sabbath

no post today - enjoy your sabbath

love

“I began to wonder if becoming a Christian did not work more like falling in love than agreeing with a list of true principles.”

Donald Miller

I just returned from a retreat where we focused on God’s love for us…not as a group but individually. Most of the women there have known Jesus for years, but few of them have fallen in love with Him or feel deeply loved by Him. I have had the privilege of witnessing the transformation that has occurred when I began to grasp that I am deeply loved by God. When I began to feel that He loved me, intimately, uniquely, I could begin to trust Him with my entire heart. I could trust Him with my family, my calling, my fears, my hurts, my insecurities……you fill in the blank. As I feel more secure in His love, I won’t scream for recognition, be undone by slights, be jealous over the accomplishments of others. I long for this. I see it happening on some days and fall woefully short on others.

How is it between you and Jesus? Do you know a lot about Him but struggle to feel His love? Ask Him to allow you to abandon yourself to Him, to become so secure in His love that you will stop looking to other things to fulfill you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

leaning in

“God is always leaning into us. If we imagine ourselves sitting at a table with any member of the Triune God (or all three!), God is attentive to us, seeing us through eyes of intense love and delight in who we are. It is the adoring parent listening to the delightful child explain something the child just learned or created. It is also the patient and loving parent discussing a breach of trust or boundaries with the child. The ‘leaning in’ is not impacted by the topic of the discussion, unless it is to draw even closer. There is no harsh judgment, even if there is disappointment. There is only love and welcome and a deep desire for the best for us.”
Joanie Taddeo

I am currently in a Master’s Program at Spring Arbor University. One of the assignments for my current class is to share thoughts on ‘listening to God’. This quote, by Joanie, was part of one the posts. When I read it, it brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful picture it paints! Can you imagine anything more wonderful than having God lean into you, listening intently to you? Or quietly speaking words of love or gentle correction into your life? It seems to me that this is exactly what God would want to do with us.
Prayer is intimacy with God. Today, take some time and reflect on what it would feel like to have God ‘lean’ into you. What would you want to say to Him? What do you need to hear from Him? Allow yourself to enter into that experience and see what comes up.
Grace and peace,
Deb

love

“God doesn’t want me to try to become more loving. He wants me to absorb his love so that it flows out from me. Only love is capable of genuine transformation. Willpower is inadequate. Thomas Merton reminds us that the root of Christian love is not the will to love but the faith to believe that one is deeply loved by God. Embarking on the journey of Christian spiritual transformation is enrolling in the divine school of love. Our primary assignment in this school is not so much study and practice as it is letting ourselves be deeply loved by our Lord.”

David Benner

How are you doing at letting yourself be deeply loved by God?

Grace and peace,
Deb

questions

“To be a Christian does not mean knowing all the answers; to be a Christian means being willing to live into the part of the self where the question is born.”

Wendy M. Wright

There was a time in my life when I felt as if I needed to have all the answers…in case a friend…or worse yet, someone who was searching out the faith, asked me about something. What would it say if I didn’t have the answer they were looking for? Would it reflect badly on God?

I have come to a place in my life where I am much more comfortable living in the questions. I love the God of mystery and He holds all the answers. What I can do is to be with others as they learn to live the questions.

Grace and peace,
Deb

presence

“God is always present – we’re the ones who show up.”

Rob Bell

Have you ever thought about the way we pray when we get together? We ask God, “Please be present with us.” We are asking for something that already is. He is always present with us. Would not a truer prayer be…God, please help us to be present!”? We are the ones who live, most times, without awareness of how God is present.

May you, today, have a new awareness of God’s presence in your life.

May you see Him in all that you do, in everyone that you talk to, in everything you read, see or hear.

And, may you rest in the knowledge that He is always closer to you than your breath.

Grace and peace,
Deb

may it be

“Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true.”

Luke 1:45 the message

Words for Mary, words for me.
May it be as You have said.
May it be as You will.
May I be attentive to Your hand
and it’s movement in my life.
And…may I move in rhythm with you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

sabbath

No post today - enjoy your sabbath

what are you feeding?

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life:



"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."


Which one do you feed???


