Memorial Day

I remember the love of my doggie Jamie.
I remember the courage, discipline, and sacrifice of soldiers.
I remember my grandma telling me if I kept rubbing my eyes they might fall out
and my preacher grandpa intentionally sneezing real loud to scare some girls walking down the street
I remember Sara and Ray Davis from my papa's church who were like my grandparents.
I remember Matthew who performed a horrendous crime...and I'm so sorry.
I remember Kathryn who made a homemade strawberry pie and had it waiting for us in the fridge when we moved into our first home.
I remember Todd who died at age 13, and I got mad at God.
I remember Jim, Dane, Bob, and so many more.
And I remember Jeshua.
Thanks to all of you who have blessed my life and the lives of so many more.
I remember.

I Stand Before the Wonder

Wow. Life!
Sight, sound, music, family, tough challenges and grace enough, giving love.
Blue skies and green trees and all of this on a ball flinging thru space.
The stories and memories of our life, our story as it's unfolding now, the stories in books and film, the stories of our family and friends, the stories of the ages, The Story.
I am alive!
I am filled with wonder, and hope.
May we turn up the music and dance.
Jeshua, shine in us and through us. Help us to see and love the wounded ones.
Help us be ourselves and celebrate diversity and yet be united to make a difference.
Drink the coffee, read the book, read the Book, bend on the knee, taste the wine,
walk in the creation, love that family, work hard, and most of all
allow God to use us to whisper and shout and be good news to a world often full and focused on other kinds of news.

Some powerful books I've recently read are:

A Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin about Abraham Lincoln. It brings this incredible man's life, colleagues, and times alive.

The Book of God by Walter Wangerin. It's the Bible in narrative form. It is written in a beautiful manner and kept me close to God.

The Unlikely Disciple/A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose. A journalism student from a liberal university, Roose spends a semester at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. This book brings you closer to understanding God's kingdom and is entirely fun!

Thank God for good books!

disciple in the kingdom

I have been dealing with a lot of very complicated matters
with churches and pastors.
I've been tested by fire.
To keep becoming a follower of Jesus and his ways
we sometimes are called to go through the narrow gate,
and for this fat little french man, that ain't always easy.
But oh my, once we squeeze through
by working the problem one step at a time,
praying on our knees,
trusting the team,
and being surprised by heaps of beautiful grace,
the view on the other side looks like the kingdom of heaven on earth.