Holding fast

Bolted to the wall, the new pantry:
Timo asks, "Who else has Mexican
chocolate and Asian sauces
on the same shelf?"

I'm reflecting this morning about the things we hold near and dear. There's nothing like a move to create a change in self-identity.

Yes, it's still startling and strange to be introduced as missionaries rather than professor or pastor or writer. What does that tag mean? What will it mean in the future?

We don't know. For now, we place one foot in front of the other. Letting go of the past, embracing today. We think about:

• how grateful we are for everyday things we've considered "normal."
• the security of the familiar, where we live and how our kids grew up.
• the people who partner with us. "Nothing in life is free," says Mom. Others are sacrificing to send us. THANK YOU, thank you! dear supporters.
• leaving behind our parents and children, these dear faces we'll miss and the family events we'll never attend.
• the foods we like - here and there.
• physical necessities and the overflow: how much we can live without!
• people and things we don't know yet. Indo friends. Language. Traditions. Reflexes of culture. Transportation. Living arrangements.
• the chores of relocation, here and there.
• the Joy set before us.

So many more thoughts and shifts in assumptions cross our minds. But we can let go of everything else when we hold fast to God.

What's churning through your mind today?

Read more:
*You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:4 ESV

*CS Lewis, after his wife's death, from A Grief Observed: "On the other hand, ‘Knock and it shall be opened.’ But does knocking mean hammering and kicking the door like a maniac? And there’s also ‘To him that hath shall be given.’ After all, you must have a capacity to receive, or even omnipotence can’t give. Perhaps your own passion temporarily destroys the capacity.

"For all sorts of mistakes are possible when you are dealing with Him. Long ago, before we were married, H. was haunted all one morning as she went about her work with the obscure sense of God (so to speak) ‘at her elbow,’ demanding her attention. And of course, not being a perfected saint, she had the feeling that it would be a question, as it usually is, of some unrepented sin or tedious duty. At last she gave in—I know how one puts it off—and faced Him. But the message was, ‘I want to give you something’ and instantly she entered into joy."

The bridge from here to there

When you write every day, there's a lot to write about. Like any other habit, writing feeds itself.

My spotty blogging since Lent makes it harder to write. A head and heart in transition splash bursts of energy rather than flowing in a steady stream onto the page. I am in transition.

A transition is defined as "the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another." It can be a scary passage if we don't know the destination. The old place or way of doing things is behind us. But the new way is still unformed or unseen.

Between? It's the bridge from what came before to what comes next.

Sometimes transitions feel like a rock-solid path. Though we may not know what's at the end of the journey, we have secure footholds and hand grips. We walk steadily along.

Other times, change feels more like the swaying of a rope bridge between two hills. Each step rocks the structure while we grab tightly to whatever can steady our gait. We may trip, jog a little, hold our breaths to stand still while we stabilize our balance ... and wonder if the whole thing will spill us into the river below.

The wonderful thing about every "then and now" is that Jesus is with us. He knows every handhold. Every footstep. The One who guarded us yesterday guides us today ... and understands all the details of tomorrow. No matter how difficult or thrilling the moment, He holds our hand.

Scripture even says, "Underneath are the everlasting arms." I like to think about a God who bolsters us when we're slipping or sliding over icy patches or feel too tired to keep going.

Let's trust God for our today: tomorrow's coming. It will be no surprise to God - even if it's completely out-of-the-ordinary for us!

Read more:

*Then Jacob made this vow: "If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father's home, then the LORD will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me."

Genesis 28:20–22 NLT

*May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NIV

*He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name. Amos 4:13 NIV

*Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish. Jonah 3:9 NLT

*God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

*Moravian Prayer: God who destines us for salvation and changes his mind in our favor, grow our faith to understand this complex truth evident in Christ Jesus. May our witness reveal your hopefulness and ever expanding compassion. Amen.

It's a wonderful life

My sabbatical came to a crashing halt Sunday. While W represented NU in Montana, I enjoyed the NWMN conference in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, until Wednesday. My coaching and ministry friends and I visited throughout the event. What fun! I appreciate the investment of friends old and new in us.

In two weeks, I start TESOL classes (teaching English to speakers of other languages). Seattle is full of non-English speakers, so I've wanted to take the course for a while. Since NU offers the 4 semesters required for certification in 4 weeks of summer school, I might as well plunge in.

When that's done, we're on our way to teach in SE Asia. W gets to teach theology, which he loves. I still have course prep to finish: as usual, it's a course new to me and not my main interest. Thank God for faculty friends who loaned me their notes. I'm teaching their courses in their names. (Thanks, Lois! and Barbara.)

