what doesn’t matter. This world has a way of making things that have very little, if any, eternal value seem like they’re all that matters. We can easily be distracted from the best and the eternal by the good and the temporal. When this happens we become inward focused and can be overtaken by fear and anxiety.
What José Models
Does the name Jose' Andres ring a bell? No? Well, he's worth hearing about.
I don't know a lot about him, but here's what I discovered. Andres is a Spanish-born American chef, well known for his cooking and his restaurants, mostly on the east coast. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Andres chose not to just give money and use his platform as a celebrity chef to garner support, he set up emergency kitchens to provide meals and basic food aid for the poorest of the poor and went to work with his craft.
Staying Connected to the Vine
What have I been learning from the Lord lately? He has been reminding me that I don’t need to earn grace and love from Him.
This seems so simple but truly, it’s super hard to accept and even understand. When every tangible thing and every person around us has to earn love and respect and grace. But it is God who made those things.
Jesus and Women
Recently another high profile Christian leader has resigned amid accusations of improper relations with women. A flagship evangelical publication has been rocked by a past history of sexual misconduct and cover up. Political leaders who profess faith have a history of exploiting women.
No wonder the unbelieving world has labeled Christians misogynistic.
Ambushed in the Morning
So, there I was, sitting in my reading chair early in the morning, tending to my knitting. My bible was open to Luke 6, cruising along, and suddenly I got ambushed by Jesus' words from the Message translation.
Why are you so polite with me, always saying "Yes, sir," and "That's right, sir," but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.
Saying “Yes” When Life Takes a Left Turn
Dan put away the snowblower, we positioned the Adirondack chairs around the fire pit, and I arranged matching cushions. It was 78 degrees. We were expecting guests. And it was spring.
During this change-of-season ritual, I commented to Dan, “You know this means it will snow again, right?”
Exiles, Aliens, and Citizens
Despite having lived in Bend for the past 15 years, I honestly don't feel at home here. Of course, I value the friendships I've made and the experiences I've enjoyed here in central Oregon. But somehow it just doesn't feel like home.
Calling Down Fire
Elijah was a “bad dude.” If you were a king and a contemporary of Elijah, you had better watch out. Case in point, 2 Kings 1, where Elijah called down fire on groups of 51 men not once, but twice, in order for King Ahaziah (of Israel) to learn who was boss.
Merry Christmas! (Is This Too Late?)
No, this is not late. I don't have the date wrong, nor am I confused about the season. I know it is the Easter season. But Christmas and Easter are so intertwined, so interdependent, that it's impossible to have one without the other.
What a Weekend…
On a recent weekend I joined with about a dozen older adults who served 21 younger adults up at Suttle Lake Camp. The reason to give up a perfectly good Thursday evening to Sunday noon was to introduce these high school seniors to the next chapter of their lives. The weekend is the brainchild of a faithful couple who, 22 years ago, saw there were holes in their own kids' and their friends' readiness for life as adults, so Life 101 was born.
What Would It Look Like to Slow Your Pace?
Dan and I filled our hydration packs with water, made sandwiches on sourdough bread, tossed in tangerines and trail mix, and grabbed layers of outer wear. It had been too long since we’d hiked in the wilderness.
Wisdom from Moses and…Yogi
Yogi Berra, born and raised in the Italian Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, and famously played baseball for the Yankees, gave us much to be thankful for. Aside from his remarkable play as both a gifted catcher (he threw right) and a creative hitter (he batted left), he may be best remembered for his "Yogi-isms", malapropisms that twisted words and yet made so much screwy sense. Below are a few of my favorites.
Are There Chaff Sifters in your Life?
In the family photo taken at our wedding, seven of our kids and grands come from a different location on the planet. Dan’s daughter was adopted from Korea. She married a man whose parents immigrated from Thailand. Dan’s son married a first-generation Persian woman. My son chose a Hispanic bride. And my daughter and her husband adopted three boys from Uganda.
We are an American family.
Resurrection Day!
Springtime brings flowers, warmer weather, new life, and a fresh feel to the air. It is interesting that God chose this time of year to bring about the greatest event in all of history.
Wounded Healers
Newsflash: We all fail.
Sure, we know that, but we can become quite skilled at hiding our faults and stuffing our weaknesses to the point of living a life that is somewhat false. Folks can grow to resemble a movie set where a whole scene looks good from the camera but is only a façade. That can be a lonely and tenuous life as that person dreads being found out.