Contemplating Life

  The early morning coffee time is great at our house (okay, most of the time.) Richard and I often get into some really good discussions. This morning’s topic was “the unseen support we have”. We started out by talking about a Christophany (Jesus appearing in the Old Testament)- the appearance of Christ in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ( Daniel 3 ). What a phenomenal concept – the Son of God walking in the fire with His children, keeping them from being burned. Equally phenomenal is that God opened Nebuchadnezzar's eyes to visibly see God's Presence in the furnace with His servants. What an astounding moment! Rich and I then transitioned our conversation to 2 Kings 6 , the story of when the king of Aram was out to get the prophet Elisha. The king discovered that Elisha was at Dothan so…..(I love this part of the story): “...one night the King of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of G

 I was listening to worship music this morning, and I heard a song about the crucifixion. The song got me to thinking about the followers of Christ who stood at the cross that day. I know there had to be so many thoughts coursing through their minds, so many emotions assaulting them. Jesus was tortured in ways we cannot comprehend and He died on a wooden cross in a manner we have never envisioned. They stood there and watched the One Whom they deemed Messiah and King die, and I know that they were most likely drowning in despair. NOTHING was playing out like they thought it would, and I think for many their faith was on the line that day. I thought about Mary (the sister of Lazarus and Martha) at the cross, and my thoughts turned into a poem. I will share the poem, and then share where my thoughts went after. Mary At The Cross  As I kneel here in the dust You are not Who I thought You would be; Instead of a reigning King This cross is the reality. I saw You heal the lame; I am a witn

  I still remember that moment and it still makes me laugh. I walked into the house one day and started through the living room when I was suddenly assaulted. My husband came around a corner with a cheeky grin on his face and began beating me…..with a pool noodle.🤣 Still being quick on my feet, I reached for one of the loaded Nerf guns I keep around (don’t ask), and the battle was on. The hilarity was awesome, and I cherish that moment. My husband said such a big “I love you” that day by feeding into the kid in me. I might be 61, but I am still so much a child at heart. I love to play- just ask my grandchildren-my grandsons especially. (Boys are so good at playing – there doesn’t need to be a rhyme or reason or structure – the play is made up as you go.) I’ve been thinking a lot about “battles” the past few years. That day with my husband, I think you could say that we both won that battle. It was a battle based on love. However, the battles in the world these past few years that I

  “ The best part of waking up…..is Folgers in your cup!” I totally agree with this jingle from an old commercial! I am a coffee snob and THE BEST coffee in my mind is Folgers Classic Roast. Hands down! So for me, the best part of waking up IS Folgers in my cup. I always load up our coffee pot the night before, and the glorious smell makes me anticipate waking up in the morning. My day starts with plugging in the mini lights so we have a muted atmosphere, starting the coffee pot, feeding the cat, stretching, and then…YES! that first cup of freshly brewed Folgers coffee. That hot coffee goodness sets the scene for the praise music and Bible time that follow. Sometimes I ponder what it will be like when I truly wake up – that day when I enter the Presence of the Lord in my eternal home. I doubt there will be the glorious smell of coffee brewing🤔, but I KNOW that what I experience will be beyond my wildest dreams. To be free of this sinful flesh and in the Presence of Jesus – my min

 As of yesterday, I began a battle with a lovely autumn cold. You know the kind - your ears hurt, your throat is sore, your sinuses are on fire, and your head is so stuffy full that it feels like an over-inflated mylar balloon (at any moment it is either going to explode OR break free from your shoulders and fly away.) I am drinking a boat-load of hot tea, which as you can guess requires frequent trips to the loo. I find that I have begun avoiding a glance in the mirror each trip. The mirror is not my friend right now. For the past few years that mirror has been erroneously revealing growing wrinkles that are spreading like the cracks in the parched Kansas dirt. I have learned to ignore those wrinkles. However, today....wow- I know that mirror cannot be telling the truth. I can't possibly have circles that dark around my eyes; I know I am definitely not that swollen and pale either. One glance in the mirror showed a train wreck and I am not looking at that again. 😉 A mirror isn

This old cottonwood tree was singing to my husband and I on our walk today. A gentle breeze was blowing causing the leaves to rustle, and as I stood beside it and closed my eyes I was transported back to a past moment in Colorado. I had been hiking in Mueller Park that day and had stopped to listen to a breeze gently moving the leaves of the Aspen trees on the edge of the forest. I love the mountains of Colorado and they have often been my sanctuary, a place of restoration and renewal. Listening to the Aspens that day had healed some of the broken I had carried into the mountains with me. We haven't been able to make the trip to the mountains for the past three years and I have desperately missed it. Today, this old cottonwood was making the same sounds as the Aspens had made, and momentarily I was transported to where I have been longing to go.  It is an odd sensation - this division between two places. Today as we walked, I was content to be walking that old dirty Kansas road, vi