Category: Adventures

Ruffled Feathers

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“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)

I would like to think that it takes a lot for my feathers to be ruffled, but I don’t think that is an accurate statement. We all have our points where we can feel our body tense up and before we know it our feathers are ruffled.

Being on social media, is sometimes a difficult place. You go online, just to relax and have some mindless conversations. Then, BAM! right in the middle of your news feed on facebook, there it is. A feather ruffler. You start to read and you know you should just scroll on by, but somehow you are drawn in. Like a black hole, you realize you are too far in to turn back. It happens daily, doesn’t it?

I have often said that my facebook page is vanilla. I have hidden, blocked and unfriended anything that I know will get my feathers in a twist. I have pages that I love and my friend list is people I enjoy chatting with or keeping in touch with. I say that my page is all puppy dogs and butterflies and church. And, personally, I like that.

In the past few weeks I have seen a change in the tone on some of my very favorite pages. The admins and moderators are doing a great job at keeping peace and keeping the pages under control. It’s an easy group page. I eagerly go to that page knowing I will laugh and smile and be pointed to the Lord.

Although the admins and the moderators are doing an outstanding job, there is a faction that keeps stirring the pot. It’s not just that page, there seems to be an undertone going on. It’s like people are looking to push buttons and once they have an opinion, everyone else is not right.

This spirit seems to be hovering in all areas of life. It concerns me. The scripture above comes to mind often. I see families dissolving over minor things. Communication is strained. It’s not like anyone has done anything, it is like the enemy of our souls is meddling.

In the end days we will see more and more of this. It can cause fear and misunderstanding. I choose to look up in anticipation. To know that soon, and very soon, we are going to see our King. (sounds like a great song there).

I have thought of ruffled feathers throughout today. Maybe it’s because I allowed my feathers to be ruffled a couple of days ago. I simply stated my opinion and went on to another notification. Today, I received back lash from it. Usually when this happens I can feel the anger rise up within me. My nerves start to quiver. I shake as I try to reinsert my views. Today, I merely restated my opinion and walked away. I have a feeling soon, this will be the norm for us all.

The one positive of ruffled feathers, though, is you are forced to examine your own thoughts and opinions. Do I really believe such and such? Why is that my belief?

It’s a good thing while your feathers are ruffled to look closely at them, smooth them down and be rational. I hope someone else needed to see this like I needed to write it.

Changing Past Reflections

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“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Just a thought for today. How often do we look at our reflection and play an old record in our mind?

You know the type of recording, for some it may be a mental 77 rpm’s, a 33 long play, or a 45rpm. Or, some people listen to old mental recordings on a 8-track, cassette, or a disc. The point being, that at some point in our lives something was said, or hinted at and we recorded it in our mind. It became a part of us. It is what we listen to when we view ourselves.

Yesterday Dale and I had a conversation. It was an interesting one for both of us. We sat down to talk about what we’d like to get accomplished in the next little bit and out poured thoughts that we both thought were long buried and forgotten.

It wasn’t an argument, it was a real conversation, a good one. The result being I have since thought of the records (I’d like to say 45’s but it’s more like the long play album of a 33) that I listen to.

I have a pretty good memory, which is good, considering my age. But sometimes with that memory I think of off handed comments said in a moment and yet they cling to me like gospel truth. These thoughts do not build me up. I use them to criticize and tear myself down. I thought I had erased bad recordings, but like a stack of records you sometimes hit upon an oldie you had forgotten about.

All of this to say, for me, and hopefully someone else as weirdly wired as me, that our Lord is in the business of erasing for good all the old recordings we don’t need. Even at my age, I still discover that God isn’t finished with me yet. He continues to hold tight to me and fashion me into someone with a child like faith. Grasping onto my Savior’s hand and trusting Him to lead me where He wants me to go.

Sometimes that path means leaving the unplayed stack of records on it’s own and rediscovering melodies sang to me by God.

Looking at the Same Things

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“They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:23 (NKJV)

I have found out from living in various places that you can become accustomed to a place.

Growing up in Oil City, PA, I took for granted the Allegheny River and Oil Creek flowing through our town. The hills and the change of seasons were things that just happened, like clock work. They had always been there, so they would always be there.

When I married and moved to VA, I was amazed at seeing the Atlantic daily. I was in awe of the vastness of the ocean. It was an adventure, but I missed the hills of Oil City. I missed knowing where everything was. I missed home.