We've found good house-sitters, which helps make the time away easy. Our big family reunion and a 60th anniversary arrive in August, but we will celebrate that at our cabin. So... life is swiftly moving along. I'll be training for a new job, come fall. More on that later.

It's time to catch a deep breath and plunge right in!

How can we transition in busy seasons, where everything we've done comes together into "whatever that looks like next"?

1. Know who we are and who God is. Get our bearings before we cross the bridge of transition or launch the boat for the distant shore.
2. Know what we love and want to do. What makes our hearts sing? What's a good fit? (On the flip side, what would we most dread doing, no matter what the paycheck?)
3. Gather our assets. Pull together the education, experience, and other resources - including friends and coworkers - who will help us realize the future.
4. Write down a plan and our action steps. (If you can't figure those out, get a coach. I'm one, and would love to help you in a session or more. You'll be amazed how much you accomplish in a coaching hour!)
5. Begin to move in the direction of the next thing. Use what we know, because some parts of a new season won't appear until we're on our way.
6. Gather advisers - spiritual, mental, emotional, even physical - who are willing and ready to assist us. Let's listen to them and let their counsel guide our transitional process. 
7. Make sure God is with us each step of the way. Keep our spiritual flame alight and "hot": this is not the time to reduce our spiritual disciplines and devotions.
8. Embrace change. Transition is a wild uncertain ride, filled with joys and traumas. We're leaving behind the past for an unknown future. If God is in it, we'll be okay. And the future will be more astonishing and crazy-wonderful than we can imagine.

Read more:

*I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:1-3 NIV

*I will make with you an everlasting covenant. Isaiah 55:3 NLT

*For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,  how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Hebrews 2:1-4  NASB

*We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)

Moravian Prayer: Lord, you named yourself “I Am that I Am” – a title of stability in a world that is confusing and ever changing, with new aims and ways to achieve them almost daily. Satisfyingly, we keep our eyes fixed on you, our one destination, knowing its way. Amen.

Lent Day 31: Hello and goodbye

Do you ever get attached to something, only to have it move on or change? Maybe you've had:

• friendships that nurtured you become broken or diminished by a move, a change of life-season, or other reasons.
• a child with aspirations and dreams, except they were born with (or acquired) limitations that throw normal life out the window.
• a job that was a perfect fit ... until it wasn't.
• a financial plan that somehow turned into financial chaos.
• a church that used to be home and became toxic for you or the family.
• a trusted mentor who ended the relationship and told you to go elsewhere.
• Or ?

From Real Simple Daily Thought

Life swarms with changes. Some of them are so wonderful that we remember them with a smile, embellishing them in memories until they take on epic status. Some changes are so devastating that our scars hurt for years.

"Hello"s and "Goodbye"s share our dreams, our hopes, and our fears. There's no perfect year. Maybe not even a perfect month or week.

Let's focus on the day that is, regardless of the past or future! How?

1. Be grateful for THIS time and place. I keep repeating the "gratitude" mantra, because it resets our complain button to acknowledge that God loves us. Here. Now. This way. THIS IS the day He made; we shall rejoice and be glad IN IT.
2. Take time to evaluate what needs doing and what can be left alone. When life is in motion, I don't have to follow unnecessary rituals. You don't have to tie yourself to every routine.
3. Which resources do you need to negotiate the hello or goodbye? A flowsheet? A mindmap? A trusted adviser? A new car?
4. Look at what you have at hand. Can you partner with friends who are experts in what you don't know? Can you borrow or rent a tool or vehicle? Can you make do with what you have stored?
5. Move through the day. Some days it's enough to put one foot in front of the other. Other days I'll have to swim a deep stream. You'll have to climb a mountain. Or we'll only have enough strength to drop on our knees to beg for wisdom. Show up, whatever your motion!
6. Celebrate the hellos and mourn the goodbyes. No new beginning is perfect. No ending is without its grief. 
7. How mindful can you be? Notice the food you eat, the way your body cooperates, and the feast of possibilities. 

Wishing you a wonderful day in which you live and move and have your being in the Father's love.

Read more:
*You saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled. Deuteronomy 1:31 NLT

*He was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. Isaiah 53:8 NLT

*Your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. Isaiah 58:8-9 NIV

*Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Luke 24:26 NLT

*So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. 1 John 4:16

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, our Brother, in your suffering we see the extent to which love can go. You invite us to walk the path of servant love with you. We hesitate, but you promise that we will not be alone as we bring your healing love to a hurting world.

Carry us today, O God, as a loving parent. Encircle us in your arms so we may feel a child-like trust and joy in knowing that we are fully and freely loved and that nothing will ever separate us from you. Amen. 

