Where to Find Joy

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blossoming-orchard

The first time I found poison ivy, I was looking for something entirely different—a ring, to be exact.

My dad had just purchased an eighty-acre apple orchard in tremendous need of cultivation and care (which is a generous way of saying it was neglected and run down), and our family was in the process of moving there. At the time of this incident, we were staying at the orchard for a few days.

The trees were in full bloom with petals already dropping, making a gorgeous canopy of white flowers above with a white carpet beneath. To a twelve-year-old city girl, this orchard idea seemed quaint and romantic. It was the perfect setting for a walk of the sort Anne of Green Gables would have taken, and I probably imagined myself her while I walked up and down the rows of apple trees absentmindedly pulling my ring up and down my finger. Continue reading →

One Truth I Learned from The Time Lady

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clock

Her real name was Edna, but my sisters, brother, and I definitely referred to her as “the time lady.” This was no random nickname; she earned it honestly.

We met Edna the very first week our family began holding services at a local nursing home on Tuesday evenings. We were still working to learn and remember names a few weeks later when “the time lady” accosted us with an unforgettable conversation.

It just so happened to be the Tuesday after the spring time change. As we entered the large dining room where we held the service, we began greeting the folks who were gathered.

Edna was positioned close to the entrance at a chair near the wall. She had straight white hair and, as usual, wore a large pair of sunglasses. My dad greeted her cheerfully, “Well, hello there, how are you this evening?”

Edna didn’t waste time on small talk—not at a time like this. She got right to business: “What do you think our Heavenly Father thinks about them changing the time like this?” Her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward as she spoke. Continue reading →

The Best Way to Avoid Getting Behind on Projects

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to-do

Time for a confession: I’m behind on my to do list—like, really behind. (There, I said it.)

The truth is, I have more on my list for yesterday that is unfinished than I can think of today. I would say that this is just a busy season, but it would be more accurate to say that it’s a busier season. I’m always busy (thankfully so), but currently, I’m in a season full of deadlines and (seemingly) short on creativity.

I don’t like being behind…and I’m guessing that you don’t either.

The good news is that there is a sure-fire way to avoid it. Seriously. If you follow this simple step, you’ll not get behind on a single big project again. Ever.

The secret? Continue reading →

Of Birds, Hope, and Ten-Year Landmarks: Why You Can Rejoice in the Storm

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cardinal

I saw a date in the margin of my Bible this morning that made me start—2/26/04. It wasn’t just the date that took me by surprise, but the realization that it has been exactly ten years since that day.

I remember where I was when I wrote that date—on the top bunk in a guest room in Bowie, Texas.

I remember the verse I read just before I wrote that date. (I don’t actually have to remember that one—it’s right there in the margin of my Bible. But I remember it anyway.) Psalm 86:4, “Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”

I remember what I did after I read that verse and wrote it in my journal. I stepped outside the guest house with a spiral notebook and sat on the back stoop to write an article for the magazine I was editing at the time. The article appeared in the June/July ’04 issue of Stepping in the Light, and it was titled “Sing, Little Bird!” The article provides some insight into that day: Continue reading →

And the Verse Is for You

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Bible

I don’t generally read my Bible standing in the stall of a public restroom, but I did on one occasion.

I was in sixth grade, and my family was at a conference at Park Meadows Baptist Church (a church that would later become our church home). After one of the sessions, I asked Pastor Davis to sign my Bible. He did, and when he handed it back to me, he said, “And the verse is for you.”

My Bible had many signatures in the front flyleaf. Many of those signatures had Scripture references with them—presumably the life verses of the signers. Sometimes when I was bored, I would even look up some of the references. But, to that point, no one had told me the verse was for me.

Suddenly, I sensed an urgency to know what this verse said. I thanked Pastor Davis, tucked my Bible under my arm, and made my way to privacy—the ladies room!

Without even looking, I still remember what verse it was: Continue reading →

8 Confessions of a Type A Perfectionist

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dart-board

For a perfectionist, particularly a type A perfectionist, the word excellence has a nice ring to it—a seductive ring.

You say I should pursue excellence? Sure! I’d be glad to. In fact, I’ll do more. I’ll insist on excellence—at every level, in every realm.

Yes, for me, excellence easily becomes a trap. What should be a quest to bring glory to the Lord by striving for excellence turns into a quest for personal glory by insisting on perfection.

And that’s just the beginning! For the past several weeks, I’ve been jotting down observations of what exactly it means for me to turn excellence into idolatry.

Confession is good for the soul…and perhaps helpful to others with a similar bent. So here it goes: Continue reading →

The Book that Transformed My Walk with God

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journal

Next to the Bible, the book that has helped me the most in my walk with the Lord is a book I wrote. Actually, it’s an eight-volume set.

Before you think I’m boastful, let me give two clarifications:

First, these volumes are unpublished, and I trust they always will be.

Second, I’m confident that they would not be a help to you. That is, mine wouldn’t help you. But yours of the same type would help you.

You’ve probably guessed the volumes I’m referring to—my journals.

I began journaling in a purposed way when I was thirteen. And it was all due to my older sister’s influence. I looked up to everything Michele did, so when she began keeping a devotional journal, I did too. Eight volumes later, I’m so glad I did.

Keeping a journal transformed my walk with the Lord. The immediate results were life-changing, and the long-term benefits have been rewarding. Continue reading →

8 Tips to Fly without Paying for Luggage

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luggage

Whoever first said, “Necessity is the mother of invention” got it right. And their optimism has helped me invent ways to travel by air without paying for checked luggage.

I’m a cheapskate, and I’m always appalled at the price of a plane ticket alone. Tack on the luggage fees, and I’m ready to boycott all airlines…or to outsmart them.

Just for fun (and from a little experience), here’s how you do it: Continue reading →

What I Learned by Eating Stringy Pumpkin Pie

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pumpkin-pie

You might call me stingy, but I prefer to think of myself as thrifty. Either way, I’m all about saving pennies where I can…which is exactly what I did two years ago when I salvaged several small pumpkins from being tossed.

My initial plan was simply to roast the pumpkins’ seeds. (If you’ve never had roasted pumpkin seeds, you’re missing a big piece of life.) But once I had the pumpkins cut open, I got to thinking about how much I could save by not purchasing canned pumpkin. Why spend $1/can when you can do it yourself?

A quick call to my mom (pretty sure she always knows when I’m baking by my calls) and I was in business. It was a cinch: cut the pumpkin into chunks, place in a casserole dish with a little water, cover with a tin foil tent, and bake. Once the pumpkin is tender, remove from oven and scrape from its peel. Who would buy canned pumpkin with this easy process? I even froze some for later.

While I was on a roll, I went ahead and whipped up a pumpkin pie with my freshly baked pumpkin. Continue reading →