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Showing posts from April, 2023

The Final Dance

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  This year has been a year of lasts since my youngest child is graduating from high school. Last night was the last prom. My son had decided that he would ask his sister if she would accompany him. He explained that there was no pressure to impress her, and she was a cheap date. It actually made sense. This was Megan's fifth prom. She had accompanied a friend her freshman year, junior prom, senior prom, boyfriend's prom, and a disability prom as a chaperone. So her agreeing to go to this prom was a big sacrifice.  She mentioned that she didn't mind because she wanted to be there for her brother. During the prom, I got the goofiest, funniest picture of the two together. When they got home, Andrew told me that Megan had wanted a fun prom, so he slow-danced with her making goofy faces all through the dance to give her a fun prom. This got me thinking. As small children, I remember the long monologues I would give trying to convince my 3, 5, and 8-year olds that we have to sh

Is the Stress Worth It?

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I was able to participate in the celebration of nuptials for a sweet young couple this weekend. It took me back to my wedding over 25 years ago. I remember all the work involved in planning the perfect wedding, which was especially hard considering neither Pinterest, Google, or any internet existed. Yes, it was the old times according to my children. I had only been to one wedding as a kid and had zero experience planning or even seeing weddings. I would drive into town and observe the wedding rental display windows to come up with ideas. The photography consisted of standing directly in front of the camera, along with the wedding party and smiling.  My background wasn't a babbling brook or a  pastoral field of flowers. It was a church with paneling and burnt orange carpet. Let me tell you, nothing makes a wedding dress pop like burnt orange carpet. I remember the stress of trying to get everything right the night before the wedding. My mother and I scooped watermelon and sliced

Does God Care What Happens to You?

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  Friday, our ladies' group at church hosted a ladies' tea. I had only attended one tea, so hosting one was a bit of a challenge. The church was decorated, food appeared, then came tea time. The devotion was simple. Does God Care? I shared a passage in Luke 12:12 where Jesus was visiting Lazarus'house in Bethany. A party is being thrown for Jesus. Before this party, Lazarus had taken ill and died (Luke 11). As Jesus approached the tomb of Lazarus, Lazarus'sisters, Mary and Martha, are consumed with grief. Through their tears, they questioned why Jesus took so long that He let Lazarus die. In response, Jesus saw their grief and cried with them. Why would He cry with them when He knew He would be bringing Lazarus back to life? He cried because He felt their pain, even though He knew it would work out okay in the end. Later, at the party, Mary took an alabaster jar of nard perfume, broke it, and poured it on Jesus' feet. This perfume might have been her inheritance. I

The Power of 3 Nails

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  First of all, I'm sorry about missing last week. I was overcoming being ill and had to rest for the weekend. After rest, I'm much better and ready to discuss this special day. If you believe our world around us, it's about family dinners, egg hunts, bunnies, pretty Spring dresses, and candy. None of those things in themselves are bad. They just miss the mark of the purpose for the whole Bible- redemption . Since Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of the Garden of Eden, there was a divide separating humans from simply feeling complete in God's presence. When Adam and Eve decided choosing what was right and wrong for their life was more important than trusting God to choose, their need to have control separated them from God. We can't be too hard on them because we still do the same today. What happens when God wants you to trust Him but you worry nonstop instead, or He wants you to do something and you refuse? It's choosing the proverbial apple all over ag