Choices about handling change

It's frustrating to be a non-techie in an electronics driven household. New tools that cause great excitement among W and the kids produce dread in me. Oh no. They'll move everything around, upgrade the processes I understand, and shake their heads because I don't intuitively "get it."

This morning I wanted to do something simple: put the Kindle on my IPad so I could read a book. My conversation with my genius husband, during several phone calls:

• He:"Are you sure it's not already there?" Yes. I checked.
• I install it and call him back.
• Me: "It's asking for my account. What are the ID and Password you prefer me to use, please." He: "Check email. Because of hacking, this changes often." 
• I find the email. Call him back.
• He: "BTW: don't install it on your IPad. It's better if you put it on your Mac and access it from there..." 
• ...from which it totally deteriorates. He has a unique access ID for the app store on the IPad. Go there and do ? ... After which I'm supposed to install ? on the Mac? But I'll be accessing the Mac-installed version on the IPad... Huh?
• He: "From what you're telling me, it sounds like you've already got the app." Yes, I did that after the first call. But when I open the app it's asking me for access codes and I still need to know which password he wants the app under... etc.
• He: "Forget it. Bring the IPad to lunch and I'll look at it."

We could have started and ended the conversation with the final line.

I don't understand basic terms or processes because the family "fixes" things on computers I use. Shaking their heads when they lose me at Instruction#2, the guys appropriate my gear, put stuff on it, update it ("Oh please hon, don't install updates. Some of them are spam...") and then wonder why I'm destined for the rest of life as a tech idiot. Something happens to my gurus? We'll have piles of electronics rubbish. C,mon and get it!

Sigh. That's what I get for marrying a brilliant computer nerd and having nerdy children. I envy that term in the most complimentary way. I'm not intuitive in electronics or IT: I've never developed the basic understanding of how things work.

[Mind you, the kids would be clueless with my art materials, in design and decor, and in most of the things I do without thinking. I DID train our four kids to cook and clean so the boys would be good husbands and our daughter could run a home. Lucky girl, she's a design whiz and can do most of what I do better, faster, with more zip. And her brothers help her stay current on all the gadgets. Cool.]

If you're struggling with a category of change like I do with computers, what are our choices?

1. Get someone to implement the change and learn how to use it. (I'm forced to do this since it causes the least disruption on a busy spouse's to-do list.)
2. Watch someone manage incremental changes and updates (or read about them) and try to do it yourself next time. Contact an expert when you're out of your depth. This is usually the easiest way to learn. However, when there's extreme discrepancy between skill sets like between my husband and me in tech, it causes a lot of frustration. "Don't you know you can't do that?" they moan, fixing whatever mess or virus I caused. If you don't choose this option, you stay stupid and behind the curve in understanding what's going on. However, you can use the updated technology/ process/ item in limited ways that may be "enough!" for you.
3. Learn the basics and keep adapting. Start from the ground up. Figure out what's going on so you can flow with changes. This is the healthiest option if you are responsible for changes and have to manage them yourself. My husband and kids constantly exchange information and pool their resources. (My apologies to Sunday lunch guests for the occasional "boring" conversations as they update each other. Mind you, techies are delighted. The rest of us zone out until the letters and numbers stop flying around.)

Thank God for making us all different. He surrounds us with help if we are willing to ask. That assistance may not come the way we hope or expect, but there is enough gifting in those around us to get through the days and tasks as it pleases our Master. Questions to ask in seasons of change:

• What should I be learning and doing myself?
• What should I be asking someone to help me with?
• What should I never touch on my own?

Lord have mercy, she says as she hangs up the phone again. He's shaking his head on the other end, hoping she doesn't touch anything.


Read more:
*My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

*Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:17-18 

*(Jesus) "Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them."John 13:17
*Be joyful always; pray continually;  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;  do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Help us to continue to follow you, O Lord. Restore our hearts and renew our minds so that each action and motive may be of service in spreading your good news. Bless the casting of our nets upon the waters of this world, bringing to shore the bounty and beauty of your will. Amen.

DIY: Peace in times of change

Between my friends and me, we've experienced huge changes this year. A few have had weddings, funerals, divorces, home purchases, and financial crises. I've completed a five-year study goal. Each of us is trying to find equilibrium and inner peace in these fluctuating circumstances.

check out Doug's hilarious website:
www.savagechickens.com

Where do we look for balance? Is it to ourselves? To others? To pop-advice gurus? (DIY books abound in recognition than we can change no one but ourselves.) Or do we seek God's wisdom and insights?