Eventually we left Virginia and moved to Japan. A foreign country with such a vast history was fascinating to me. The noise, the crowds, the trains, the language and the writing, each so unique and incredible to me. We eventually moved to our permanent quarters which looked out to Mt Fuji in the distance. I thought I would never tire of seeing this sight. Yet, after a few weeks I would open my blinds and continue on my day. Yes, we lived on a plateau overlooking Sagami Bay with Fuji looming behind that, but, it was home and life went on.

A few years later, we moved to the coast of Maine. Again, magnificence out our door. Lobster boats, the rock bound coast that challenged the Atlantic ocean in a different way than Virginia. The absolute cold and snow, the boundless beauty of this area. It was breathtaking and yet, during the summer I would be frustrated with tourist as they slowly made their way around the loop road. I would sigh, and say, yes, those are rocks, those are waves crashing, but I am on my way to the base, keep moving. I was accustomed to the sights.

I did the same with the view from our house in San Diego. The Coronado bridge, the bay, Point Loma, the sunsets painted by our Lord. Yet, it was home, dishes were done, meals cooked, laundry done.

It finally occurred to me that although sights capture your attention and are new when you first arrive, they become commonplace when you see them daily.

I thought of this today as I drove home from the store. The leaves on the trees lining a driveway for a farm shined brightly in the cold sunlight. It caught my attention and I asked forgiveness for taking such a beautiful view for granted.

Each day with our Lord is new. Each day is filled with fresh mercy and grace and forgiveness. How sad that our Creator wakes the world up, each place painted in a new way for a new day and we just drive down a road thinking about something entirely different.

This world was created for us. For our habitation, for our enjoyment, for our adventures and we grouse about so much.

Lord, let me see each day with Your eyes. Refresh my sight to see Your glory. Amen.

Refrigerators and Dreams

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“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

Today was our day for our monthly Costco trip. Because of this, today I cleaned out my refrigerator, which sadly, I have neglected for a couple of weeks.

As I opened the fridge, I went for anything expired. Milk, lemonade, we are not huge milk drinkers, so that is a usual toss for us. The lemonade was pushed to the back and forgotten. It was past it’s prime, let’s say. Next the wilted celery was tossed, and bits and pieces of some other vegetables. After this, leftovers.

Cleaning the refrigerator is a job no one likes. I try to keep mine up to date, and use everything that is put in there.

As I tossed things I thought to myself, oh yeh, I was going to make this, or use this for (fill in the blanks). We all do this. We put things leftover from dinners, pledging to ourselves that we will make soup, or make a hash, but that we will promise to use what is left.

When I took my trash out to the can, it occurred to me that we do the same with our dreams. We feel prompted to do something or make something or bless someone. After the initial excitement, dreams are pushed to the back. Sometimes they are forgotten or just put on hold.

Often, out of fear, our dreams stagnate and evaporate into a distant thought. How sad this is. I believe that our Lord places within us dreams for our future, for our present and for our ministry. We initially have a rush of thoughts and plans only to panic and place those ideas into the back dusty closet of our hearts and minds.

Our Lord tells us in His word several times, to be courageous, to be strong, and to trust that He is going to be with us each step of the way. He will not leave us, He will walk along side of us, leading and directing us. He promises this. Lean on Him for He will give us strength and courage.

At the beginning of this year I revived a dream to write a book. This has been a year for me of roadblocks. Thinking about it, every couple of months I have faced a challenge. I sometimes get a thought to toss that dream back into the closet. Fortunately, I have a group of women who have committed to be there for me. To challenge me, to encourage me, to pray for me. I cherish these women. Because of them, that dream is as fresh today as it was in January when I retrieved it from that dark closet of my heart. I had hoped to have it roughly finished by November. Although that is not going to happen, I know that it will be done. I am facing my fears of inadequacy and seeing the hand of my Savior reaching towards me to continue this journey.

What journey have you been afraid to start? “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

Join me in my journey of seeing dreams being fulfilled.

Flying Towards a Reflection

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“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Matthew 6:25-27 (NLT)

This morning I was in the kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I saw something hit the window. I stopped what I was doing and looked out the window. What I saw confirmed what I thought, a bird had flown into the window.

As I looked outside I saw the bird laying on the ground, it’s talons twitching and then stopping. My heart sank.

I finished what I was doing and went outside to check on the bird. It lay motionless on the ground. I was hoping there was something I could have done. Figuring it might just be passed out, I prayed asking the Lord to restore this bird.

I looked at the window and saw the reflection of the sky and the trees on the opposite side of the driveway. It actually looked like it was part of the sky. The poor bird thought it was going to continue flying freely in the air. Instead, it hit the reflection in the window.