Grace and peace,
Deb

heart song

“A friend is one who knows my heart’s song and sings it back to me when I have forgotten it.”

Unknown

I count my friends to be gifts from God. It is amazing to me that there are people in this world who do not have any obligation to be with me. They actually choose to have me in their life. And, they take the time to remind me why. They speak truth into my life. They encourage, challenge and love me.

I can only hope that I bring as much to their lives as they bring to mine.

Thank you to all those women who speak into my life….who sing my heart song back to me when I have forgotten it.

Love,
Deb

respond

The Most High calls to us and waits for us to respond. He desires to quench our deepest thirst, to satisfy our deepest hunger, and to fill us with His power and presence as we dwell in the secret place of the Most High.

Cynthia Heald

Anything I feel a desire to do in my relationship with God is initiated by Him. He calls me, woos me and waits for me to respond. He is wants to meet my needs ~ quench my thirst and satisfy my hunger…for Him.

May you respond to His leading…
may you sense His presence.

Grace and peace,
Deb

prayer

God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.

God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.

God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my hands,
God in my heart.

God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber
God in mine ever living soul,
God in mine eternity.

Celtic Prayer

journey

sabbath

no post today ~ enjoy the sabbath

patience

A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.
John Steinbeck

Somehow, our trip home felt as long as the whole vacation. Mid-week, I had been checking the news on-line and saw that they were calling for snow Friday into Saturday. Our flight was supposed to leaving St. Thomas Saturday afternoon, fly into JFK and then onto BWI for an 8 pm arrival. As we got closer to that day, we were checking airlines and keeping a careful eye on the forecast.
Jeff and I went the airport and the adventure began. We were told that we could get to JFK that afternoon but that we would not be able to get a flight out of there until Monday night. Plan B – fly to Atlanta, get a plane home Sunday night. Final offer.
So, we flew to Atlanta. We weren’t sure if we could get a hotel room or if they would all be filled. We knew there was the possibility of spending the night in the airport. Thankfully, we did get a room at a Comfort Inn and Suites. The staff could not have been nicer. They gave us a suite for a dirt cheap price even though we did not have a voucher. We had a nice breakfast, courtesy of the hotel, and a shuttle ride back to the airport.
Then the day that seemed like a week began. 10 hours in an airport seems like an eternity…especially when you had plans to be home watching the biggest football game of the year. The hardest part of the day was knowing I would only see ½ of the Super Bowl. Our flight was at 9:20 pm. Figure in boarding time and we would probably only get to see the first half. After three gates changes (and Atlanta is not a small airport) we finally settled in to watch the game. Then our lucky break – a delay! Now, we weren’t leaving until 10:40 pm. It turned out to be perfect. Right after the last few seconds of the game, we boarded. (I know there are some of you women out there saying this is crazy but I love football and I needed my last fix before going into the long off season).
We arrived home at midnight…to a winter wonderland…or a winter nightmare. For the first time we had paid the extra bucks and parked in the garage. What a blessing that was. A clean, dry car. We got in, drove home, marveling at all the snow. We knew it was going to be tough once we got home. And it was. 2 am….no place to park the car and a driveway full of snow. When what we really wanted was to crawl into bed, we had to grab shovels and clean out a space large enough to get our car out of the road.
3:30 am – finally to bed. It was a long day. It was a day full of twists and turns, delays and waiting. There were a lot of people in our same situation. I heard grumbling, complaining, and blaming. Frustrated people taking it out on other frustrated people. Several years ago, I would have been one of those people. But I noticed that I was relaxed and able to see things I was thankful for. We had just had a lovely vacation. We did not have to spend the night in the airport. We had food. We had books to read. We got to watch the complete Super Bowl. Our flight was uneventful. Our car was snow free and dry. We got to spend a ½ hour together shoveling our driveway to have a place to put our car (ok – I might be stretching that one a bit – but I really didn’t mind).
It really is a matter of perspective. So much was out of my control and out of everyone else’s control. Delta certainly couldn’t make it stop snowing (although it seemed as people thought they could).
So – consider how to enjoy the journey. It is so much easier to do when you realize you can’t control it – all you can control is how you respond to it.

Grace and peace,
Deb

family

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.

