Friday, August 29, 2014

A Rose With A Different Name


A nice young lady was waiting on us that evening. I noticed she had a very unusual name. It looked like it should have been two names or at least hyphenated. I was curious and felt a inward impulse to find out more about the story behind her name. She (we will call her Danielrose) told us her tale of how she got stuck with her name because her parents could not decide on one. It was an odd combination of names, but stirred my heart to this young ladies uniqueness. 


I love being connected to the One who is beyond time and cares more deeply about people's lives than my schedule... Still love knowing He can take care of my time schedule too!



In a season of life when regular travel between two cities was a regular part of life, i met a friend at a near freeway restraint. We were meeting to spend a bit of time catching up before I made my journey to the other city.

Danielrose continued to attend us with a charm and attentiveness not typically found. The evening was coming to an end. I began to "check-in" on a deeper level with what my response should be to this unique gal. I told my colleague that I wanted to give Danielrose a rediculous tip. We pulled out all our change and dollars. I t filled my two hands and laughing i went to find her. She was near by finishing up with bussing another table. I began to tell her how she was a unique gem and that though I sensed she felt a bit of a mistake, her name was given to her as much more. We chatted and i told her there was one who care deeply for her, who guides my life. I told her I had heard she needed to know how special she is and gave her our "tip". Tears started to run down Danielrose's cheeks. She began to tell me more of her life and how she was a single mom trying to put herself through college. We talked on and I pointed her toward the One who knew her more than I could ever. I assured her that He would be opening a way for her and thanked her again for her wonderful service and said goodbye.

Little did I know that was not the end to my evening. I headed out, more than an hour later than I had hoped to be. I called ahead to my destination as it was already quite late and very dark. No one answered, so all I could do was hope. I was heading out when my colleague called me to chat a bit more about the evening. I passed a very familiar road sign as I answered the call. Only a couple minutes later I drove through some unusual white cloud like fog that covered most of the road, but not the spot I was traveling in. It happened a few times in a very short period. It cleared and then I passed another very familiar road sign. I gasped and asked my colleague how long we had been talking. They checked their watch and it had been only 10 minutes. I began to calculate when I saw the first road sign and the time lapse in our conversation. I gasped again and told my colleague where I was. She gasped, as I was now only 15 minutes from my destination instead of an hour and 20 minutes out... which is what it should have been.

I love being connected to the One who is beyond time and cares more deeply about people's lives than my schedule... Still love knowing He can take care of my time schedule too!


Thursday, August 14, 2014

Reflections from the Heartwood

Here we are - away in the woods. Here seeking the Lord for His heart
& direction for this year. We took time to worship together & have devotions. The harmonies were good, the worship rose up and I was thankful to be part of seeing that the Lord answered incredibly and a piece of last years vision has been realized. The prescense of the Lord was present & our hearts were being touched. We had paused, turned to Him and He met us.

We are worshipping ...but also....encountering the grace of God with us, involved with us. Preparing our hearts for tomorrow and for "a night of rest". We found ourselves taking a moment to reflect on His word - Eph. 3:20-21 is shared. We talk of how to Stand. Strengthen. Serve. We find pieces of scripture touching our hearts. Yet, we pause - breathe and prepare our hearts even more to listen and move forward once again.

Off we go to rest... thankful for the Lord's goodness. Thankful for the friends He gives us. Thankful for the "fellowship"!!!

Spirare Christos - Breathe Christ

Why this? In a moment of defining who we desire to be - it came in a simple phrase, "One who breathes Christ." His essence in, His life in - into the core of who we are - no closed doors, no hidden agenda. Simply one who is connected to the understanding of complete dependence through total abandoned - knowing every breathe comes from Him and is for Him.

Then it is one who after breathing IN - breathes OUT... His life, His essence into the world around them. Who has as a core desire the quest to be "poured out" for Him in service & love to those we touch in our daily lives.

I am one desiring to BREATHE CHRIST moment by moment - to touch the world one life at at time!

