Time for a Good Pruning

I have a confession to make. I am a terrible, terrible plant keeper. I have 4 plants in my office, and they are lucky if they get water on a weekly basis! To pay for my lack of attention, I end up needing to take them all into the utility room occasionally to cut away the dead leaves and vines…while vowing to take better care of them. (It really is a miracle they are even still alive!)

Not Fast, But Far

“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” ~  African proverb

This proverb was quoted to me recently by our own Carlye Peterson, director of the recent production of Annie here at Family of Christ. I love inspirational and motivational quotes. This one rings especially true for me. It rings true for our recent all-church musical production, and it rings true for the multitude of fabulous ministries that happen each and every day at Family of Christ.

When we work together, we accomplish more than we could ever accomplish alone…and, oftentimes, more than we could ever imagine.

Road Trip

In February, I drove with our daughter, Maddie, to her first post-college adventure: a paid internship at a wildlife refuge in Arkansas. She’s truly a wildlife biologist now. Not a ‘Wildlife Biology major,’ but a ‘wildlife biologist.’ Boy, did that ever happen fast…at least for me.

Peace in the Middle of Panic

My heart is beating rapidly as I look at my calendar for the next week. The all-church musical “Annie” is beginning dress rehearsals as we lead up to the performances on March 2-4. Different thoughts course through my mind…dance steps and lines, how to play all these songs written in six flats on the violin, with some semblance of proper intonation…SIX FLATS. Lord, give me strength.

Adultitis

Ever had the urge to resign from adulthood and return to the carefree days of childhood? Perhaps you’re like many people and your budget is stretched, busy is the new normal, and stress is a constant companion. It’s like you’re on a merry-go-round, spinning at warp speed, and you just want to yell, “Stop!”

God’s Box of Chocolates

Everywhere you look at the beginning of February you see love-themed treats and presents for Valentine’s Day. A staff favorite (and mine) is a box of chocolates – each candy promising to be the best choice and the only one I will ever love. However, one thing that’s always on my mind when I choose a piece of candy is that I don’t know for sure what flavor it will be. I find this to be a simile for the way we might look at life.

Keeping Sabbath

As we enter the season of Lent, the staff at FoC has been asked to read the book Sabbath by Wayne Muller. At first I was hesitant, because I thought, “Who in the world has time to read a book?” Now that I am halfway through the book, I realize how badly I need to absorb the words coming off the pages.

Peak To Peek

Did you know that the word mountain appears 178 times in the King James version of the Bible? I find it no small coincidence when you look over our pastoral staff, past and present, that they have a love for hiking. Not just the ‘plain Jane’ type either. No, they love hiking ‘the road less traveled’ that leads up to the top of a hill or mountain. I’m sure it’s in their DNA. They are by nature leaders and explorers.

Called to Love & Serve

I start my days with strong coffee (with plenty of half-and-half) and the Star Tribune, print format. I scan the front page, study the celebrity gossip on page 2, read much of the metro section including the obits, and check in with the delightful family of the comic strip Stone Soup.

I’m fascinated by Evie, the grandma, who, after years of faithfully (and hilariously) tending her children and grandchildren, is now stepping out on her own to do the things she’s always dreamed of doing — like going on safari in Africa and joining in rebuilding Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 2010. She meets an attractive older gentleman there, so presumably there is more to the story than is revealed in a family newspaper (!). But I think Edie’s adventure is an experience of call.

Don’t Burst My Bubble

I’m a “glass half full” kind of girl or, as my husband says, I tend to “live in my bubble of warmth and goodness.” He’s right. I do tend to see the world in a more positive light, not really choosing to “see” or dwell on the ugly or bad. I do have the advantage of a fantastic work environment and a very blessed home and family life, though. But I think that, in general, that’s just how I’m made. There are many negative things in the world and change is always all around us, but “we know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves God” (Romans 8:28).