Inspirational Blog

Some things are beyond my ability to get my mind around. They’re just too horrible, too egregious, too unbearable to absorb. My first knowledge that something horrific had happened in Charleston, SC, came from my son-in-law’s Facebook post: “God be with the devastated people of Charleston. Kyrie eleison.” To be honest, I wondered if I

Recently, I dutifully kept a semi-annual appointment to get my teeth cleaned, and when I positioned myself in the dentist’s chair (an uncomfortable, vulnerable place to start with) I was assaulted with a blanket of the previous patient’s perfume. The hygienist assured me she had wiped down the surfaces, and she quickly did that again.

A Winner! When thoroughbred American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes, I whooped so loudly our arthritic Lab struggled to her feet in alarm. The beautiful bay colt with a faint white star on his forehead and fire in his distinctively long-striding feet had done it: after a 37 year drought, Pharoah had become only the

“To have and to hold, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish.” Brides and grooms take their vows with sweet sincerity and joyful anticipation. With eyes bright as diamonds, they pledge their devotion and dance to their dreams. Our family rejoiced last weekend in our son’s marriage

A robin has built a nest in the angle of the downspout outside our garage door. It’s not a good spot, because the sound of the heavy automatic door startles her every time it opens or shuts, and the people door right under her nest is equally disturbing. She’s been a persistent builder, because twice

We call it Lake Ferree – the enormous above ground pool we installed a few years ago. For me, the expanse of glistening water is a picture of heaven. There are few things I enjoy more than swimming laps, and even when the water is too cold to be comfortable, I don a wetsuit and

As part of a process of spiritual direction, I’ve been focusing on scriptures about the love of God, and for a couple of weeks I keep returning to 1 Kings 19: 1-9. It’s a familiar story from my childhood Sunday school days about the prophet Elijah fleeing for his life from an angry queen Jezebel.

Jesus’ story about building houses and their foundations has recently been fleshed out in bricks and mortar, in earthen cellars and rotten wood thanks to a new old house our son bought the end of the summer. Built in the early 1900s, the house is the kind that takes vision, perseverance and money. At this

Family has been on my mind a lot lately. Our son is getting married in a few weeks to a young woman whom David and I adore, and we couldn’t be happier for them. All the wedding preparations bring memories of weddings past – our daughter’s wedding 10 years ago and our own 34 years

After examining the tooth I had chipped for the third time in less than two years, the dentist asked if I might be grinding my teeth. I admit I was a bit offended. However, based on the hundreds of dollars and hours of dental work required to thrice fix the injured tooth, the other reasonable

“Trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 (NIV) I’ve long been someone who thrived on being in control. (I just preferred to view it as part of my organized nature). There’s an element of my controlling that is, indeed, helpful. It makes me good at my

On Valentine’s Day the culture focuses on the idealized nature of romantic love, which is surely a positive counterpoint to the usual media fodder of fifty shades of betrayal and breakup. The hearts and flowers, though, emphasize love as a feeling instead of love as an action. It’s more important to choose love, I think, than to

“I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.” (Jer. 29: 11) Bethesda Workshops was blessed recently to take part in a guided Visioning Retreat for our board of directors and some others closely associated with the ministry. The facilitator led us to think first about what we’re doing well – what is working

Paul has reminded us that bitterness will destroy relationships and that we are to continually remove it from our lives. As you progress in your recovery and learn to live in continual conscious connection to God, bitterness is replaced by kindness and compassion toward others. The process of this transformation is forgiveness. Forgiveness is never

As we identified the in the last “encouragement” segment about the old man and the new man, living a life of integrity and authenticity is an ongoing and continuous process. It involves the daily choices and surrenders of taking off those attitudes and behaviors that were a part of our old life and putting on

In Ephesians 4 Paul has been urging us to take off the old and put on the new. This taking off has included dishonesty and criticalness, while putting on affirmation, along with honesty of emotions. Now Paul tells us, “Let all bitterness…..be put away from you, along with all malice.”  Bitterness and seeking to emotionally hurt

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Church he encouraged them to put off the old self and to put on the new self. The tense of the verb in Greek is present perfect, which means it involves an ongoing and continuous action. Paul outlines attitudes and behaviors that need to be continuously “put on” and

I’m not a superstitious person. I don’t spy a devil under every bush, or an angel, either, for that matter. But I do love the unexpected God flashes that make my spirit smile, stretch and say ahhhh. The kind that appear at just the right moment to punctuate joy or embolden courage or hearten despair.

The Apostle Paul shares an interesting concept in 2 Corinthians 7:10, where he writes, “For godly grief (sorrow) produces repentance …. Whereas worldly grief (sorrow) produces death.” If we would apply these words to recovery we see the difference between guilt and shame. I see “godly grief” as a picture of guilt. When we experience

Beginning with my sabbatical in August, I realized my emotional state is better when I don’t follow the news, at least in televised format. I’m not the junky I was once, yet the acute troubles of our culture intrude, and these days the headlines are especially disturbing. Because of my own story, I’m particularly triggered

The music of Christmas is one of the best parts of the season for me – the spiritual music, at least. I’m not particularly fond of most of the Christmas jingles, though the Charlie Brown Christmas melody never ceases to delight and move me. Many of my most poignant childhood memories involve music. My mother

A recent devotional in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (December 18th) opens with this challenge: “When you are plagued by a persistent problem – one that goes on and on – view it as a rich opportunity.” I immediately connected with the idea of persistent problems, as I too easily focus on things gone wrong. The news

Recently, I left for a speaking trip feeling poorly physically and frazzled emotionally from a variety of challenges that felt weighty in the moment. The events had been planned for months and were important to me, and I doubted I was up to delivering anything close to my best. Before I left for the airport

A recent trip found me people-watching at a major airline hub, which is something I really enjoy. The passing scenery of humanity is fascinating. What people wear (or not), their demeanor and interactions, the food they eat while juggling kids and suitcases – all of it is mesmerizing. This time my focus was mainly on