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Starting Over
For those of you who have read this blog in the past, you have probably noticed that it has been absent for a while. This is the first time since January I have written a blog; it is also the beginning of a new and long-term series from Leader Formation. Why have we been silent for so long? I will tell you. On Sunday evening, January 29, I was meeting with a group in a business building and as I was descending a set of stairs. I fell down four steps to the marble floor at the bottom of the stairs and was knocked out. After ten minutes I came…
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The Crazed Creation is under the Curse
“Pain is a blessing in disguise.” Really? Today, many Christian women seek psychotherapy. Surprised? Because Christians shouldn’t feel angry or depressed. I have struggled with doubt and loneliness due to infertility. With the Christianese platitudes that ensued, the sense that people in church disapproved of my struggle was hard to miss. As a Bible study leader, I wasn’t supposed to struggle. Some of us feel uptight about pain. So we rush others through their pain. We try to fix it instead of letting God fix it, all in the name of Fake Happy. But the plastic church smile only perpetuates…
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This Too Shall Pass
I wrote this blog post on May 7, 2012, not quite five years ago. I had no idea that by this point, I would hardly be walking, using a scooter 95% of the time and unable to move without a walker for the rest. Pain and serious weakness are my daily companions. As I noticed the counts on my most popular blog posts and discovered this one among the top, I am grateful that the wisdom God gave me five years ago is even more true today. And I am grateful that I can even minister to myself . . . Sometimes it’s the simplest things that help us navigate…
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Leaning Hard
I wondered when it would happen, when the pain and weakness from post-polio, exacerbated by hip arthritis, would set me up for a fall. And now I know. The other day I took a tumble. I forgot to have my husband put my walker in the back of my mini-van. At some point this year I discovered that leaning on a cane for stability wasn’t enough, and I need a walker for literally every step. But this level of loss and disability is still new to me; sometimes I forget that my “new normal” demands things like taking a walker with me. When I got to my destination, all I…
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Beware—You Are Being Chased
This past week my husband and I were chased down. Separately, but on the same day, the same morning in fact, we were tailed. You, too, are being pursued and followed. Did you know that? Before you shut down your social media sites and seek an attorney, let me explain. We pursue new jobs, new promotions, new advancements, and new recognition. We pursue new restaurants, new friends, new fashions, and new technology. Our favorite tale of pursuit is: Boy meets girl. Boy pursues girl. Boy marries girl. And they live happily ever after… The flowers, the romance, the drama, the happy ending—love wins, and we love it. We love the…
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Making Room for Pain
“You’re not jumping two phone books high! Jump higher. Let these kids know how much you love Jesus!” And then I felt it—the water gun hit my back, mingling with the copious amount of sweat already drenching my t-shirt. Yes, that’s right—a water gun. Camp staff members were squirted if they didn’t jump high enough to show their enthusiastic love for Jesus while welcoming the kids to camp in 100-degree sticky heat. It was the start of a very difficult six weeks for me. In the midst of what my doctor diagnosed as chronic depression, I had been hired to serve as camp counselor for middle school girls. I had…
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God’s Thoughts and Ways – Part VIII (Joseph)
Joseph from Servanthood to Ruler Joseph knows from his youth that he will be a leader in charge of many. This is the destiny that God has put into his heart. However, those closest to him can not see it.
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5 Ways to Spring Into Trusting God More
Some days I don’t want to get out of bed. Last week I woke up excited about life. Today? Not so much. When stuff doesn’t pan out the way I want, my outlook deteriorates quickly. Every unexpected turn brings new challenges, and then I buckle under pressure. I have known this about myself. My closest friends have often challenged me to have more faith especially when things don’t go my way. My husband does his best to encourage me. But as a stubborn woman, I want things to happen my way and in my timing. I tend to cling to me as opposed to Him. So here…
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How to Suffer Effectively
Suffering has been effective when you are more Christlike (i.e., more obedient) at its conclusion.
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Struggling to Feel Thankful in This Circumstance
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.” That’s what I read in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. I’ve taught this principle of thankfulness to others for many years. I know it’s how I am supposed to respond to daily life, including hard situations. Yet, I am struggling to feel thankful today (ironically, the day after Thanksgiving). While attending a women’s conference in Colorado Springs last weekend that was supposed to encourage me in my own ministry to women, my dear husband broke his ankle in two places. Yep. Ambulance ride, ER, crutches, pain, very little sleep at night. It’s been a very hard week. He’s having surgery on…
