Blending In
While on vacation, my daughter and I strolled on the beach in the cool of the evening. Interrupting her mid-sentence, I tapped her arm and pointed. “Look over there!” What appeared to be sand moving back and forth proved—upon closer inspection—to be a tiny crab scuttling across the beach. Its beige color, tiny size, and quick reflexes provided protection against being seen, much less caught. The small creature wanted to survive, not stand out.
Foretastes of the Kingdom
When I was 10 years old, Baskin-Robbins opened a new ice cream store in my neighborhood. It didn’t serve the icy, generic brand of sweet treats that my mom occasionally bought at the grocery store. This was good ice cream—thick and creamy!
How Can I Help You?
Well-known seminary president Haddon Robinson was meeting with a wealthy donor to seek a sizable contribution. (I assume that it was for a ministry project.) When Robinson asked for a specific amount, the donor said something like this: “I was prepared to give you much more if you had asked.”
no regrets
Sociologists at one university recently completed a study on regret. In it, they examined whether people felt more regret over what they had done or what they had failed to do. The researchers found that people’s regrets over their actions or inactions were roughly even when asked about the past week. Nearly the same number said, “I wish I hadn’t done that” as those who said “I wish I had done that.” But when asked to consider their life’s largest regrets, the vast majority said they were more troubled about missed opportunities. As John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’ ”
the best will come
This week I bought $30 worth of toilet paper in order to qualify for a mail-in rebate. The rebate form told me to address my envelope to “Road to Glory.” Really? I hadn’t slain a dragon or won a championship. I had merely purchased TP. So I laughed at the ridiculous title as I wrote it on the envelope.
eyes for fireflies
Just 5 and 7 years old, Liam and Elias eagerly awaited darkness and a fireworks display. Dancing with anticipation in a meadow, they pacified their impatience by marveling at the pyrotechnic sideshows of fellow holiday celebrants. Cherry bombs, sparklers, Roman candles, and fireworks of dubious legality violated the dusk.
love that dies
Renowned Christian writer Dallas Willard wrote: “The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons, with Himself included in that community as its prime sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.” Marriage is one way God continues to create this community.
saying goodbye
Today I told my friend Jen goodbye. Having met her a year ago, I liked her from the first time I interviewed her for a teaching position in our department. I soon realized we were twins born 8 years apart—she too keeps bananas in her freezer forever and has a sensitive heart. Witty, bright, strong—and unafraid to cry—Jen embraces life with passion. I’ll miss her dearly as she begins a new life with her husband in a different city and state. As unexpectedly as our paths crossed, they now divide.
what counts
The other day I was teasing a male colleague about the look of his lunch bag. The bag featured striped pastel colors with what appeared to be daisies around the edges.
stuff of legends
The 2012 film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit tells the story of a band of dwarves seeking to recapture their lost mountain kingdom from an evil dragon.
thank you, friends
Albert Lee, former international director of RBC Ministries—the parent ministry of ODJ—was instrumental in helping the organization to establish offices in 32 locations and to distribute resources to more than 150 countries. On his 60th birthday, he penned these words, “As I reflect on the past 60 years of my life, my story could be summarized with these two words: greatly helped.”
privilege of love
Three nights ago, my husband and I closed a chapter in our life. Youth ministry has been my niche for as long as we’ve been married (nearly 18 years) and even longer for my husband. As we prepare to lead a church plant, this fall has been a long series of goodbyes—our last youth retreat, Christmas banquet, youth service. This past Monday evening was our final, and most difficult, goodbye.
triggers
I didn’t think it would be that difficult. But as the technician placed the X-ray shield over my knee, handed me the headphones, and left the room, a sense of uncertainty surrounded me like the MRI machine I was lying in. Even though my head and shoulders remained outside the tunnel, I felt trapped. My mind raced, as I discovered flight responses never before encountered. Watching the countdown clock on the upper part of the machine, I wondered if my heart and mind would quiet down or if the next few minutes would include me jumping out of the machine in a mad fit of panic.
subversive hymn
We like to sing hymns in our church—the older the better. We often put new music to them, but sometimes we sing the songs as written. The power of the words, the beautiful melodies, the fact that Christians sang these truths long before us, make hymns an important part of our worship.
watching
Watch me, Mom!” On any given day, these words resonate through our house as our kids seek to entertain us or attempt a new skill. Sharing moments of accomplishment with those who believe in us and stand ready to encourage our next endeavor is a beautiful thing. Lately, as my husband and I are going through a test of faith in our ministry lives, I have become aware that God is calling me to act in such a way that I can say to my children, “Watch me.”