I know that birds have shorter life spans and the circle of life, and so on, but I felt so bad for this little creature. I finished up my chores inside and walked out the door to do my morning walk. I glanced on the ground, thinking that I would somehow at least bury this bird.

The bird was gone. I looked everywhere. No bird. The bird recovered from it’s shock and flew away without my notice.

How often do we look at a reflection of something we want, or somewhere we think we should go? Often times we are looking at a reflection, not the real thing. I thought of all the times I thought I needed something and saw a reflection only to reach out and grasp it and hitting what it was reflected on.

I return to the scripture above in Matthew. I may worry and fret and ponder about the next few days, weeks, months. But our Lord, knows exactly what is going to happen. He is there in my tomorrows. Today I had a tangible lesson. I saw a bird hurling itself into a reflection. It was stunned. It lay on the ground with the wind knocked out of it. But, our Lord cares for the birds of the air, how much more is He going to care for us?

Another Fall post

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The Lord has a sense of humor. I have always thought that, after all, He created me. That aside, as I walked out to drive to Bible Study this morning I remembered something about this glorious season.

Our side porch was covered in leaves. Lots of them. It is then that I remembered another side of fall ~ leaves. I know I have waxed poetic about the beauty and the rustling and even about the dance of leaves. I believed everything I wrote also.

Today however, I remembered fall. I kicked away the leaves and left. As I drove up the driveway there was a little swirl of fallen leaves as I drove by. These are those brown lifeless leaves, the kind that need to be raked.

I came home and swept my front porch. That was just a couple of hours ago. Looking out, it needs swept again. I really haven’t bothered with my side porch yet. I know once I start I will be doing it several times a day. At least with snow, you can shovel it and it remains a path of sorts. Our leaves, they just pile up.

Soon our driveway (gravel) will disappear. You will turn into our driveway and won’t be able to tell what is yard and what is gravel unless you know where it is.

Yes, I am grousing a bit about this, but, it’s not that I am disliking or angry about it all. No, I still love fall. Truthfully, I won’t be sweeping often to keep the porches clear, but I will make certain they won’t be slippery to walk on.

Our first frost warning was issued for Wednesday night (well, early morning). It’s a great time of year. I love the crispness and the leaves and the light.

I just smiled today as I looked at the side porch covered up. I could almost hear our Lord chuckling to me as if to say, “So, you love this season? How about those leaves?” And as I go to sweep them and rake a bit, I will be thankful to be able to do so. Thankful for a God who gives us seasons and lessons to learn during them.

A Sunday Laugh

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I usually ask the Lord what to write for my blog posts. The other day, Thursday, I had nothing. I went out to walk to hopefully get some idea of what to do.

As I stepped outside I heard, if only my legs would move. I chuckled to myself and thought that I could write something on that. I continued walking and thought about the light shining in our yard.

I came in, wrote both posts and actually scheduled the autumn light post first. After scheduling the posts I felt a nudge from the Lord. This nudge was that the one about dancing was from the Lord and was I going to put Him second. Well, obviously, I changed the order of the posts and I thought that was the end of it.

This morning at church as we stood to sing worship, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to a friend of mine and she said, “Don’t forget to shake those hips”. I cracked up.

I know this woman reads my blog and she blesses me each time I see her name on a post. This was the first time anyone has commented personally to me in this way. The laughter she gave to me this morning was a gift.

I am so grateful for this blog. I am thankful for those who read and respond. I pray that the words I write will bless and minister to those who read. I also hope that you can get a smile at times.

Please know that I am blessed and ministered to daily from all of you.

External Scars

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We all carry scars on our body. I have several. One is where I fell on a sickle cut branch and broke a stick off in my leg. It ended up circling around my leg and coming out the same hole it went in. But, that’s another story.

Another scar is from when I slipped in a parking lot area and fell on a spike laying on the side of the road.

Later on I received a scar after cutting some bread and cut my finger instead.

Yes, we all carry scars. Each scar has a story behind it. Some of the stories make you grimace and some are just wonderfully funny stories. Scars show a life well lived.

External scars can be talked about for the most part. They are noticeable and can become conversation starters.

There is another type of scar though. These scars are the ones not seen. Looking at a person you can never tell what internal scars they have. Broken hearts are not readily visible, nor are trauma scars, emotional scars, scars from grief or scars of rejection. Each of us also carry those scars. It’s just that we hide them, tucked away in our inner being.

