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Spring Has Sprung
Spring has sprung, and so have the weeds in my yard. Actually, the weeds sprung up at the very beginning of the month. I stared at them growing in my backyard as I rinsed off my plates and cutlery at the kitchen sink. I glanced at them sprouting in the front yard as I hurried to my car to go run errands. They brushed my ankles on my return home after a long day. Yup! Spring has sprung and brought with it rain, slightly warmer weather, and those weeds. The weeds were not as much of an issue when I was getting my yard professionally treated. I know…I know…I know.…
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The Workaround
I work from home. I sit at the computer all day and do my work. While that would drive some folks to drink, it fills my cup. With the exception of occasional phone calls and team meetings, my day is quiet. And I like it way. I can listen to audiobooks and have a TV show on in the background. I can listen to music. Or just enjoy the silence. I set the atmosphere and happily type away. And while I have minimal contact with others during the workday, there are opportunities to engage with my coworkers. Several different chat rooms exist so that we can ask questions if we…
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Ministry at the Fourth Watch
It’s another day’s journey, and I am glad about it. My weekend was full of activity and capped off with the celebration of my Pastor’s 26th anniversary of ministry. Listen…that’s a long time to be dedicated to serving the people of God in a pastoral capacity. Shoot…that is a long time to be dedicated to ministry in any capacity. It takes staying power and a commitment to a calling that is greater than you. Sunday’s sermon served as an encouragement to him, and I think it may empower you as well. Let’s dive in. Mark 6:45-52 finds the disciples in a bit of a predicament. They are in a boat.…
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Write the Vision
The urge to write hits me at the oddest times and in the strangest moments. A thought will bubble up in my head, and I will want to capture it. Frequently, it is a “stream of consciousness type of experience.” I do not have to scramble for words. They are just there. And they want to be put on a page. They want to spill out onto an empty page and just chill for a while. Sometimes, my fingers cannot keep up with this steady stream of ideas. I misspell or bunch words together but I keep typing. Until the stream dries up. Until all the words have been released.…
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Look Beyond This
When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” John 19:26 NKJV I was probably in my early twenties before I sat down and contemplated the kind of suffering Jesus endured on the cross. Listen, I was raised in the Baptist church, so I was quite familiar with the fact that Jesus died and got up on the third day with all power in His hands. I walked down the aisle at nine years old and said out of my own mouth that I believed He laid His life down and picked it back up just…
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Pump the Brakes
Let me set the scene for you. Bible Study Mama and I journeyed to Tacoma, Washington last April to visit Bible Study Brother and Canae. We had not seen them in person in seven months. Our face to face reunion was long overdue. I spent quite a bit of time compiling a list activities, and restaurants, that we could enjoy while we were all together. We were only there for 4 days and I wanted to fill our days making memories and having new experiences. Our first adventure was riding a ferry to an island. Listen….I watch Grey’s Anatomy regularly and having ferries right there was too tempting to pass…
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My Plate
If you have been hanging around here for any length of time, you know I have a ton of memories that are centered around food. Listen, if my family does not do anything else, we eat. I was raised by my great-grandmother, great-grandfather, and extended family for the first five years of my life. My great-grandmother was old school. We got up early in the mornings so that she could make breakfast for us. Biscuits made from scratch. Rolling out the dough. Dipping the formed mounds in grease. Baking them and waiting impatiently for them to be ready. The stuff of my dreams. Mana from heaven. After the food was…
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I Got the Keys!
When I was growing up, we were constantly at church. Most certainly, we were there on Wednesday nights, Saturday mornings, and of course, on Sunday. Bible Study Mama wore a lot of hats back in those days. She had multiple jobs and probably just as many responsibilities at the church. She was at the front of the cheering squad when it was time for me to get my driver’s license. My ability to drive myself places would relieve some pressure off her and give me some more independence. A win-win situation if I ever saw one. Driving gave me the keys to a whole new world. One that I was…
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Winter
Some people dread winter. It is too cold. The trees are bare. The days are shorter. The nights are longer. But I am not some people. While winter has elements that are not my favorite, I have learned to appreciate winter for what it is….a season. Which means it does not last forever. It has a set time and then we move on to the next season…and the next…and the next. While walking on the trail the other day, I realized that I could see much farther through the woods. In the spring and summer, the trees are full of bright green leaves that form a canopy. I get caught…
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Low Pain Tolerance: Part II
For most of my life, I have considered myself a person with a low pain tolerance. I mean, most people do not like pain, but I avoided the possibility of physical pain like the plague. Get a shot? Who me???? No way. I was all for being a nurse just like my mom until she talked about giving and receiving shots in school. I crossed that off my list and moved on to other options. I was not willingly signing up for pain. As I got older, I stopped wiggling and whining when I had to receive a shot. I took them with no complaints and was able to get…