~Erma Bombeck


Jeff’s family is an awesome group of people. His parents have built a legacy of love and faith. Each one of the kids and their spouses love God. There are stellar four kids…three sons and one daughter. Each has an incredible spouse - I am one of them.  Between us we have 14 children, and 7 grandchildren ranging in age from 17 to 5 weeks - and we have only just begun….well, not ‘us’ but our children!
I wondered several times, while we were together, how many families can spend a week together and really enjoy each other’s company. We tease, we share, we laugh…we laugh a lot. Some of us get up early and others sleep in. We definitely have different personalities but I think we appreciate the differences. For me, it may be extra special because Jeff and I are the ones who live in another state. I look forward to catching up.
To this group of individuals I am bonded to…and will be for the rest of my life – I love you and thank you for a wonderful week of doing life together.

Deb

Tomorrow – the longggggggggg trip home.

truth

“Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true”. [paraphrased]Buddha


“But, you can ALWAYS believe Google.”Deb

I had a friend recently who told me that sometimes the blog seems too serious and that she enjoys my infrequent attempts at humor. So – this one’s for you.

Back to my vacation – the saga continues.

One day we were sitting on the beach. Some of the family went snorkeling. They were exploring coral reefs and when they came back to the beach, they talked about hearing a clicking sound while they were underwater. My husband, Jeff, loves the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. The wealth of information he possesses is staggering. But, sometimes, I think he makes things up. No lying, mind you…just a little leg pulling.

So, when they began to talk about the ‘clicking’ sound, Jeff said that it was caused by a fish called a parrot fish. The parrot fish eats coral, digests it and then ‘expels’ it. Ok…that I can handle. But then he said that the parrot fish ‘expelations’ (ok…I don’t think that is a word but I am trying to be delicate here) is what we know as the sand on a coral beach. Yeah, right. People pay big bucks to take a vacation to go lay on parrot fish poo. I don’t think so.
That same day he began to talk about a cat-like creature in Africa that eats coffee beans, which go through its system and out the other end. Those discarded beans become the most expensive coffee in the world. Are you seeing the theme here? Again, I had a hard time believing him.

As soon as we got back to the house I ‘googled’ parrot fish and expensive cat-droppings coffee. Guess what – both are true. I had to apologize for doubting him.

We got a lot of mileage and laughter out of these strange phenomenons. And, although not a lovely moonbow or a lyrical ‘singing’ beach, I had an opportunity to once again marvel at the creativity of God – the ultimate recycler.

Grace and peace,
deb

surprises

Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.”

Joseph Addison

Surprise

Dictionary definition: to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness

I love it when God surprises me. And I received two very unexpected surprises while on this trip. The island of St. John is breathtaking. It is like a series of mountains rising up from the sea. Not hills…mountains. The kind of mountains that might cause one to fall from a vehicle if one were, let’s say, riding in the back of a pickup. Those same mountains serve as a resting place for magnificent homes that overlook the ocean.

Ahhh…the ocean. I have never seen water so blue, so green, so blue-green.

For a girl who lives in Pennsylvania, flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies are quite a treat in the middle of winter. Mosquitoes and tiny biting ants, not so much. (I added that in so you won’t envy me too much) Ok, so not all surprises are welcome.
But….

One evening, I was sitting outside talking to my sister-in-laws. We were in the middle of a serious conversation. Although it was raining lightly, it was a warm evening. There was a big, beautiful full moon in the sky. As we looked out over the horizon, we saw something that at first looked like a search light but instead of going straight into the sky it had an arc to it. We got up to take a closer look and the arc stretched from one side of the horizon to the other. It was a rainbow! Ok…not a rainbow, but maybe a ‘moonbow’ I had never seen anything like it before. It looked just like a rainbow but instead of colors it was pale silver. We just stood there and watched it until it faded from sight. Pure gift, total surprise.

One of our last days on the island, we took a short but exciting drive over the mountain our house was anchored to. We were looking for a small, secluded, rocky beach that someone had suggested we check out. We got out of the car and began to walk the beach. No sand, just rocks, coral and shells. A sound caught my attention. The waves were breaking on the shore. When the water receded there was this amazing sound as the water rolled out over the pebbles. As I walked further down the beach, the sound changed. I noticed that the size of the pebbles was larger, more like small rocks. Again the waves came in and when the water returned to the sea it gently pulled the rocks against each other, creating a deeper toned sound than with the pebbles. I truly could have sat there all day long as listened to that sound. Again, a lovely surprise.

