For His Glory

Once upon a time on April 2, 2022, the first track meet in Milton Freewater, OR wrapped up. I thanked my kid's coach for all her time and effort. I told her I really appreciated it.  Her response, on the other hand, is something that took me by surprise.  Not, "Thank you!"  Not, "No problem."  Not, "I'm so glad you guys could make it."  Nope. It was more like, "I'm so glad Rasean is on the team. He's a real inspiration to everyone, especially the other boys."  I thanked her and went on my way like we'd just exchanged pleasantries. But something about the way she said it made me believe she really meant it -- like really meant it. As volunteers rolled up flags and posted finals scores I walked away from her to the Honey Bucket. Why was I so in awe at her response??  Once in the Honey Bucket, it became a time capsule. Suddenly I was transported to the years and decades I'd safely tucked in the back of my mind.  There she wa...

"But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all." Psalm 22:6 In this passage, Jesus is calling himself a "tola'ath" worm. This is different than any other passage in the Bible that refers to a worm. All others use the word "rimmah" - meaning maggot. But the kind of worm Jesus call Himself, over 1,000 years before heading to the cross is the name for the scarlet or crimson worm. This crimson or scarlet worm was found in ancient Israel. When it was ready to bring forth the life of its young it attached itself to a piece of wood, usually a tree, but sometimes a stick or fence post. Nothing could cause this attachment to the wood to be severed - it was a strong, unmovable attachment. Once the bond was secure, the worm created a protective, scarlet shell to protect her babies prior to them hatching. It is now time for the babies to emerge. As they come forth they eat on their mother who has provided herself as a liv...

  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 Meet Forrest Fenn: Forrest Fenn Hid A Treasure Chest Worth Millions In The Rockies — And People Have Died Looking For It

Equal Joy This is our eldest son, Isaiah . His name means " YAHWEH is salvation ". It's been his name since before we were married. It's just him. Our hope is it completely fulfills who he is as he continues his journey identifying with whose he is. He, and his brother, our truly our pride and joy as I'm sure any parent can relate. Basketball and golf are two words that can get Isaiah's attention at any given moment. He's mostly likely found either at the gym or on the course working hard to perfect his games. Yesterday was a big day for him. He golfed a 40 for the first time on the back nine. He was so excited. That was only the beginning. One of those shots was a chip in for birdie from 30 yards. My heart burst with excitement for him as I was able to see his hard work paying off right before my eyes. But it gets better! After carefully being measured by the clubhouse staff, he discovered someone had donated a set of irons to him that fit per...

There he goes again...talking to people and loving them well. Can't we just go without EVERYONE having to flock to him for conversation? Words I've said about my husband time and time again in my jealous, resentful heart. "No! You don't have to come to the store with me. I mean....I want you to, but it will take ten times longer because everyone will have to talk to you, and you will have to sign autographs (a bit overly dramatized). Words I've actually said to my husband over and over because out of my jealous and resentful heart my big mouth speaks. It's no secret my husband is loved and respected by most in our small community. Seven years ago he unassumingly snuck into town; as one of few blacks here, he wasn't able to sneak for long. Soon, everyone wanted to know who he was, what he did, why he was here, and what he was about. It didn't take long for everyone to see why I fell in love with him as they, too, fell in love with so many things...

****** Probably not my most uplifting post initially, but if you're willing to hang on to the end encouragement is possible. This notion of slow goodbyes has been swirling in my spirit for nearly two weeks. Unfortunately, this life is full of rather sad and sultry goodbyes. They take us by surprise. And by the time we see them for what they are we don't even know they've caught us in their sticky, tangled web. The frog in the boiling pot image comes to mind here. My friend, Helen, reminded me today of the small, every day goodbyes: In this dance we call life we say goodbye every day...goodbye to the morning, goodbye to our children as they head off to school, goodbye to a spouse as we go to work, and ultimately goodbye to the day itself, but the slow goodbye is the toughest because sometimes we don't even know we're in the mist of goodbye.  The parent of a child who is going through, or has gone through, high school understands a slow goodbye. The spo...

Is breathing life into the lives of others even possible? Breath of life...What does it mean? Does it even have a place in our hurried, quick-brewed, instant pot lives filled with tweetable quotes of 100 characters or less? Some might not think so, but I’m beautifully haunted by the story of Sarah that would beg to differ. Sarah's face will forever be etched in the recesses of her nurse's spirit. Their lives collided without warning as she brokenly broke through the doors of a local pregnancy center. Breathless. Her face spoke what words could not – desperation and fear. She said she didn’t have an appointment in her calmest most keep it together  voice, but her face and body screamed don’t turn me away. Please! Not you too. This is my last hope…You are my only hope. Sarah was welcomed with compassion and love. I caught a glimpse of her in the reflection of the doors as she departed. A half-smile sneaked across her face for a brief moment that whispered with humbl...