My Full Cup...A Brew Of Fresh Grace

Women are not to speak in church at all. Women are definitely not allowed to teach men anything. The only males they can teach are little boys. Once a boy hits puberty, he can no longer have a woman teacher in Sunday School. He is a man now. This same boy can be taught in public (or private or Christian) school by a woman and no one loses their mind. He can have women professors in college. He…

A Tree’s Repose

Towering and Magnificent,

Stately and Strong,

Hung there betwixt the

Azure blue of a prairie sky

And the richness of the golden wheat

Rippling in the never-ending breeze.

Dark smudges ‘round beneath

Invite the traveler to a bit of introspection and

Repose.

The dark green locks of hair billow and convulse

As the wind hurries through on its way to who knows where.

N…

Last night I attempted what I thought would be nearly impossible. And I was partially right. It wasn’t nearly impossible, it was completely impossible. I tried to take photos of a fireworks display but failed. Dismally.

In a rather selfish effort to feel better about my photography skills, I began snapping photos this morning.

The Joyful Grace of Endurance

It has been a few hot minutes since I last sat here to jot my thoughts and there is so much I have to tell you but one thing is pressing to the forefront of my mind today. This is what is driving me to take a few moments to pound out on the keyboard what Jesus has pounded into my soul this morning. For the past several days and weeks, He has been opening my mind and understanding of the nuances…

These are interesting days we are living in. It seems life as we know it has disappeared into a foggy mess. A few weeks ago we were living life as normal and then normal stopped being normal. Fear crept into to our hearts and minds like a roaring lion. For many there is a great struggle to live while not giving into the fear that has seemed to invade our nation, our world, and our minds. This is…

This is a paper I recently submitted for my philosophy class.

It is Wednesday afternoon and I am sitting in a coffee shop downtown. The winter sun streams cheerily in the window to my right, but that has not captured my attention. It is the hubbub of noise to my left that makes my mind wander as I try to grab snippets of conversation. The coffee shop is crowded today and noisy, normally I…

The Day My Eyes were Photocopied

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Do you ever get busy doing something and completely forget parts of life? Like eating and health? In other news, my eye doctor has been hounding me to come and see him. Because you know it’s been awhile. The last text…

This might be a photography session

These are, again, for my photography class. This week we are working on lighting, backlighting, direct lighting and shade.

Not a Photography Blog

This is not a photography blog, but I am taking a digital photography class. I’m not only learning to use the camera I have had for a few years, I am learning the ins and outs of PhotoShop.

All photos are my own and may not be used without permission.

Do you ever pray about something and then have something so grip your thoughts that you can’t help but be assured that is the answer? I’m not saying every time we have a constant, never-ending thought it is an answer to prayer. I’m not even saying this thought that won’t let me go is an answer to my prayer, but it does give me plenty of pause for thought. Just what was the prayer? That Jesus…

Why You Don’t Tell Your Fear How Big Your God Is.

This morning I was spending some time reading in the book of Exodus. Some months back I heard Jesus whisper to my soul that I was a “Modern-Day Moses”. I continually argued and claimed I had no ability to do what I believed He was calling me to accomplish for Him.

Oh how He must have laughed at me and my incredibly short-sightedness. How much He has taught me, revealed in the hearing of His…

It was a hurried quiet time this morning. There was no lingering long over coffee and prayers, this was a fly out of bed and hit the deck running day after a very short night. Normally there is plenty of time to bask in the grace and wonder of Jesus, to linger long while sipping coffee, pondering the deep things of Jesus and praying His peace pervades all of everything.

But not this morning.…

How to Say Good-Bye to the “What-Ifs” of Life

What if that happens? What if she really doesn’t like me? What if they had an accident and are dead on the side of the road and no one knows it? What if no one talks to me? What if no one believes me? What if I ruin my children? What if I …what if that…..?

We are all so familiar with the whole what if scenarios. We create them in our mind and call it nice things like concern and planning. We…

The Unlikely Friendship between Mari Sandoz and Charley Sears

Charley Sears rode his horse through the long prairie grass seemingly oblivious to the little girl watching him in the grass. That little girl, with a baby on her hip, watched him ride away, and when she thought it was safe to stand to watch him disappear over the prairie, he turned to see her, and lifted his hand in a typical…

We were slaves in the marketplace; we were full of fear. We wondered how and where we would end up, who would purchase us and what would they be like? Would they be means and vicious, or kind and tender? Would they care for our needs or expect us to care only for theirs?

Fear–thick and heavy–ruled us with an iron fist and our captors wanted it that way. Fearful slaves were easily controlled…

Laying it all Down on Our Mt. Moriah

“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…but whatever things were gain to me, those I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I could all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,”

Philippians 2:10, 7-8

The first sentiment is easy and very churchy.…