Missing Piece

Whether by distance or death, misunderstandings or personal choice, some family gatherings are missing loved ones.  Past holiday gatherings may have unearthed long buried grievances. So you simply drew the boundary and don't speak to one another.

Being confined in one house with friends and family we don't see eye to eye with may bring out the worst behavior.  So we keep our visits short or not at all.

Distance may have separated you from loved ones that was not your choice.  A new job, school, bad weather preventing you from reaching home or fighting a war on the other side of the world.

And the ultimate separation of death makes the holidays hard to celebrate.  You are in survival mode.  Navigating disappointing, toxic relationships can be exhausting.  Sorry I am starting out on a sour note.

The good news was in a gift I received from one of my children.  A puzzle charm with the words family, truth, joy, kindness, courage, love, loyalty, humor, and hope.  They are so thoughtful in their gifting.



When I think back on some disappointing gatherings and strained relationships, then I hear my adult child's words, "You are the missing piece, Mom".  It blesses me beyond measure and encourages me to think on the positive celebrations from the past...as recent as yesterday.

God bless you as you dwell on the kindness, courage, love, loyalty, humor and hope that surrounds your gatherings.

Surrounded by grace!

Let Jesus's love define your life

Let Jesus's love define your life. 

After jealousy and arrogance reared their ugly heads, God dropped that statement into my soul. It looks quite simple. But it’s not.

Where do I start with let Jesus’s love define your life. I am on the hunt for Jesus’s defining love in scripture.

Sacrifice defines Jesus’s love. "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my (Jesus') sake will find it." Matthew 10:39

When a situation with my friend came about, if I would have sacrificed my own indignant thinking on the altar of sacrificial love, considering them before myself, then jealousy and arrogance would not have developed into a full blown hissy fit (a very spiritual term).

If I would have sacrificed time to go before Jesus, then He would have taken care of it quickly, instead of days spent beating myself up for un-Christ like behavior. 

Humility also defines Jesus’s love. 

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (the Pharisee and the tax collector parable in Luke 18:9-14). 

The Pharisee openly compared himself to the tax collector and came up righteous in that self-serving moment. He was blind to his sin of self righteousness but the tax collector said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” He knew himself to be full of sin before God and with humility threw himself on the mercy of God. Jesus proclaimed the tax collector justified because he humbled himself.  Amazing!

Luke 18: 9 “He (Jesus) told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.”

When I am jealous and arrogant about that jealousy, then I am not humble, seeking to justify unjustifiable actions. I am a Pharisee. I am not allowing my life to be defined by Jesus’s love. God, be merciful to me, a sinner! And He is. Glory!

Kindness and patience embodies the love of Jesus. Look how he treated children in Matthew 19:14 “…but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’ “

Who is more open and guileless than a child? Jesus recognized their worth and called them to himself. I watched a child crawl all over my friend. My friend let this little one poke at her face, pull at her earring, jump up in her lap and treat my friend like a jungle gym! She was so patient and kind to this little child. What an example of Jesus in her love!

Picture this! The children rushed to Jesus as they flew from their parents arms into his lap; poking at His face, pulling at His ear, stroking His hair. He laid hands on everyone and prayed for them. Oh to hear the prayers of Jesus for His Kingdom inheritors. I can hear Him say, “You are dearly loved and wanted. I love you best and most. You will be Kings and Queens in my Kingdom. Never forget… I love you!”

That’s what He says to this child after I came to Him, confessing my jealousy and arrogance and asking for mercy. Desperately needed…freely given. Glory be to God!

Finally Unashamed

It's easy to be an anonymous, faceless person typing behind a keyboard about a relationship with Jesus. Some of my friends are unashamedly evangelistic. With ease they share the good news of salvation through God's sent Son, Jesus.  Me?  I limp along feeling very uncomfortable in risking rejection, ridicule and misunderstanding.  I claim 'other' gifts and leave the sharing to others in the body of Christ.  Until recently.

Yesterday prior to our neighborhood's ladies lunch, I deliberately determined not to talk about myself unless asked point blank. (Please tell me I am not alone in this!) As we finished up sharing delicious appetizers then settled in over plates of cookies (my poor thighs), one of our friends asked us to go around and share about ourselves. We had a couple of new ladies in the group this month. My turn came and I shared facts.  Doing okay so far.

Then my friend encouraged me to share about the Bible study that meets in my home AND my writing. Sharing my broken journey connected with some on a deeper level. I could see it in their eyes. Finally unashamed.



Too often, people who attend church, study the Bible and profess to be Christian's are judged as 'holier than thou' and others find it hard to relate to us. With a clarity I don't usually possess, I told all my friends that we are ALL broken and in need of someone bigger than ourselves. We ALL need rescuing. We ALL need a Savior.  The foot of the cross has always been a level field. The manger holds the answers. The empty tomb offers hope for an eternity that our finite brains can not grasp.




Christ-mas is your opportunity to receive God's provision of love and acceptance in the face of His Son Jesus for your broken life. We ALL have one. We ALL need Him.

If you were having coffee with me face-to-face, I would unashamedly share.

Merry Christmas to all as we grow in grace.

Dream a little dream

My dreams are kinda crazy but have meaning.  Some of them do.  When I wake from a dream with residual emotions that stay with me, then I pay close attention.  When they are a sci-fi nightmare, I smile and move on for morning coffee!

Before I woke up, I was in a mall with my husband, John.  Having him in my dream is significant because he usually isn't.  We were away from home in a shopping mall buying food for our dog.  But she was no where around.  I woke up feeling panicked because our dog was somewhere; in a place I didn't know and couldn't find.

What does it all mean?  Usually a dream of panicked loss, means loss of control in my waking life: which is an illusion because I don't have control over anything or anyone except my own actions and impulses.

How about you?  Are you experiencing loss or disappointment in life?  Has someone close to you hurt you or said cruel words that wounded your heart?  Are you angry over an injustice or misunderstanding?  Are you caught up in a nightmare habit that is ruining your life and relationships?

Name it right now, then fall to your knees and cry out to the Lord concerning your loss.  Really, stand up off your chair, turn around and get down on your knees physically.  This posture of humility will do something to your soul-need to control it, figure it out, remain angry and hurt over it.

Luke 18: 7 "And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry out to Him day and night? Will he delay long over them?"  God's delay is His invitation to grow up into the character of Christ He is working in us through loss.  As you cry out, trust Him with the loss of control in your waking life.

And when the giant spiky ping pong ball is rolling down the hill toward you as you slog through marshmallow cream to get away, smile when you wake and move on for morning coffee!

In the grip of His grace and truth!