Yokemates

If I had to guess, you’ve been enrolled in the school of bathroom gymnastics along with countless others in our world. It’s much more theatrical than balancing on a beam or flipping around and between parallel bars. Yet, I do believe it involves some of the same skills that are needed for a quality vault or floor routine! See if you can relate… When out and about on a normal day, we find ourselves in need of a place to “rest.” Our own bathroom at home may be preferred, but there are times when one just needs to find a place to “sit a spell” - and soon! So, the search ensues. Is there a business nearby that is open? If so, is their lobby accessible? Do they have public bathrooms? Are they clean by even pre-COVID standards?  Check. Check. Check and check. We breathe a sigh of relief - well almost! It's only now that we see the sign : “Only X amount of people are allowed in the restroom at a time.” (Hmmm…how do I know how many people are already inside?) ...and so, the gymnastics begi

Recently, this question was asked of me:  "In what capacity of ministry could you serve in almost tirelessly if God were to open the door?"  Almost tirelessly...hmmm. That is a hard question, because I think I've been in a cycle of some state of tired for a few months now.  (Thank you very much, COVID-19!)  Oh, I still have moments of celebration and joy, and I still see the blessings that God brings daily into our lives. But, when everything is said and done, we've all been living under extra stress - because we've all been dealing with something that we've never experienced before, and we don't know when it will end. Perhaps, you’ve had some special months this year to rest and reflect, be with your family, do a DIY project and spend time in God’s Word. Or, maybe your reality has been that you’ve been giving 100% since March 2020. Your job is more than demanding, your virtual world is anything but easy to navigate, you can’t work from home and you need c

Recently, I looked up “how far away is the horizon?” I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought maybe it would be 30 miles or so. It seems like when you look out over the ocean you can see for miles and miles and miles, but guess what? According to livescience.com, for a 6-ft tall person, the horizon is about 3 miles away. Wow! That’s intriguing. It seems like much farther than that, doesn't it?  Not diving too deeply into a science lesson, but I also learned that the weather can affect how far we can see   as well as the height at which we are standing. That means that our view when walking along the shoreline or the boardwalk would be less than if we were viewing the horizon from a skyscraper. And, if we were on top of Mt. Everest, our sight line to the horizon would actually be over 200 miles. Amazing! That’s how it is with life too. Our overflowing sink of dishes, dirty laundry, ever-growing grass, stacks of bills and endless emails are constantly in view. They stare at us dai

Recently, my daughter sent me a short video (via Marco Polo) of a beautiful sunset at a lake where she was vacationing. Earlier that day, I’d received several other fun videos from my other girls. They may have been scattered all over the country, but they were having fun sharing special moments with each other – and me. I’m grateful to be on their group Marco Polo now so that I get to see and hear their enthusiasm! This simple – and nearly instant – way to connect got me thinking. “If I received a Marco Polo message from God, what would He send me?” Something a bit silly and thought-provoking? Maybe a glimpse of Balaam’s donkey when he saw the angel and pressed tighter into the mountain pass squeezing Balaam’s leg? And, maybe he’d even let me in on the conversation between donkey and master? Wouldn’t that be amazing! (If you’re not familiar with this story, see Numbers 22:21-28.) Maybe God’s message would be a sweet love note like the one in Jeremiah 31:3b – “I have love

Have you ever done one of those mini surveys that asked you to list in order what is the most important part of your life? The categories are typically something like this: Children, Work, Husband, Church, God, Friends. At first glance, it seems pretty simple. 1. God     (now guilt conscious because I didn’t get in the Word today) 2. Husband…or is it kids?    (probably depends on the day!) 3. Kids    (yes, that’s the better spot) 4. Work    (well, it takes more of my time than church) 5. Church    (no wonder I’ve not seen any of my friends lately) 6. Friends    (but then again, many of my friends are at church!) When doing the exercise with a group there are always different answers. Some individuals rate 1-6 based on what is pressing on their mind. Others number the way they think they should prioritize things. Still others choose to order their sequence in regard to how much time they spend with the person or at the location. So, what’s the real answer supposed to b

They say hindsight is 20/20. If only we knew then - in marriage, in ministry, in relationships, in parenting, in career decisions - what we know now, we might have made different decisions, right? And yet, that's not our reality. We walk through life either in our own independence and self-reliance or within the Holy Spirit's guidance. We can't ride the fence, at least for very long - and never successfully. Without realizing it, we often live like we really can have it both ways. Independent in self, dependent on God. We have a choice each day, to either take our dreams and forge ahead or to take them before God and see what doors He opens. That is the hard part. Trusting on either end of the threshold. It takes courage and perseverance to actually walk through many of the doors God opens, even when we have longed for the opportunity. It takes strength, trust and surrendered dependence on our Savior to stop at the threshold and obey God's loving caution tape that w