Today, I am weak. My eyes are tired, I don’t want to do any more work, and I’m hungry. I’m going to eat the cake (I made one yesterday. I’m not going to eat the entire cake … just a piece), but I will have to convince myself not to feel poorly about doing so. And that’s not a thing about body image or weight or any of those other things that might come to mind by such a statement. Here’s the thing: our church leader called for a seven-day fast from social media, television, and from day meals to…
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Now there’s an interesting word … People of faith tend to poo-poo the notion of revenge. You know what the Scriptures say: Revenge is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. That is very true, however … there’s more to it. 5 Now you know what Zeruiah’s son Joab did to me. You know what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel. He killed Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether in the time of peace as if it were in the time of war. He put the blood of war on…
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In case you were wondering, I’m alive, even though my presence on so-called social media isn’t. Me, November 2020 I’m alive in the time of the ‘rona. Despite its horrors, I call it that because it reminds me of the song ‘My Sharona’ (1979), the debut single from The Knack. It makes the covid not so frightening in a way, but not completely. I’ve got to find something to smile about in the midst, so please don’t judge. Just. Don’t. I’ve heard a lot of up-close horror about the ‘rona. People I care about have had people they care about…
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It’s Election Day in the U.S. It feels funny to title this blog ‘Love’ on a day that is a first culmination of so much vitriol. But I have a reason. Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. – 1 John 4:8 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. – 1 John 4:18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his…
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I’d seen the title of the documentary in the list, several days prior but hadn’t clicked on it. It was about a long-lost Egyptian tomb, the find of a lifetime for people who dig in the hot sand, hoping to find an undisturbed resting place of someone long-gone from this mortal plateau. There were job titles that made my eyes grow wide as my brain asked questions. There were men and women whose sole employ was to cipher the knowings from bones, to identify how old the person might have been when they died, to determine if they were healthy…
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Think of the ocean: or a pool. What comes to mind when you see or hear the word ‘shallow’? The water is so low, I’m barely getting wet … I can just dip my toes in … It’s too cold to go all the way in … Shallow means a lack of commitment in a way. Staying in the shallow end means it looks like the person is in the water, but they are only in a wee bit. There’s little risk in shallow. Think about the deep end. I nearly drowned once as a kid after getting pushed into…
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California is burning. Photo courtesy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fireman-on-top-of-a-ladder-3208882/ Not just California but much of the northwest. I was in bed, eyes open, a couple of nights ago, thinking about what I would want to save from this house should it be threatened by fire, in no specific order. Photo albums: my son’s baby photos, the albums with my mom, dad, grandmother, and me as a baby. My computer and some other tech. The print copy of my will. Several small antique trinkets that have personal meaning to me. Pet food (and pets of course). My beloved. There might have been a few…
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The first words that came to my mind as I awoke at about 2 am: hag fish. I think it was the ‘hag’ part that kept me awake. When I think of the word ‘hag’, I think of an older woman, perhaps one who some might say is a bit off-mark, more than a bit quirky, occasionally prone to bouts of weirdness. In other words, me. However, I wasn’t feeling particularly hag fish-ish, or even hag-ish. I was feeling more … angler fish-ish… All dressed up and nowhere to go … (photo courtesy strawberrymilky.blogspot.com) … unusual, adorned, regal … but…
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I have been pondering the notion of Sabbath for some time. Oh, not that I don’t understand it, but it’s like a jello mold … if you try to pick up the jello from the plate with your hands, what happens? It’s all jiggly and sluices through your fingers. Sabbath can be like that. Image courtesy Psychowith6 Dr. Wilson (click the link just under the picture there) nailed it. Here’s my thing with ‘creep’, that insidious drain of life that distracts us from connecting with the Creator and doing what we’re supposed to. I know what I’m supposed to do.…
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It was a morning for music in my head. I think I may have been delirious since I didn’t turn on my fan last night. I didn’t realize it until the room was starting to grow lighter that something was amiss. I had tossed and turned for a bit and after stickily making my way to the bathroom, came back to discover the fan button was firmly off. I flipped it on for a bit and stretched out for a few more minutes before starting the day, proper. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F766nMg5-IE&w=560&h=315] Dionne Warwick’s version of ‘Walk On By’ is so sunny,…