What if those internal scars revealed themselves? Somehow showing the slight bump or thinner skin like the ones I talked about? How would we deal with them?

I have heard that I have great insight. Ha! I think any insight I may have is first of all, from the Lord. Secondly, any insight comes from internal scars that I carry with me. Sometimes it is referred to as the school of hard knocks, I personally refer to it as life.

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 139:14, “14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” (NKJV)

Each one of us was created in our Mother’s womb. Carefully knit together by the hand of God. He lovingly created our lives, knowing that the form developing in the womb would one day be scarred, internally and externally. It’s not what He desires, but, we are in this world. We fall down, we get hurt, people hurt us. With each bump and bruise we recover, but we are not the same.

Some external wounds take time to heal, and leave a reminder of what happened. Some internal wounds do the same, taking a season to heal and leaving a tender area in us. Since the internal wounds are hidden, they sometimes are never fully healed.

Isaiah 53:3-5 talks about our Lord and how He came to heal us, externally and internally. “He was despised and rejected—  a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” (NLT)

Sometimes it’s easier to believe that outer injuries can be easily taken to the Lord. It’s easier to say, I believe, and wait to see a healing done to our bodies. It’s the internal that we keep hidden that is harder to believe for. We hide that broken heart, that broken spirit, the trauma, the emotional abuse, it’s not something we can talk about. Nonetheless, we need to take that to our Lord. His stripes that He bore for us, heal our entire person, inside and out.

I encourage you, if there is something in the recesses of your heart that is hard on you, take that first little step and let our Lord look at it. He can and will heal you.

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NLT)

Autumn Evening Light

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As I stepped outside this evening, the light was incredible. The leaves are slowly leaving the trees and squirrel nests are visible from the ground. I walked outside to be inspired to write something. Like the fall season, it’s like my mind is slowing down and wanting to hibernate for a bit.

The scent of the leaves and the sound of the trees rustling gently in the evening light was just what I needed, actually. I love how the light disperses around our home. The shadows are cast and the highlights that stream through the trees always blesses me.

Our maple tree is slowly turning red and soon the branches will be bare. It will be a slow journey and eventually the wind will hurry up our road bringing a chill to my walks.

The grape vines are succumbing to the end of summer and they too will soon shed their leaves and wait to be pruned next spring. It seems like the world is slowing down, resting, preparing for a long winter’s nap.

All of this speaks to me, stirring up a yearning for me somehow. With some of our trees being cleared this summer, the pathways through are woods fascinate me. One of my favorite poems is by Robert Frost. It is written about the winter and yet, each time I look into my woods I hear it in my mind.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Robert Frost – 1874-1963

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Our woods call to me each time I see them. Each time I hear, ” Whose woods these are, I think I know”. I smile to myself, I know whose woods these are, they are ours. Our Lord has blessed us abundantly with this property. When we moved here, we promised ourselves and our Lord to take care of this place and have it be a place of ministry to any who visited us.

So, yes, I do have promises to keep and as every housewife knows, and miles to go before I sleep.

If Only My Legs would Move

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I love music. I love dancing, but, my feet do not move and so I stand stationary with a slight sway and sporadic hip movements. I have always longed to dance freely and I think, as a child, I did.

Somewhere a switch turned off and since then, I sway.

Each St. Patrick’s day there is a yearning deep within me to do a jig. I can feel it rising up and yet, nothing. I sway, longing to move and dreaming of someday being in Ireland. I have thought if I could get to Ireland and get in touch with my heritage, I could jig.

There was a year in our family where we celebrated many weddings. My sisters danced and had a wonderful time. I watched, aching to join in. But, my legs would not move.

In worship, I see people moving, dancing before our Lord. Again, I sway. I have actually prayed that the Lord would loosen my feet, loosen my legs and let the joy I have deep inside overflow into dance. It must be one of those prayers whose answer is Wait.

So, wait I do. I imagine when I get to heaven I will hit the gates dancing. I will be filled with such joy that I will not stop dancing. I will do a jig with my parents, I will do a dance with my child who is there, I will joyfully bounce with David, and do jazz hands with the apostles. With Jesus, I will do a waltz, allowing Him to lead me sweep across heaven, swirling and twirling. I wonder if Joshua would do a tango?

We took a dance course. It was fun, but like higher math, it did not sink into me. So, I remain a swayer yearning to explode joyfully before the Lord. Until then, I will wait and ponder on this scripture.

“Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp. 4 For the Lord delights in his people;  he crowns the humble with victory.” Psalm 149:3-4 (NLT)