Pauses to Be Thankful

Wow! You have one day of fun and find another to stop because of the sorrow one feels. We were home one day and our little dog came out to see me. She all the sudden had a huge seizure which went on for a couple minutes. When it was over she got up and seemed fine. Still - it is just the next phase of her aging. She has been having mini-siezures for sometime now. She falls down lots of times a day, she falls off things - like our bed and we hope she does not hurt herself - once even went down our stairs, which was awful! You stop and have to consider how far to let things go. You cry thinking about the decisions and feel for your parents who have been through it before. Life is hard in these moments! It makes one identify with the fact that "creation" groans for something better. Yet, this is such a small thing in comparison with the suffering that goes on around us. Our neighbor had a friend commit suicide - and you stop and shed a tear for the loss of someone so young. It makes you get on your knees and share your heart with the "Creator". It makes you feel His heart for all that happens and how He longs to make Himself real to each one who cries.

Evening of Pondering


I have spent the last few days on a quest to understand a new trend. It is a trend that young
teenagers are getting in to more these days. It is "cutting". I have been asked why young people would want to do this to themselves, and I have found myself seeking the Lord for answers. I read about the sadness that fills the hearts & lives of young people. I read how it is a "temporary" release to the pent up feelings. I hear how my daughters have fb friends who have tried it or gotten caught in it. Questions fill my heart and I ask, how do we reach out? How does one touch the lives of ones who are hurting? In the midst of these times of soul searching and listening in the quiet for answers, I am reading a book called "Jesus Loves You, this I know" by two guys who have gone beyond the ordinary to show an empty world that there is unconditional love out there. It does not come with a list of does and don'ts or a list of "how to join the club". Rather, they found unconventional ways to go the extra mile. To do the extra-ordinary to touch loves with Jesus' love. I pause and look deep into my own live, my past, my experiences and long for ... those "connecting points" to be one who shares a moment with a stranger, who finds a new friend a long the way, who walks alongside the one who is hurting and lonely... Thoughts... Prayers... Waiting...

Appreciating the Moments (Gals Night Out)

After two days away at a "Gals Night Out", which consisted of my closest "female" family members, I pause to think how wonderful it is to have the times to stop and create memories. We had a blast, out at a hotel, swimming in the pool, resting in the hot tub, eating out, watching DVDs we brought, getting a make-over from a friend, telling silly ghost stories late at night... not getting much sleep BUT WOW the fun memories! So much to record in the wonderful memories with my mom, my neice & my girls. Laying in the pull out sofa bed while my girls laughed so much and told such silly stories... my mom got laughing so hard she could hardly stop. All of us just enjoying each other's company and finding fun in each moment.

I stop pausing to thank my dearest friend for this opportunity. Thankful to friend to be able to leave the office with confidence, while throughly enjoying being away. Thankful for the PAUSE in what has been a very busy couple of months.

What an incredible day!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Sunday Encounter

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, we were running to Target to pick up some chips and things to contribute to the afternoon picnic with friends. After gathering our items, we dashed through checkout and jumped in our car – heading out to the local park to meet our friends. There in the center of the median was a lady with dark glasses and a walking stick, holding a sign asking for help. We swooshed past and headed down the road. My mind was circling around the story I had heard earlier from a friend that had stopped and helped someone in a similar situation.


As we arrived at the park, we dropped our teenager and her friend off, told them to go ahead and to tell our friends we would be back shortly. My husband read my mind and knew I wanted to go back and see if we could help the lady we had seen. We formed our thoughts as we drove back to Target. We would get a couple of sandwiches and drinks – then take a moment to meet her. We got our items together and I crossed the parking lot.


Jem was standing there with her sign. She obviously had limited sight. Jem gladly received the lunch type items in my bag – along with a Target card for later. She told me about losing her home and about her family’s situation. She was in our neighborhood so her daughter, who was also struggling would not see her. She cried as she talked about trying to get a bus ticket to join her sister in Tennessee, who is also blind and has room for her. Her mother’s heart struggled with leaving her daughter and grandchildren in Minnesota to resolve the custody battle she was dealing with. We talked and took a moment to declare blessing over her next steps. I truly met a “jem” of a person that afternoon. I was glad to have followed that inner heart leading, as my afternoon was a bit blessed by the encounter.