Archive for the ‘All things God’ Category

An Audience of One

…should I state the obvious? It’s been over a month since my last post.  I haven’t been in hiding per se, but I guess I have been hiding my heart.  I’m normally an external processor – I gain perspective by sharing or writing about the intricacies of my heart, my struggles and my (small but [...]

Endurance In The Midst

Today my heart wonders why life has to be so hard?  Why being in God’s best does not mean life is easy? Why one-step forward for things that are good demands strength and resolve that should have leveled mountains by now?
And then I remember – He’s called the God who gives endurance. And because I know [...]

Sing it Lighter

Redemption, so much better than perfection…
…is a song lyric that gives me pause (because I struggle to live it), on an album that I listen to when my heart is heavy and I need to sing it lighter via words written by others. Music is powerful for my soul like that. And lately, these are [...]

Called to Rise

When Jesus asks me to follow Him, I’m normally more aware of His invitation for me to come and die than I am of His invitation for me to rise. But this weekend, I was mindful that His resurrection beckons me to rise. Above myself, above my circumstances- I am called to something so [...]

Truth in Solitude

I’m on a solitude retreat- 72 hours of only me and God, 4 hours carved out for “external” things that refuel me… and hence, I’m writing.
Months ago, an encouraging word was put on my heart for a friend: Solitude is fertile soil for your heart.  God’s been whispering that back to me since I heeded [...]

It is Finished

Those were His last three words on the cross.  And coming from the lips of my savior- they should mean so much more peace for me than what I’ve been living.
I’ve been seriously worried
…seriously emotional
…seriously caught up in a game of what-ifs
Until today.  I was singing Mighty to Save and the words He conquered the grave spoke [...]

Nothing or Everything?

Apart from Him, I can do nothing.
As much as I’d like to think I can do some easy small things on my own, I can’t… so I need to stop trying:

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart [...]

Hand-Sewn Clothes

He made them hand-sewn clothes.
After God’s heart was broken by Adam and Eve’s choice to eat the forbidden fruit and before He banished them from the Garden of Eden, He made them hand-sewn clothes.
I don’t know how many times I’ve read these beginning chapters of Genesis, but I’ve never paused and felt the weight of [...]

Buried Alive

Dark.
Trapped.
Confined.
…but breathing. Living. Ready to resurface.
I’m not sure why I think I can just bury “my issues” and expect them to suffocate and die.  It doesn’t work like that.   When I leave things buried alive they lurk, just beneath the surface, waiting to influence me another day,  in subtle ways.
I’ve been thinking about this [...]

My Other Son…

I am so proud of him.
A decade ago  when our (first) season in South Africa came to a close- Thabang was there to help us pack up our things and send us off.  I’ll never forget that final hug and the words he said in broken english as we said goodbye.  Thabang lived on the [...]

This is why…

My scattered posting is evidence of my long hours the past few weeks.  They are hours full of meetings, writing, and answering emails. But they aren’t tiresome hours- they are hours well invested.  Invested in the potential of South Africa. This is why I’m here. This is why I love what I do.
This… is the [...]

Being Salt and Light

I’ve been knee-deep in studying about what it means to be Salt and Light. Why???
…because it’s what we’re called to be.  And I’m going to share it with them.

Made For This

Today, as I’m traveling back to my home in South Africa, and my eyes are likely puffy from tears and my heart tender from tough goodbyes- I’m reminding myself that I was made for this.  I don’t know why- I just know that it’s true- that I was made for South Africa. And  in my [...]

Collateral Growth

My reflective brain can’t get close to the New Year without first looking back.  And when I do- it’s like looking into a passenger-side mirror from the driver’s seat and reading a warning: The events of this year are closer than they appear. 2009 has been intense. When I look back at what should have [...]

Grace is Messy

I’ve been missing the bigger picture by thinking about grace as a neatly packaged gift that results in the tidying of my soul.  Because I need a whole lot of grace- I think it’s the gift I’m most mindful of this holiday season. I’m unwrapping it to find something much different than I anticipated.  I’m [...]

He Provides…

In our 12 years of marriage- Dave and I have had one six-month season where we both had professional jobs.  Aside from that- our path has looked a little different than the norm.  We’ve had lots of seasons like the current one- where having our needs met is totally dependent on divine intervention.  And guess [...]