Here I Am

​When I was growing up my favorite person in the world was my paternal grandmother. My siblings and I were the only grandchildren she had so we were really special to her.  One thing my grandmother did exceptionally well was cook. When we went to grandma’s house we were always stuffed after a good meal. She made the most scrumptious desserts too which usually included apple pie. I did not particularly like apple pie, but one thing I really loved was blueberry pie. My grandmother knew this so she would bake a blueberry pie just for me. Because of this she called me “the blueberry girl”. One day years later I got a phone call saying that my grandmother had died, how would I ever live without her? I was devastated.  Later that night I had a really vivid dream. I was in my grandmother’s kitchen and there she was cooking at the stove with her back turned to me. I exclaimed, “Grandma, you can’t be here, you’re dead!” She turned around, smiled and said, “No, I’m not dead” and I woke ...

​I am from a small town in Minnesota. I often drive through the “main drag” of town. At a stoplight I see a woman sitting on the corner with all of her belongings in a shopping cart. She is known in town as Nicole.  Everyone knows about Nicole but no one does anything to help her. I often think, “Maybe I should stop and talk with her.”  Then I drive on. What if she was an angel waiting for someone to show her mercy? Hebrews 13:2 says “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it”.  Do you believe in angels? In the Bible, angels are described as heavenly beings, but most often they are described as looking just like you and me.  In Genesis 18:1-15 three men visited Abraham. Abraham offered them hospitality by granting them water, food and shade under a nearby tree.  The three men then told Abraham his wife, Sarah, would have a son. Sarah overheard this and laughed because she was advanced in ye...

​Worrywart, worrywart. If there ever was one; I am the champion.  My kids are going to a party on Saturday night. Will there be alcohol? Will there be drugs? Worry. My husband works in a hazardous environment. Will he get hurt? Will he get cancer? Worry. I worry about most everything. Why do I do this? How do I stop this vicious cycle? The Bible says to turn to God.  1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him, for he cares for you”. I have often repeated this verse over and over again when I feel worrisome. But one thing I have never fully understood is how exactly do I give my anxiety to God? Worry is not a physical thing that we can grab ahold of and say, “Here God, I heard you wanted this!”  Philippians 4:6 says “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God” Okay, this makes sense. By prayer and request with thanksgiving. Hmmmm…. Please God, take this worry from me. Okay, this makes se...

​In the book of Mark, chapter 5 verses 1-20 is the story of a tormented man named Legion. I find this story very intriguing and interesting.  One day, Jesus and his disciples traveled across the Sea of Galilee to Gerasenes. There they found a man possessed with demons; the man bowed down to Jesus. The demon possessed man  said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus?” Jesus knew this man was possessed by demons. In this instance, it was also obvious that Jesus knew the demons, and the demons knew him.  But if the man was full of demons, why did the demons bow down to Jesus? Did the demons fear him? It is obvious in many other Bible stories about demons that they knew and respected Jesus. In this way, we are protected from the evil one if we believe in Jesus. Another great reason to worship our Lord and Savior!  Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?” The man answered, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” How many is many? Two, two hundred, two thousand? It must have ...

​Have you ever lost your child? Even for a short time? I have, and I can tell you it was one of the most stressful days of my life.  My children are 35 and 33 now, and even though they’re adults, I still worry about them. I worry about them getting into a car crash, getting seriously ill, or other needless worries. I know God says not to worry, but I’m a mother and I still do. I remember one time when my son was three years old and I was very worried about him. We went to the grocery store; just another typical shopping trip. I had some film I wanted developed, so I went to the service counter. In those days, you put the film in a little bag and wrote what type of prints you wanted, your address, and other things on the bag.  My son was near me and he wandered over to a toy section close by. I filled out the information for the film and turned back to get him, and he was gone. Terror struck my heart! Where was he? I was sure he hadn’t gone too far, so I searched for him. Sever...

​I used to be the Children’s Ministry Director at my church. One day I ordered a bunch of small toys for a game fair I was hosting. In the lot were whistles, balls, jacks and boomerangs. Everything looked harmless except for the boomerangs. I thought, “What if someone gets hurt with them”. Then I dismissed the idea thinking that the kids wouldn’t be able to throw them right anyway.  Everyone had fun at the game fair; it was a success. Everyone had a toy including the bright pink boomerangs with “Jesus loves you” printed on them. Just to be safe I told the kids to make sure they were outside when they were playing with them. I was a little worried I admit.  The next day I got a call from one of the parents, their son got one of the boomerangs and went outside to try it out. He threw it and it came right back to him and hit him smack between the eyes. The spot where it hit him was bleeding quite a bit so they took him to the emergency room; he had to have stitches! Like this lit...

When I was young, I remember making requests to God. Usually it was for something frivolous like a new bike or a new toy. I was too young to know that God doesn’t work that way.  I was reading from 1 Samuel today and read the story of Hannah. This is possibly my favorite story in the Bible because, as a mother myself, it tears my heart out to read about a woman who wants a child so badly she begs God for his favor. This story is wrought with so many emotions: grief, joy, love and of course faith. Like so many women in the Bible, Hannah was barren. She prayed and prayed for the child she did not have. She wanted him so badly that she told God that she would give her child to him if he granted her request.  God did hear Hannah’s prayer, and because of her great faith, he granted her request. Hannah had a child. She named him Samuel which means “because I prayed for him” (1 Samuel 1:20).  Hannah never went back on her word to God. When Samuel was just a toddler, she bro...

​Sunday is a special day at our house. My husband and I start out the day by going to a local coffee shop about an hour before church.  I order my usual latte and my husband orders an iced tea. We both order a blueberry muffin and sit at our usual table.  During this time together we not only enjoy our treats but also enjoy each other. We talk and talk about our days over the past week and really enjoy our time.   In this day and age it is very important for married couples to sit down and talk. Making a weekly coffee date has really improved our relationship. We rush through our week with our jobs, children and homes, sometimes saying little or nothing to each other. In the same way we cultivate a relationship with each other, it is very important to have a healthy relationship with God. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” NRSV  How can we get to know our God better?  Quite time. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God” NRSV...

​This is my first blog post. I have to tell you that I am quite unsure of myself. I have been reading other blog posts and wonder if I can measure up. I am an upper middle aged woman who loves to read and write. I have stacks of books and journals to prove it.  My first blog post is going to be about my great-grandmother. I was about five years old when I stayed overnight. I had fun helping my grandma in the garden that day and helping her to make dinner, or supper where I’m from.   When the day was over, my grandma put me on the couch to sleep since they didn’t have any guest bedrooms. She had a big writing desk that was across the room from the couch. I really was’t that sleepy since it was quite a bit before my regular bedtime so I waited and watched what she did.  Next she went to the writing desk and sat down and pulled out a little book with a rough looking cover. She started writing in it and she wrote for quite a long time. I was starting to get sleepy but I manag...