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Earnestly
My husband got a new hat. One that he’d been wanting for years and had never decided to spend for the luxury of it. I was especially thrilled to be with him when he saw it, and even more charmed when he agreed to purchase it. I’m not sure which of us wanted him to have it more. Now, when he wears it, we both grin like two children who have won golden tickets. Since his diagnosis, which carries an uncertain prognosis and no small measure of discomfort, we are more inclined to slip into God’s merciful embrace and enjoy the moments. There is nothing quite so delightful as knowing…
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Fearless
The beautiful bare winter trees are beginning to leaf out in newness, and the first flowering branches of cherry, dogwood and red bud herald the season of rebirth. It’s a miracle of regeneration that takes my breath each year. How like God to give us a glimpse of the nature of His heart in the world He created. God never changes, but His infinite riches are so far beyond comprehension that each expression of Himself to us creates a new experience for us. The rhythm of life He set as boundaries for our earthly existence is the structure in which we begin to know Him, morning by morning, season by…
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Destiny
Small children have a delightful acceptance of things beyond their control. There is a certain fearlessness that is theirs because they don’t yet know all the ways things can go wrong. A toddler will fall down trying to go faster than his legs and balance can sustain him and will promptly get up and keep going. He does not seem to experience a sense of debilitating failure, and often finds the whole affair quite funny. He has absolute trust that his environment is meant to be a safe place to explore the possibilities of mobilization. I think the Kingdom of Heaven is a similar environment. A place where peace reigns,…
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The Path
The blank page can be both terrifying and exhilarating. Terrifying because filling it may be presumptuous, and exhilarating because the finished work may end up being a discovery more than the sum of its parts. I often feel that writing is like an extreme sport, fraught with danger yet also full of the hope of victory. Overcoming fear and trepidation becomes part of the process. Though debilitating nerves are frequently experienced at the beginning, there is a certain reward that comes with the persistent effort to press through to expression and discovery. Sometimes simply beginning to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) can dispel the fog of uncertainty,…
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The Smallest Detail
It is a humbling experience to see a painting begin to take shape and become something that stirs the heart and mind. More than a rendering, painting is also a journey. As I am rarely sure what the end will be, I am fascinated, every time, by the finished work. I am also greatly intrigued by the depth and focus a small simple mark can bring. Sometimes beauty is revealed in the details. Like the story God is unfolding in my life and in yours, things become sharper, more clearly defined in the dailiness, in the details. And here’s the thing: God is very interested in the small things. “Are…
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So Loved
I enjoy wandering around in an antique store, sifting through the leftovers of days gone by and pondering the stories of people from other times and other cultures. Seeing and touching those things that were once chosen self-expressions or necessities of practical function is illuminating, maybe of them but assuredly of me. In the same way that reading good literature is self-revelatory, browsing through history by way of antique furniture and bric-a-brac highlights my own interests and enthusiasms as much as it does enlighten me of theirs. We are all, antecedents and descendants, woven into the same tapestry of humanity, and the few antique treasures I own serve to remind…
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Fitted Stones
Last week I was visiting with someone I hadn’t seen in a long while, and in the process of our catching up we found that we were sharing what I call “God moments.” Each of us sharing stories in which the orchestrating hand of God was evident. Acknowledging God’s sovereignty unites us, and It’s a way of reminding ourselves that we are part of a much bigger plan, a much bigger family, than we know. The weaving of God’s tapestry of lives is fascinating to behold, and I find it awe inspiring to consider how He knits people and communities together. Truly, we are living stones being fitted together, with…
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Carry On
My mother is of a generation that puts much stock in stoicism. Striding forward while putting up with all manner of inconveniences and tribulations. One day, several years ago, mom said to me, “I’ve decided I’d rather be endearing than enduring.” This made me smile because she actually is rather endearing without even trying. But I did understand what she was trying to process. She wanted to apply her will to intentional kindness rather than getting on and getting through with a “stiff upper lip.” The truth is, you can’t be anything, in the end, without being enduring. Perseverance in any direction requires endurance. When I titled this website “Cultivating…
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Discovery
My dad used to say, “You never know what a day will bring.” And that is true. When we open our eyes to the new day, we are awaiting an unfolding of events. We usually have plans, even an expectation of scheduled appointments. But, with any of them, the unexpected can change things in a moment. We’ve all experienced a need to be flexible, even fluid. What is the saying? You can bend, or you can break. There’s another element of the unexpected to be considered, too, and that is discovery. This journey of life is one of adventure and discovery. Have you considered approaching your days as doorways into…
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Rooted
I like to draw trees, especially bare winter trees. Looking through spires of trees whose leaves have fallen is mesmerizing and fascinating. And finding an old gnarly fellow with bent and crooked branches is particularly captivating. There, in a forgotten clearing, he stands, seemingly endless and timeless. What stories could he tell? What wildlife has he sheltered during his more well-dressed seasons? How patiently he waits for his fruit-bearing time. I’m not completely sure why I love bare trees, but they do speak to me. It’s as though their strength, structure and character are fully revealed by the hard winter days. They may seem to some to be diminished without…