Yokemates

This past week, a church member passed away after a long struggle with cancer. And so, the juggling of emotions and schedules began. Visitation nights are usually my husband’s thing, and I typically only attend the funeral. It’s just the way we have chosen to work together in times of bereavement. My involvement this week, however, was a bit different.  Not only did I plan to attend the funeral service at our church, but I also planned to attend the visitation the night before.  Plus, there would be a meal following the funeral – one that had turned into an opportunity for the children of the church to help serve and clean up afterward. I was not involved with preparations for the meal, thankfully! However, coordinating our young volunteers was up to me. The visitation night passed and the day of the funeral came. After the service and burial, family and friends returned to the church for the meal. As I gathered the boys and girls to give them instructions, I surpris...

When our girls were in high school and they needed to unload the overwhelming realities and frustrations of life, I had to re-learn how to listen. But first, I’d stop them right in the middle of the 'rant' and ask them this question , "Whoa… Just checking. Do you just need to vent right now (and I’ll just listen) or do you want me to brainstorm possible solutions or insights to the problem with you?" Guess what the answer was 99% of the time? Yep, you likely guessed right. The answer typically was – “I just need to talk it out.” There were many blessings that came out of that mini time-out. We both were now on the same page. My daughter could talk freely and passionately about all that was weighing heavy on her mind and heart. The responsibility to “mother” her was now lifted off of my shoulders and put back into the Lord's hands. With our roles and perspectives put in place, I was then able to fully turn my attention to her – and be a listening ear,...

My husband and I went to visit a couple in the church recently. They live less than a mile from us, but their view and perspective is quite different from ours. Their lovely old farm house sits atop a beautiful hill. There is a quaint white fence around the home place, and the surrounding grasses are all a vibrant green. The fields seem to shout that the earth is coming alive again! As we pulled into the curvy gravel lane, we crossed over a low-water bridge and started up the hill. In the fields, there were dozens of cows grazing. It was a picture-perfect day. As we got closer to the house, a couple of young cows came closer to our car. But, what caught my attention wasn’t so idyllic. On the sides, the legs and the back side of these black beauties was a matted glob of goo. Well, ‘poo’ to be exact! And, they were just as nonchalant as they could be about it. Amazed at the reality of this all-to-common sight, I giggled and told my husband, “Boy, am I glad we don’t have to live life wi...

Recently, I was engaged in a thought-provoking and reflective discussion on the value of human friendships in contrast to our reliance on Jesus Christ as a friend. It is a conversation we rarely have with others – even our Christian brothers and sisters. But, how do we wrap our head around the value of our human friends with the reality of our friendship with Jesus? Is it possible to truly develop a friendship with Jesus, and what does that look like? Here’s a peek at the conversation I had this week on the subject. Perhaps my ponderings will spark a fire of desire in your life to go deeper in your relationships – both with friends and with Jesus! The conversation began following my initial statement on friendships - “Healthy, Godly friendships are sweet, but they are a poor substitute for a personal relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.” The first question posed was this – Does God really meet your needs fully - more than people? My response - Yes! God meeting ...