After summer, I promised myself that I'd clear my office of dissertation flutter. I still need reference books for two presentations. But all those papers? I made origami of some, filed others, and binned the rest. Check out the before and in-process after the big dissertation desk was removed and its drawers emptied... everywhere.

 I know. I know. But look at it now!

Sitting desk, current files, and dog bed

The room is not perfect: I'm NOT a perfectionist and I've studied, exercised and written in the space for a few days. I can see my artwork. Everything has its place. Whew. (Mom, you were also correct about "clean your room!")

The study was symbolic for me. I had to wrap up a part of life that I was leaving behind for a new season. The rest of the house is waiting for renewal and I'll tackle it this fall between other obligations.

Standing desk (with high chair option), files

How do we find rest and peace in times of change? How do we get from before to after? Through a mess? Into the future - with our sanity intact? Here are some suggestions:

1. Evaluate what is important. Note what you are keeping and what you have learned from the past.
2. Think about the day. What is facing you today? Do you have friends and family who will support the day? If not, find a church family and begin the journey in community. "Everything costs something," according to my mom. It takes time and effort to find support systems.
3. Tackle what you can change now. Don't procrastinate because you're waiting for someone else or life to change.
4. Invest in tomorrow. Need devotional time to hear from God? To plan out some goals for the year ahead? Desperate for organizational help? Looking for storage for summer clothes and the bbq as fall approaches? Do you need marriage counseling? Or to spend time with your kids to talk to them about their walk of faith? 
5. Be content in the moment. God has made you "YOU" and placed you in this day. He will help you walk through the challenges and opportunities of the moment and the future, whether circumstances come through our choices or the decisions of others.

 Read more:

*Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Psalm 85:9,10 

*The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7 NIV

*Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish. 2 Peter 3:14

Moravian Prayer: You are our salvation, righteousness and peace, O Christ. While we await your coming, fulfill in us your holiness so others may see and know that you are God. The time is now for faith and a holy fear that binds us resolutely to you. O spotless Lamb, take away the sin in us as you have taken away the sin of the world. Amen. 

What we do for fun

We must be the most boring people on the planet. Whenever W and I have time off, we read, go to tech or book stores, and browse info online. We don't play or cheer sports. We loathe the mall and prefer to watch movies at home rather than in those messy theatres. (Still not reconciled to the garbage and sticky floors, after 25 years here.)

Currently, I'm trying to talk my husband into taking a survey that compares our inclinations and giftings with those of Bible characters. It offers advice on maximizing gifts. I'm thinking he'll come out like Paul in understanding theology, like John in love for Jesus, and like Solomon as a scholar.

Surveys must be one of W's least favorite activities. After a few marriage conferences our first year (the only time we had more than an hour or two together that year?), he put his foot down. "You know I hate taking surveys and answering personal questions. No more." We haven't been to such a conference since, and I know few surveys he willingly takes.

Maybe this time, this one, will be different. Smiles. Maybe not.

I was surprised by the accuracy of parts of the survey for myself. It affirmed that I love changing up my surroundings, enjoy finding out new things, and learn best by interaction with others. That would be me. "Learn to be grateful for what you already have, instead of always looking for the next thing." Yeah, that would indeed be rough spiritual discipline, mostly the not-looking. (I'm focusing on "gratitude" as my motto-of-2012.)

Actually, there is another thing that I do for fun and relaxation. I look forward to the changing of the seasons. I dislike autumn and winter and long for summer all year. That's not the kind of season I mean. I'm referring to changing around decor, by season. Yesterday we had a group of friends over. I wanted to keep the bright decor until they'd visited.

But whoo hoo! This morning I was thrilled to change our LR slipcovers from Christmas pink and red to winter black. Plain black. During my half-hour study break, I folded and put away the old colors, whipped out and replaced with the new. I swapped out cushions and moved things around in the LR, DR, and kitchen to stage the rooms for my own pleasure. I feel absolutely refreshed.

Sure, I still have to ignore Kinsey's PakNPlay, sitting in browns and pastel pinks in the corner. And I'm in the mood to buy 4 more pillows. (No time, luckily for the dear-man-who-budgets-for-us.) Every time I pass the room for a cup of tea, I feel rested and happy. It's amazing what we do for fun.

One of the most blessed gifts from God is our distinctiveness, in personality, experience, and training. What brings you happiness, when a few minutes or an empty half hour wedges itself into your schedule?

Read more:

*I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together.

I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears."Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing." Psalm 34: 1-4, 8-10 NLT

*This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[ sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:5-9 NIV

Endlessly inventive

God is endlessly inventive. Each morning when we wake, the world seems born new and fresh.  I'm a light-sensitive sleeper, so when the sun comes up, I'm awake if I can't pull the covers over my head fast enough.

