Star-fish

     Are you making a new year's resolution? Some people say they aren't making them because they never accomplish them; while others say they always set new goals for each new year. Which is best, I wondered as the television announcer proceeded to question random people on the street? Should I not set goals because I'm not likely to complete them or should I dare to set goals in hopes that I will be successful at completing them?    Here's what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 about running the race called life: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who completes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that...

     I love coffee and all things coffee! I have a coffee-themed kitchen even. When teaching fourth graders, we were studying animals and a few of my students loved animals like I love coffee. They went over the top studying bats and learned, shared, and reported information that most of us (including their teacher) didn't know about bats.      Knowing that I liked coffee, one group of students found information about bats and coffee, that even I, a professed coffee lover did not want to know about bats or coffee. But, of course, since gross things are fun to share, even if you are not a fourth graders, I'll let you in on the mystery of expensive coffee.      According to Reference.com, "Bat guano [feces] coffee, also known as kopi luwak, is made from the droppings of the Asian palm civet...When the civets eat coffee berries, the berries become fermented during the digestion process. Once the berries are digested, the indigestible part, the...

     This Christmas season I noticed a variety of signs and ornaments that had "HOPE" written on them. I wondered what "HOPE" meant to the makers of these items and to those who purchased them. Dictionary.com notes that "HOPE" is both a noun (person, place, or thing) and a verb (action). For example, hope (noun) as in "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best." Or hope (verb) as in "to believe, desire, or trust." So if I said, "My hope (verb) is that she doesn't give up hope (noun)," then I've used it both as a noun and a verb in the same sentence.       You may be saying, "What difference does it make?" In I Peter 1:18-21, Peter tells us where our hope should come from and why we should have this hope: For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,...

     This morning we needed to get to church early to make coffee, so I was outside with the dog in the dark. I heard a familiar "hooting" sound that comes from our local Great White Owls, but this was louder than normal. I looked up to find one of the owls perched on the peak of our roof! He did not see us right away so I tried imitating his "hooting." His head started twisting this way and that trying to locate my "bird" call. Then he looked down, spotted me and spread his huge wings to fly off.      He knew a phony when he heard and saw one! As a believer in the One true God, I need to twist and turn my head and look around to make sure the voices I hear and the things I see are not from phony "servants of God" or even others with "good" intentions, but not God intentions. This time of year is full of people trying to deceive others with scams and off-beat programs.      Take some time during this Christmas season to be still and l...

     The news lately has been abuzz with scandals and situations of inappropriate encounters. In my own life, a past situation in a workplace, made me feel uncomfortable and after letting my boss know, I was told something like, "That's not what he intended. I think you misunderstood." Shame. And then there are the women we aren't hearing from; the wives' of the men being accused of having affairs and doing unthinkable things in the workplace. Shame.      Dictionary.com defines shame as the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another . I remember two longterm relationships in my younger years, both ending in me finding out via others that my partner was seeing someone else. My heart, even now, skips a beat. Shame. The painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable done by another to me!      Do I think that I or any of these wives ...

     I love the decorations this time of year! Although we live in a desert, I also love the photos of snowy locations with crisp white powder and dreamy pictures of hot cocoa by the fire. We are blessed by all the beauty we have around us including things our eyes see, our ears hear, our noses smell, our skin feels, and our tongues taste.      Paul tells us in I Corinthians 2:9-10, "'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." Our five senses have experienced a lot, but there is another sense that is the most important for us to experience: the Holy Spirit within us.      Even with the Holy Spirit, our fleshly bodies are limited in their abilities to sense all the things of God, but at least, when we have accepted Jesus Christ as the Son ...