Outside of the time I had with family, these two experiences will stand out to me on this trip. They were unexpected, lovely surprises from God. Be on the lookout today – you don’t need to be on an island to receive the gift of a surprise. Yours might just be around the corner.

Grace and peace,

Deb

journey

A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.

John Steinbeck


Musings on ‘the journey’ – the good, the bad and the ugly……
You may have noticed that there was no post yesterday. I know that it must have impacted your entire day to not have my insightful words. :0)

At the time I usually post, I was otherwise engaged. I had the incredible privilege of being on vacation last week with my husband’s family on the island of St. John. Paradise. It was beautiful. It was restful. It was fun.
But, let me tell you, the traveling to and from rivaled mission trips I’ve been a part of. And so my story begins.

It starts out uneventful. A week ago Saturday we headed to BWI for our flight. Short lines, no waiting, on-time flight to Atlanta. Just enough time to catch our connection, a movie to help the time past and TWO Biscotti cookies for our meal! TWO!

We landed in St. Thomas (there is no airfield on St John – you must take a ferry) in the afternoon and began our trek to the island of St. John. Jeff’s family got there several hours before us so they had already left for our final destination – a rental home on the opposite side of the island. We were to catch a taxi and arrive, hopefully, in time for dinner.


The first sign that this trip might be an adventure; after getting off the ferry, we told the taxi master where we needed to go and he started asking other people if they knew where it was. Even though one of the taxi drivers still seemed confused, we were told to get in his taxi. This ‘taxi’ was a pickup truck with bench seats, facing each other, in the back. There was a canopy over the top and the back of the pick-up bed is open (this will be an important fact later in the story). Just as we were ready to pull away, an older man yelled out asking if he could get a ride. He climbed in and sat down right next to me. It was quickly evident that he had been drinking – a lot. Most of the people on the taxi ignored him. Jeff and I tried several times to interact with him but his responses were difficult to understand and the ones we could understand were usually inappropriate. I was so aware of the struggle inside me. I wanted to pretend he wasn’t there but I knew that wasn’t the right response. I wondered what his story was, how he had been hurt, what losses had he suffered, what his days must be like…
When he finally got to his stop, he stumbled off the back of the truck. I picked up the cigarettes that he had left on the seat and handed them to him. One of the other passengers said, “I bet you are glad he’s gone.” I said “Actually, I feel so sorry for him – what kind of life is that?” The heaviness stayed with me but soon our trip took a different turn, literally.

All of the other passengers had been delivered to their destinations. Jeff got out of the truck to look over the directions with the driver using the headlights because darkness had set in. The driver ‘thought’ he knew where we were going so our trip continued. The best way to describe it is that it was like being on Space Mountain at Disneyworld. It was pitch black, we were going up and down, turning left and right and had no idea where we’ve been, where we are, or where we are going. Add in some rough roads, an occasional branch smacking us and rain hitting our back. Good times. Then, it happened. Somehow we hit a bump while turning and going uphill. The perfect combination. In an unguarded moment I lost my balance and was pitched out of my seat into the bed of the truck. It may help to explain that when I say we were going uphill, I mean UPhill….you cannot imagine how steep these roads were. Gravity began to do what gravity does and I began to slide towards the opening in the back of the truck. Jeff tells me he grabbed my ankle to keep me from sliding out the back of the truck and missing the rest of my vacation. I had a serious case if the giggles so my laughing and Jeff’s yelling caused the driver to stop so I could get back into my seat. Welcome to paradise. Shortly after that, my sister-in-law, Cindy and her husband, Dean, passed our taxi as they came looking for us. Our rescue party had arrived! We got to the house and the vacation part of our trip began.

