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Cleaning Day
Do regular, ordinary people still take time out to deep clean their homes? I’m talking about getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing baseboards. I mean wiping down walls and everything. One of my favorite activities as a kid was sweeping. I took great pride in sweeping the kitchen after breakfast as a five-year-old. Now in hindsight, I’m sure I didn’t do that great of a job. But nobody told me to stop. They let me go right on ahead with my task. I was envious of adults’ sweeping abilities. They could cut that broom into corners much more smoothly than I could. And their speed! Man! They could…
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Time for a Trim
Cats are peculiar. Yes, I am generalizing and advocating the stereotype. I did not grow up wanting to be a cat owner. My childhood dream was to have a dog. I was a teenager before that dream became a reality. And I loved my dog. Queen lived up to her name. She was regal and fiercely protective of me. We got along well. But cats….nah. I could not see myself being a cat owner. Fast forward twenty years, and here I sit typing while this weird guy looks on. Fitz, my cat, has given me a crash course in the life of a cat owner. He enjoys windowsills tremendously. Napping…
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The Power of a Wounded Worshipper
And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was…
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39 for 39
Folks have lots of sayings about time. Like it flies when you’re having fun or that it heals all wounds. In my experience, time flies whether you’re having fun or not and it hasn’t healed my wounds. I would say that I’ve just grown accustomed to the pain. In any event, time keeps rolling without any regard for our feelings, wants, or desires. And time rolled all the way to my 39th birthday. I started a bit of a tradition where I generated a list of activities that I wanted to do. A bit of fun to inspire me to really seek out new adventures as my birthday rolled around.…
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A New Season
The season is changing. Winter is giving way to spring in unpredictable weather mood swings. One day, I need my ear warmers and hoodie, and the very next day, I can wear flip flops (which I happily do). I toggle back and forth between heat and cool on the thermostat. I remember to flip my porch sign to the side that says “He is Risen” to signal the beginning of Lent. The signs are all around that a shift is in process. The thing that sucks about the changing seasons is the uncertainty. I cannot just exit the house before checking the weather forecast. Well, I could. But doing that…
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Undefeated
Resurrection Sunday is here. The day that we celebrate Jesus rising with all power in His hands. He has conquered death, Hell, and the grave. Death has no sting. The grave has no victory. Christ remains undefeated. And yet, I still struggle with grief and loss. Resurrection Sunday has always been a big deal in my family. We go to church and then we fellowship. We say our Easter speeches, celebrate Jesus in a mighty way, and then break bread together. Well, not just bread. Cakes, pies, macaroni and cheese, ham….. you get the picture. The kids hunt for eggs and cry when they don’t get the one with the…
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The Most Wonderful Life
Happy birthday Tomica! I love and miss you more than I can explain.
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Whooping
I have had three whoopings in my life. My Aunt Linda gave me one of them. When you are as sweet as I was, they really are not necessary. Ask my Aunt Gail. She will tell you that I was the most well-behaved cousin in my generation. I followed the rules. And I also got EVERYTHING that I wanted. No tantrums needed. I asked. They complied. My soul was crushed the day that Aunt Linda whooped me. Did she not understand that I was a sweet angel? Maybe the family hadn’t gone over the rule book with her. But you do not whoop sweet angels. I know she was frustrated…
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It Goes Both Ways
Buckle up. Now when you fall out of your seat, do not say that I did not warn you. Actually, I can take that back. You may not feel the same pull or tug when we review the sermon from Sunday. But it was exactly the push that I needed. Pastor continues to challenge us to make our mark on this world and provides practical ways for us to accomplish this task. Sunday’s sermon was pulled from Mark 1:29-31. We pick up from where we left off in the previous sermon. Jesus, Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John leave the synagogue and go to the house of Simon Peter and…
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I Have A Dream
I’m back! Kind of. My sleepless nights have left me with plenty of time to think about Tomica and the many fun times that we had together. EVERY day Facebook pops up memories and sends me down a trail. But Facebook didn’t have to prompt my memories today. I think of these memories every time the news is on. They send me back to eight years ago when we attended President Obama’s second inauguration. When I said I wanted to go to the inauguration, my ride or die travel buddies were all in. We researched and found a hotel that fit our budget. We always ball on a budget. And…
