Thoughts and Jots--Blog Archives

Recipe for a Simple Christmas : 1 Dash of no dashing 2 Moments of sitting still 3 Minutes enjoying the tree that took three hours to decorate To have a simple Christmas, eliminate things that are making the season hectic rather than bright. And then shift the focus back to where it belongs: on the Saviour. If Christmas includes everything but spending time with Christ, press pause. The One person that often gets squeezed out of Christmas is Christ. That TUG you've been feeling on your heart is coming from The Ultimate Gift (T.U.G.). The Birthday Guest of Honor is waiting to have some of our time. He would like to minister to the needs of our hearts, and He is still offering Himself as a ransom for those who need salvation. "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 21:28)  Have we crowded Christ out for Christmas? We can put Him back anytime. If you are searching...

I remember being a spindly child. We could eat whatever, whenever, and then top it off with ice cream and still wake up looking like willowy branches. That lasted until middle school, when I suddenly experienced the changing body of a teen. Now instead of being shaped like a twig, I was shaped more like a growing Twinkie (and I loved Twinkies in the twin pack, so this made sense). Weight is such a major focal point, and it has been ever since the scale became an instrument for weighing people instead of it's original design for weighing cargo. Most days, the average woman is thinking, if not fretting about her weight. Even women who are naturally thin will confess to engaging in a bit of weight obsession. We are not what we weigh, but since people operate on first impressions, many of us have faced the "body scan." You know the routine: You meet a person and they look you in the eye, and then they look you up and down. October 2013 Is weight a big deal...

I have a love - hate relationship with the elastic waistband:   Love how it is so comfy. Hate how it lies to me. The elastic waistband makes room for me to eat and eat until I've reached its stretchy limit. It won't warn me that I'm about to eat my way into another clothing size. In fact, with a few adjustments, I relocate it to a higher altitude until I don't even feel it anymore. The trouble comes when it's time to put on a standard waistband; you know, the ones with no give. And if we've been living in elastic waistbands for too long, we may be shocked to discover that the static waistband has developed a great gulf between the edges of the zipper. And we can't close it no matter how long the breath is held. Willful sin is like an elastic waistband: you don't know how far you've gone until the gap becomes a great gulf. And the gulf is not just between you and others; it's between you and God. "Thou hast set our iniquities be...

"Thank you for your lesson, but you're 11 years too late." These were the words of a lady whose husband had passed away 11 years ago. In a ladies' conference workshop for wives, I warned about being the kind of woman that no one would want to live with. She confessed that she was that woman. Are you headed down the same road? We only have this moment. We don't have forever to get things right. So ask yourself: How am I treating the ones that God has placed in my life? Would they say that they enjoy living with me? Am I a blessing? Here are a few examples of things that can keep us from being what God wants us to be in our relationships: 1. Thinking that we're better than others. The term "entitled" is being tossed around a lot today, but often it is being employed by those who accuse others of this flaw. When we feel that we have a "right" to be held in high esteem by others, we are suffering from a superiority complex. We are...

A friend of mine taught me this saying: "Wherever you are, be all there." Do you live like that, or do you try to borrow from tomorrow? There are times when I catch myself trying to live several days in advance, worrying over this and distressed about that, but the Lord has been teaching me to give up this anxious habit. I wasn't more productive by worrying ahead; I was just more stressed out. We don't control how many numbered days we have, so it's best to live them wisely one at a time. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Planning is fine; fretting over plans is not. We will all have many events in life, but will we "be all there," or will our bodies be present while our minds go elsewhere? We only have a limited amount of time on this side of heaven. Wouldn't it be a shame to miss out on the precious moments by failing to focus on one event at a time? Our youngest son Col...

Have you ever had a meltdown? You know, one of those moments when the gaskets blew and you were just losing it? Most of us would have to admit that we've melted at least once or twice. But I wonder...why is it that meltdowns are often over trivial things? Many people can recall having had some enormous trials that they endured with the utmost of calm, only to be toppled later by something less than inconsequential. You know what tipped me over and poured me out? Lost cell phone contacts. Really? Sadly, yes. I confess that I had a mini-meltdown over the loss of an electronic phone book. My "ancient" (2-year-old) cell phone kept shutting itself off, showing its senior-status. I keep my phone for a long time because I happen to like knowing how to use it. So, you can understand why I was reluctant to change to the latest technology, which includes things like "swype" and "shake" and "bump."  "Come on, Old Bessie! Hang ...