About a month ago I finally broke down to join the other 27,999,999 Fitbit active users worldwide. I had previously resisted the need to prove to myself that I am an active healthy person. After setting up my Fitbit, I assumed my normal routine. However, several surprises awaited me. The first time the Fitbit “buzzed,” …
I Can See Clearly Now
Yesterday as I was working around the house, I was startled by the growl of a chainsaw. I looked out the front window and discovered a massive pruning party across the street. Two men with chainsaws taking down three 30-foot fir trees—first limbing them and then section by section, from the top, cutting rounds that …
Clearing Space
Oh, that the great waves we so fear would begin to wash away things in our lives we do not need. Last night I saw this cleared space of sand. Rocks and debris cleared away. I felt God saying, “See how I can do anything with this space now that it’s cleared? That’s what suffering …
Embracing Change……..
People asked me all the time, “Are you still writing?” and I look at them with the answer, “Yes, but most of it is tucked away because at least for now, it's rather private.” “Rather private” is the way I have felt more and more. It was unusual for me to crave a small group …
Minimize Stuff; Maximize Christ
I shoved two more bags of “stuff” into the car with great satisfaction. Nothing is as good as clearing the house of excess. Minimalism is at an all-time high. You get the look—crisp white walls with minimal décor and a few succulents gracing a shelf or two. Very different than the oldies look of stuff, …
Fully Seen by God
“I'm willing to be nothing,” I told the Lord over and over again. And strangely enough, He'd ask me, “Are you willing to be something?” It took me aback, but I'd say, yes. Whatever the Lord wants, but why would He ask me that? Did you know that true humility isn't realized just from being unseen? True humility happens …
Loved and Beloved
I see her standing there, silent and calm, in the larger Swiss airport where chocolate lines shelves in the shops and little outfits hang to remind people of Heidi running the snow covered Alps. Quebec was elegant with its French language and wine, but Switzerland is charming and peaceful. Even in the airports, one can …
Forgetting what lies behind . . .
Honestly, forgetting is easier than ever when the aging process kicks in and you forget what you did yesterday. However, if you check the recesses of your closet or the boxes in the attic or the cupboards in the garage, you’re certain to find some special long-lost or long-forgotten “treasure” which will swoosh you back …
Blessing or Impressing?
I'm waiting in the MOPS classroom, looking up at the screen, and I see it there—my face, name as the speaker of the day, and two published books. My heart is still, quiet, as if in the eye of a storm louder and greater than any I could venture into, so I retreat. The storm …
When Women Love Well
Sometimes Instagram is inspiring. For instance, one post that got over 7,ooo “likes” said, “Peace and love are popular. Truth isn’t. All are Jesus.” Peace and love without truth end up being a distorted version of love--like labeling the contents of a septic tank with the name of your favorite drink and trying to convince …
Olympic Peninsula Women's Fellowship 