You’ve heard it said ‘life is like a box of chocolates…’ Well, my version is ‘life is like a chocolate pudding cup.’ So this past weekend I was on a retreat with Walking Stick Retreats (www.twentyfirstcc.org) called The Disappointing Messiah. We talked about the different ways God disappoints us, only to find it’s really not […]

If we were totally honest, we would all admit that there is ‘that one place’ in our houses which needs attention. The junk drawer. The closet where everything goes….and never comes out. The storage area. The garage. Wherever it is for your house, you have one. Admit it. You don’t want others to see it […]

One of my favorite questions to ask someone is ‘what is God teaching you these days?’ My other is ‘what was the best part of your day?’ For me….the answer is actually the same! The best part of my day yesterday is what God is teaching me. It should be that way every day but […]

My mind is a blank canvas. There is MUCH stirring inside but the dam is clogged and it can’t find a way out. The ‘tyranny of the urgent’ has overtaken my life. Priorities have simply become a ‘to do’ list. I move with urgency from one task to the next. And suddenly I realize I’ve […]

My heart broke today. I am saddened and feel the ache – physically – in my heart. There has been so much…’discussion’…shall we say…about what laws Indiana passes and how it will affect others that we’ve lost sight of the main thing…..love and grace. One side spouts ‘we need protection’ while another side spouts ‘we […]

I am coming to the realization that I am socially asocial. Stay with me now. I’ve been a ‘dump and runner’ pretty much all my life. Yep. That’s me. For the sake of clarity, a ‘dump and runner’ typically shares something of significance and out of fear makes a hasty exit. Maybe it’s something said […]

Sometimes things just feel ‘right.’ You feel like you’re walking on air and just cruising along and everything is falling into place…so much so that it seems almost odd to you…that it can’t be ‘that’ easy…and that YOU get the privilege to play a part?! I had such an experience last night. My friend and […]

Today life seems to be spinning more than usual. Things are happening at every turn. It’s quite the dichotomy. A dear woman at our church was escorted to the hands of Jesus this morning. You can feel the sadness like a tidal wave pour across our church. It was only 2 months since the diagnosis. She […]

Today is a special day. My youngest brother, Scott, celebrates his 3rd year of sobriety today. I am beyond words with how proud I am of him. In AA the members mark milestones with tokens, or coins. When you attend your first meeting you get your 24 hour coin, and in the first year you […]

What do I believe? Ever asked yourself that? Even deeper…ever ANSWERED that question? Not with the church answers. Not with the superficial ‘God loves me’ answers. I mean…what do I BELIEVE?! What do my actions say I believe vs. what I ‘say’ I believe? How do they line up? Is there a chasm there? How […]

Now before you start reading with any preconceived notions about the title, this is NOT a blog post about deadbeat dads or absent fathers. If anything it is the exact opposite of that. Most of us think of the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. We think of the wayward selfish son who […]

Sometimes things just need to be put in a way that penetrate – that speak to you in only such a way as YOU will understand. “Speak a language all your own” as they say. I had one of those experiences today. I’ve been trying – wanting – to write this blog post for a […]

Sometimes I can be thick headed. OK….more than sometimes. I’m human. Admit it…you relate. Lately I’ve been sensing God poking me before He has to get out the cattle prod. And it leads to His progress in my life. This time last year I became exposed to, challenged by, gripped by, and driven to help […]

There are times when I find myself staring into space. Today has been one of those days. I know my mind is processing things when that happens. The thing is…I don’t always know what those things are. I had breakfast last week with my dear friend Ann. We’ve known each other since our days as […]

I will cry tonight. I’ve already cried today. Christmas does that to me. But now it’s for a whole different set of reasons. We will sing carols and turn out the lights and sing Silent Night by candlelight and smell the candles as the flames are snuffed out and the wicks smolder. And I will […]

Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). I’m starting to take a little solace in that. I think Paul was saying no matter how hard he tried he knew there was still a sin nature in him that raised its ugly head and he had to constantly fight against it. I found […]

Well it’s been a month since the retreat…a month this weekend to be exact. In some ways it seems like yesterday and in others it seems worlds away. I feel like at times I have my Ragamuffin friends on one side and everyone else on the other trying to figure out ‘what is this Ragamuffin […]

I am – chosen I AM – living in you I am – special I am – worth dieing for I AM – in your past, present and future I am – a friend of God! I AM – involved in your life – intimately acquainted with ALL your ways. I AM – going before […]

This is for all my new Ragamuffin friends. And for me. In reading all the posts and comments in our Ragamuffin Room we’re all struggling with ‘post retreat let down’ – or coming down the other side of the mountain. And that’s what it is….we had a mountain top experience. We had Ebenezer moments. But […]

From one Ragamuffin to another: Where do I begin? How do I capture the change that has happened in my heart in 3 short days? I was filled with oxymorons before the retreat: eagerly petrified, sheepishly hopeful, peacefully uncomfortable. It only got worse during the retreat. It became ‘painfully wonderful.’ That’s how spiritual surgery without […]