The Meandering Mind of a Christian Woman

It’s New Year’s Eve, the day we reflect on what has been and anticipate what is to come. The New Year offers the promise of a fresh start, a new beginning and other untold adventures. What are your hopes and dreams for 2013? Are they the same as your hopes were a year ago? Did you fulfill any of your resolutions for 2012? We don’t really need a specific day to reflect and resolve though. Every day we wake up on this side of the dirt is a new beginning, a new opportunity to create new adventures and do good things. Every day, we choose to live as children of the light (or not). Ephesians 22:24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” The part of that verse that really speaks to me is “ To be made new in the attitude of your minds ” I don’t know about yo

            There is a vision that has been playing over and over in my mind lately, it is a scene from a movie, perhaps you’ve seen it. It is from “Titanic” after the ship goes down, it is dark, cold and eerily quiet as so many of the victims have frozen to death and the character, Rose, makes the decision to live and begins to move through the sea of dead bodies and ice cold water. I have seen this movie more than a few times (although not lately) and I don’t typically revisit a scene on a mental level yet, this particular scene has been on a loop in my head for a couple weeks now.             I have pondered it and question why. Initially, I thought perhaps I was surrounding myself with dead (spiritually) bodies and I need to break free from them so I don’t get pulled under as well. But as I wrote the previous paragraph it occurs to me that the key phrase is that one makes a decision to live .               I struggle with depression and these shorter days of winter and lac

            It is that time of year when we all take a look backwards and reflect on the year we have had. My initial response is to wave good bye to 2012 and slam the door so it can’t follow me. Let’s just say it has been a rather challenging year.             However, when I look at all the perceived negative events of the year they are more than laced with God’s blessings to get me through. Maybe you have heard the saying “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle; I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” There have been several times this year when I questioned God’s opinion of my strength. Yet, how often do I question his strength? Revelation time:   It isn’t my strength, without him I have no strength whatsoever. God daily provides me with strength.             I’m pretty confident that if I shared all the woes from my year, the average person would concur, it was not pretty. What I’d rather share are the wows from this year. My daughter began the year paralyzed from

I, like so many others, have been attempting to make sense of the shooting in Connecticut yesterday. There is no sense, 27 people, most of them young children, whose lives were cut short. It does bring to mind the bible verse that states, no man knows the hour or the day God will call him home (paraphrased). Life is indeed precious. Unfortunately, it is a lesson we need to relearn, again and again.   The irony of this is, with the holiday season upon us (Christmas or Hanukah or Kwanza) we will still hear the harsh comments people make about the fact they “have to” spend time with family. Everyone has the family member or friend that can push her buttons, be thankful for the button pushers in your life, they won’t be here forever. They also (hopefully) teach us patience and diplomacy. Be thankful for everyone in your life and let them know you appreciate them. We need to build and rebuild the human spirit on a regular basis. This world and Satan seek to keep us beaten down and pi

            I wonder how many people live with the same delusions I do? I believe myself to be a peaceful, peace loving person. I do not intentionally make enemies or try to get under someone’s skin and irritate him or her. I do my best to avoid gossip and slanderous talk. The key words there are “intentionally” and “my best”, meaning, I fail and far more often than I want to think.   I am reminded of Isaiah 64:6 “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sin sweeps us away.” I have discovered myself recently not speaking well of another and I find when I speak of certain people, an anger rises within me. This tells me, I do have enemies, I am not so peace loving. I am not loving at all. I am ashamed of myself. What a blessing it is to know that forgiveness is mine for the asking.             Letting go of anger is a challenge, yet, it is also a directive from God’s word.

            I was once told that in order to achieve anything, no matter how big, one needs to do at least one thing, no matter how small, to work toward that goal. I get it, any movement in the direction one is going is still forward movement. What someone forgot to tell me is, how to prevent the backward or sideways movements. I have been contemplating these thoughts today and have come to the conclusion that it is not that I am lacking in steps, I am lacking in focus. What is it I hope to accomplish in this life? Making it out alive? Never happen.             The theme of the message for Don’s memorial service was to focus on the unseen (aka, eternity). Then in church this morning, I received that message again, Jesus will return and we need to watch and be ready. This life on earth is a temporary condition but the fact remains, this is where I am right now and I really don’t want to waste my here and now. The bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart shall be