     My husband and I have been sharing a holiday virus just to keep our yearly traditions going so I've been spending a lot of time in bed. I had a terrible dream about my parents and we were getting along miserably (which is not the case when I'm awake). So since the dream actually woke me up, I asked the Lord what it was supposed to represent.      The picture I got was of an apple tree. It was large and full of fruit. As I watched an apple fell from the tree and rolled down a mossy incline away from the tree. Some questions came to my mind, Should the apple reattach to the tree? If it wanted to would there really be a place for it to do so? What would the purpose be of clinging to the tree that it was grow on and then released from? What is the purpose of an apple that falls from a tree? How does the apple's life and death bring new life?        This flurry of questions started me thinking about the dream. It was not similar to the...

     As I listened to a couple of different pastors preach this morning it occurred to me the theme on which they spoke was the same, "How willing are you to be uncomfortable?" The only way to be fully committed to Christ is to be uncomfortable with your flesh.      The old ways, the old habits will not magically disappear (in most cases). God is a God of free-will. He allows us to choose Him and once we've chosen Him, He allows us to choose how close we want to become to Him. Do we only want salvation? Or do we want salvation and a relationship? How deep of a relationship do we want with God? Only we can make that call.      When we are willing to be uncomfortable with our sin, fleshly behaviors, and worldly desires, then we can see more clearly our purpose for the Kingdom of God. One pastor noted that our emotions "make bad masters." If we aren't willing to say no to the flesh, we'll never say yes to dreams that God has in mind for our fu...

     The wall in our new home backs up to a community area and the bougainvillea from the other side has been climbing over into our yard. We reported it to the Home Owners' Association (HOA) and reminded the landscapers when they were working in the area. My husband even told our security guard as he drove through our neighborhood, who said to cut it off and throw it over the wall for landscaping to clean up. My husband didn't want to get into trouble with the HOA by cutting plants that didn't belong to us.      Today as I let the dog out, I eyed clippers on the patio table. It was time to take action. I was dressed in my robe and slippers and began cutting away at the errant plant. Everything was fine until I couldn't reach some of the taller branches. I began to get agitated that I was doing this clipping and grabbed our pool brush to pull the tall vines toward me. Then sudden pain shot through my foot! I had stepped on one of the branches and a long, s...

     In reading I Chronicles 28:9 this morning, it made me ponder my own relationship with God and my relationship with others. In I Chronicles 28:9 King David is talking to his son Solomon about building the temple for God and states, "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."       As I lie in bed last night, I was "talking" to the Lord about people, including friends and family members, who claim to care about me, yet I only hear from them when I initiate communication. Looking back over my life, I have put a lot of energy and effort into others' lives, only to hear excuses as to why they hadn't called, written, or visited. I was asking the Lord for advice, Do I continue to pursue these "fri...

     Photos! Mountains of photos! I was lamenting to my husband that I was overwhelmed thinking about starting a new scrapbook as there were just too many photographs to wade through. He said, in his always steadfast manner, "Well, just do two pages." His advice was entirely too easy! I had worrying to do first. Where should I start? What if the photos get out of sequence? What if I leave one out that is particularly special, then regret it later? The worries bombarded my mind!      Then the Lord reminded me, "Climbing a mountain begins with one step." So often I get caught up in the numerous steps, that (I think) must be taken that I can't begin at all. My husband has always been a great influence, in that regard, as he just begins. Just begin...one step at a time...that's what I needed to do.      But first, I would read God's Word. Even if it may have been a ploy to procrastinate, God had other ideas. Here are some excerpts from my scrip...

     I recently watched a vet show where a potbelly pig, literally had a huge pot belly! The owner couldn't figure out why the pig would no longer walk up the steps to the house for a visit. The pig "choose" to stay outside all winter in the hay and cold rather than join the family in the warm house.      As I reflected on this story, a couple things came to mind. First, how could the owner not see that the pig was obese and having difficulty walking, let alone climbing stairs. Second, why do pigs keep eating when they are clearly over-fed. Lastly, how am I like the owner and the pig?      Are there not times in my life where I could be snuggling up in the warm comfort of God's loving hands and yet I "choose" to stay outside of His will (out in the cold and dirty world)? How often do I continue to stuff myself with the things of this world even though I'm clearly full (filled with food, entertainment, material goods, etc. that do not satisf...