But – what I noticed as we made our way from our home in York, Pa to the beautiful rental home on St. John, is that I was appreciating the journey. Vacation didn’t begin once I got to the rental home…it began the minute we pulled out of our driveway in York. And in every part of that journey, God was present. I could see Him in the exquisite views of the islands and the ocean. I could see him in the eyes of a man who has been broken by his experiences in the world and can only manage the pain by numbing it with alcohol. I could see Him in the strong hand of my husband who made the difference between me spending a week with his family…or in a hospital…or even worse.

Point being, no matter what is happening or where you find yourself, He is there. Keep looking.

The adventure continues tomorrow.
Grace and peace,
Deb

sabbath

No post today ~ enjoy your sabbath

walk the walk

“One of the best ways to reach our culture is to live compelling lives.”

Gary Thomas

The people I come in contact with are not in need of my words, my take on what is wrong with culture and what is right with God. They are in need of seeing me as a person who lives what I believe. They need to see integrity. They need to sense love and compassion. They need to know I care…not just about them coming to know God and becoming more like Him, but that I care about them right where they are. They need to see something in me that draws them to Christ.

I am convinced that they will not come to God because of Christians ‘preaching’ at them but because they see us living lives that defy explanation. They need to see us living in peace when our circumstances may look chaotic. They need to see us slowing down when life is frantic. They need to see us living authentically, not pretending that a life with God is always easy.

Today, may you live in integrity.

May you live in a place of compassion and love.

May you reflect Christ to those around you in a compelling way.

May you ‘walk the walk’.

Grace and peace,
Deb

relax

“Tend well the grace of the moment, do your best, and leave the rest up to God.”

Elizabeth Seton


This quote helps me to remember that there is only so much that depends on me. All I am asked to do is be attentive to God and surrender to His work as I live in love with Him and others.

Grace and peace,
Deb

love

“If you want to find out who people are, don’t ask them what they do but what they love.”

Augustine

I was part of a conversation recently where people discussed how they feel about being asked ‘what they do.’ The responses ranged from seeing it as an easy way to start a conversation to feeling it was a way to ‘categorized’ someone based on their employment. Personally, I have experienced both.


I love this quote because I think it speaks to the rarity of being able to do, for money, what we love. Sometimes, that is the case. I am one who is so blessed. I have the privilege of doing what I love and getting paid for it.


But, many of us work to earn the money to do what we love. Our job doesn’t define us…it is a means to an end. And then there are those who do not get paid at all but are doing what they were designed to do. I am thinking of a beautiful, college-educated, talented, young woman who has made the decision to stay at home and care for her children. She is fully capable of earning an income in any number of ways but her heart’s desire is to build into the little lives that have been entrusted to her. It is heartbreaking that she feels the need to justify why she has made this choice. If you ask her what she does, she may say, “Nothing. I’m a stay-at-home mom.” If you ask her what she loves, she’ll say, “Being a mom.”


Today, consider asking someone what they love. It will give you a much deeper glimpse into their life than asking them what they do.


Grace and peace,
Deb

journey

Are you tired of knowing an awful lot about God but precious little of God?”

Gary Thomas


I can know about God without knowing God. One of my desires over the past several years has been to move what I know from my head…to my heart. I have fallen in love with God, and feel loved by Him. They say that the 18 inches from the head to heart can be a very long distance. But there is no more important journey.


May you begin to experience His love in a new way.


May you have passion in your relationship with Him.


If you recognize if you are living your life with God from your head and not your heart, may you make the 18 inch journey.


Grace and peace,
Deb

interval

“There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.”

George Santayana


Life can be hard. It certainly doesn’t always go the way I want it to. There are disappointments, hurts and frustrations. But, there is also joy, hope and love.


Which will you choose to dwell on? What will you focus on as you move through your day?


Enjoy the interval.

Grace and peace,
Deb

the dance

“I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.”

Luke 1:47

This is part of Mary’s response to finding out she would bear the Christ. What would it be like to ‘dance’ with God?


he is my partner.

in rhythm,
he leads.

our dance tells a story.


sometimes the dance is fast and full of passion ~ fun and free.


sometimes the dance is slow and intentional ~ flowing.


sometimes it is a lullaby where i rest in his arms ~ he carries me.


sometimes he sits back as i dance for joy before him.


sometimes, someone else is invited.



You are invited to a dance….an intimate dance with God. Accept, relax and let Him lead you.

Grace and peace,
Deb