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Prayer of Peace..

7/31/2018

Each week at our Thursday evening service we close with the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr. Most everyone has heard or even memorized the first part of the prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” This well-known prayer encourages us to accept our limitations and ask for God’s peace and wisdom in understanding those limitations. For all of the years I have repeated those words I had no idea there was more to that wonderful prayer.

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Do You See?....

7/24/2018

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There are times when moms can learn from their children and recently it was my turn for a life lesson. My daughter Sara and I chat almost every morning on her way to work about all sorts of things like our jobs or life and of course my beautiful grand girls. Last week as we discussed our weekend plans she mentioned that she had volunteered to babysit her friend Jane’s three children so that she could visit her father, who is in the Intensive Care Unit three hours away. Sara told me that she had offered to babysit for her friend as she could only imagine how difficult it was for Jane to not be able to visit her ailing parent. Having three young children, two with special needs, her friend said it was difficult to find anyone to care for her children. That is until Sara. This daughter of mine is someone who “sees” people. She often notices when people are in distress or have a need and finds ways to help them without prejudice. When she was in kindergarten she came home from school without her gloves. Let me just say that it was winter in MN with very cold temps and typical deep snow on the ground. When I asked her what happened to her gloves, Sara said she gave them to her little friend because he didn’t have gloves and his hands were cold. When I mentioned that I was concerned about her hands being cold, she just shrugged and said he needed them more. This story gives you a glimpse of who Sara is as a person.

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Be So Bold...

7/17/2018

4 Comments

These past few weeks it seems like I have been on an emotional roller coaster starting with my brother’s death, the chaos at the Mexican border and the rescue of the Thailand soccer team and their coach. Whew! Even though my family knew that brother Virgil was not going to make it, when it happened, it took some time to work through it with my family and friends. In the midst of mourning his death, I have been trying to grasp and process the immigration situation at the Mexican border. It has taken some time for the scene to play out and for me to finally focus on the how I feel about what it would mean to have my children taken from me without the knowledge of when I would see them again. Then finally the cave rescue of the twelve soccer players and their coach was the climax to any emotions that I had left.
Being so emotionally connected to the lives involved in these stories can be raw and unsettling. It feels like I am a bit late to the game because it has taken me a while to process my emotions however here are some of my thoughts about these stories.

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God Broke In...

7/10/2018

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Creation
Chaos hovered over the deep,
God broke in…
Earth, sky, water, animals, garden,
Man, woman-breath of the Creator,
New life-new world.
It was good.

Deliverance
More bricks, more bricks,
Pain, suffering- Pharaoh’s mighty slaves.
God broke in…
Let my people go!
400 years- no more.

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Lost and Found...

7/3/2018

6 Comments

Using a GPS is a way of life for me because I have no sense of direction. Yep, that boat sailed right by me the day I was born. Being directionally challenged has meant that my adventurous spirit has been curtailed a bit because of my apprehension of getting misplaced. Seriously, thank goodness for maps and cell phones! One of the ways that has helped me to become familiar with different areas is by walking neighborhoods. Walking is my choice of exercise to stay healthy and in shape. By walking many miles a week in the neighborhoods around where I live has helped me to recognize streets and/or landmarks to better maneuver streets without getting lost. When visiting friends, I walk their neighborhoods and last week I flew to Minnesota and stayed with my sister-in-law Vicki who lives near a wildlife area with walking trails. The trails diverge in many different directions, weaving through trees, underpasses, around ponds and even through parking lots. I have walked these tree and shrub lined paths before however it is still fairly easy for me to lose my way. Because I tend to get bored with the same trail, I have been known to explore, which of course is the reason I get misplaced. There is a handy dandy app called “Runkeeper” that I use to track my miles but also it shows my location and points me in the direction of where I started.

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Prayer of Peace..

Do You See?....

Be So Bold...

God Broke In...

Lost and Found...

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