grace

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Restore the Garden

  • February 20, 2021
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One of the things I hear from so many people is what is my purpose? Why did God put me here? I think we can find the answer when we look back at the story of creation. God created us in His image, to connect to each other and to him, and to care for his creation. We are all creators. And rightfully so because we are made in the image of our Creator. We are made in the image...

When you just aren’t the person for the job

  • January 9, 2021
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It’s a brand-new fresh year. A new beginning! And when have we all felt weneeded hope, dreams, and plans more than now? We’ve all learned to cope with plans falling through, events being canceled, loneliness, and unspeakable loss this year. At the turn of a fresh slate, we crave to hope against hope and step into this new year undaunted at what should come our way. Because the struggle has brought with it resilience. So we’ve sat down, poured our...

The Vine Project

I called it “The Vine Project.” It sounds like a cool, new program at church or a new group on Christian radio, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it was just me, traipsing through our woods in rubber rain boots with a pair of borrowed gardening shears, trying to free my trees from thorny vines that had grown around them. After six years of unintentional neglect, these vines weren’t going down without a fight. It started when my neighbor knocked on my door...

Closing Chapters…

  • August 4, 2020
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Have you ever needed to close chapters in your life?  Sometimes it’s simple.  It was a great chapter but it’s time to move on.  Another may have been painful but you learned a lot and the time was right to turn the page.  Then you have those chapters you go back and re-read because there was/is so much there.  You analyze every sentence to learn as much as you can before closing. Some chapters closed because you had no control...

God and the Waves

  • July 27, 2020
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Last week we just needed away.  A family friend graciously offered a place to stay in the panhandle of Florida and we packed up and spent a few days on the Emerald Coast with the pure white sand.  This is one of our FAVORITE PLACES.  The kids LOVE playing in the water, exploring, building sand castles and sea creatures, taking sunset walks and crab hunting at night. Oh…and the fresh seafood.   A couple of days during our stay, the ocean...

Sing and Be Happy

  • July 21, 2020
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Often we sing this song in church. It used to be one of my favorites, probably because it was the one I first remembered learning. But I have discovered this song has a deeper meaning to me now than it did in 2019, or any year before. You have heard everyone say it, but I will type it yet again. 2020 will be a year to remember; and not necessarily for good reasons. This song has become very helpful and...

The Blessing Of COVID-19

  • July 13, 2020
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We have been bombarded since March with negative news, dire predictions, financial hardships, and an unsettling uncertainty for the future. Personally, I have struggled with anxious and racing thoughts. I am still mired in uncertainty and overwhelmed feelings planning for a new school year. But what does this look from Heaven’s point of view? What if our forced quarantine, time off, shutdown was a gift to our weary generation? We have oft thought that we were the busiest generation in...

The Sound of Silence…

  • July 6, 2020
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In 1964, Kitty Genovese was murdered in New York City.  She was stabbed and raped on her doorstep.  A neighbor, Karl Ross, heard noises and cracked his door to see what was happening.  He promptly shut the door and called a friend to ask what he should do.  The friend told him to not get involved.  Eventually Mr. Ross climbed out of his apartment window and went to his friends home.  It was there he finally called the police.  When...

A Gift From God; Purpose

  • June 23, 2020
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Having purpose is Something I used to ponder, especially when I was little. How could something, maybe small or usually forgotten have a very important purpose or reason for existence? You hear it a lot when talking about mosquitos or other nuisances. Normally, people are quick to question why such a creature should ever live, even if they never knew how it could contribute to life. But what I believe is interesting, and something we should all think about often,...

“Old” Friends…the best medicine

  • June 10, 2020
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This past weekend was spent cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, decorating, giving directions, driving (a lot), buying groceries, making lists, 97,382 steps, running errands, finding people, cutting cakes, making punch, Sonic runs, steaming dresses, pinning boutonnieres, wiping up spills, asking favors, and a myriad of other tasks.  It was also spent visiting, laughing, catching up, hugging (sorry – no social distancing for me), staying up late with feet in the pool just talking, eating meals in the midst of great conversation,...