The Morning Glory cloud on the Gulf coast of northern Queensland

Some awakenings feel like, "What! Morning already!?" while others are, "Oh, can't wait to see what the day will bring!" Sometimes the clouds hang low, and I wonder what the day can possibly bring. I love the days when sunlight, reflecting off the forest to caress me awake.

It can be unsettling when God's creativity moves us outside our ideas of who we are and what we should be doing.

• Sometimes he nudges us with an opportunity that is such a great fit that we happily embrace it. 
• We may feel discontent where we are, unsettled when what once made us thrive is no longer appealing.
• Once in a while, someone else opens our eyes to the next season, "Look, that job/house/friend would suit you so well!" or "I think you've gone as far as you can where you are. Why don't you look elsewhere?" 
• Other times, God pushes or carries us up steep mountain slopes, kicking, screaming, wailing that we are no longer in the valley below. Or gasping with joy at the new vistas that come into view.

Change, inevitable and ongoing, is rarely our preference. Sure, we like a little variety and a few options.

A few of us are adventurers who love to capture, examine, and embrace new things, new work, new friendships, or new family members (including children, in-laws, or long-lost relatives). We thrive by moving wholeheartedly into the unexplored or repurposing the normative into the unusual.

But most of us want the security and safety of doing what we we're good at, with people we know, in the time and place we have chosen. We often forget that we weren't that happy to arrive where we are, and that the past seemed challenging and scary. The future may feel just as comfortable and secure to us, once we understand it better.

God seems to have little respect for our wishes, though sometimes our stubborn refusal to let go and move on creates havoc for others and us. Since God knows how life interlocks, he chooses best. We can only celebrate the inventiveness with which life's challenges and comforts come our way.

What are you celebrating today?

Read more:
*Then Jacob said to Joseph, "I never thought I would see your face again, but now God has let me see your children, too!" Genesis 48:11 NIV

*The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. Proverbs 10:8–9 NLT

*Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?"

"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:19–20 NLT

The steeper, faster life

When Missy the poodle first came to our place, she could hardly walk a block. Her owners rarely walked her or let her out except for potty. She had never been on a leash. I bet she got the shock of her life to be taken outside every morning. When Spike would need a good run, Missy would sit in the wicker basket and relax... while the terrier stretched his wandering legs.


The Walky-Dog has got to be one of my favorite inventions. Though our dogs are small, they love to run. I'm too old--well, certainly too out of shape--to be running for long. Hence the clamp and post on the seat stem of my Brompton makes both the dogs and me happy.


They love to be leashed onto the coupler, a recycled convention lanyard. "Let's bike!" I call, and they run for the door to wait patiently while I get the bike out. In no time, we're off. They pull me for a few blocks like miniature sled dogs until their initial energy abates a bit.


Do I feel stupid being pulled by a 12 lb. terrier and an 8lb poodle groomed like a Hollywood show dog? Nah. Not a bit. I think it's funny, and I'm glad to have found the quickest way to scoot around our hilly neighborhood for 2-4 miles, especially on a rainy day. We don't go very fast: the dogs run at 7-11 mph and trot at 4-7mph. But... when we get home, the dogs relax and enjoy the rest of the day indoors.


It's especially nice to have a cycling option when I come back from a MWF exercise class that runs 6-7:30am. (Crazy, I know. But who's going to fight for my attention at that time of day? And what books are compelling enough for research at that time of morning?)


I wonder about seasons of our lives when we've been inactive, sitting on the sofa content with being fed, cuddled, and hugged by an appreciative group of friends or family, like our Missy was. Then without warning, our limp muscles are challenged. 


Off we go. Life drags us off the couch, calls us to step up the pace. Every day seems longer and steeper, rather than easier. (You'd think we'd get time off as we get older.) I find myself whining, "Oh please! Give me a break," reluctantly leashed to a new trip around the block.


Like Missy, we get strong quickly with harsh realities from which there is no escape. For some of us, the adventure is prayer and intercession. For others, hard service. For yet others, painful and intense thinking and planning. Along the way we stretch and contract until we can hardly recognize the person in the mirror. Oh, our face and form may look similar, but inside, the stamina and flexibility tells the story of a new creation. 

In case you wonder, Missy can outrun Spike at this point in speed and stamina. Inside the lazy lapdog was a crazy, bouncy runner, just waiting for a challenge.

Read more:

*Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven columns. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. "Come in with me," she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, "Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment." Proverbs 9:1–6 NLT

*Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 

Then Peter called to him, 'Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.'

'Yes, come,' Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. Matthew 14:22–25, 28–29 NLT

*To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV