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Bearing With Bears and Other Wild Critters
Bearing with bears and other wild critters is all a part of living in the mountains of East Tennessee. With the Cherokee National Forest all around us, encounters with animals are expected. But what I didn’t expect was a bear in my garage. Yes, just a few days ago we found evidence that a bear…
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The Gift of Guiding Hands
It takes a whole village to raise a child. This African proverb reflects an age-old concept we often take for granted. Certainly, other caregivers besides parents are needed to nurture a baby into adulthood. Hilary Clinton made this saying popular in the mid 1990’s in her book of the same name. But in our post-modern…
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Time Flows Like a River
Time flows like a river . . . crashing over boulders in wild torrents . . . then moving in slow, lazy currents. We modify our passage through the stream, yet it carries us forward. The waters of time steadily course their way to the sea. My mind struggles to comprehend how quickly time passes….
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Change is On the Way: Am I Ready?
What a lazy day! It’s my day off work and I didn’t wake up until almost 10 am! Yesterday spent all my energy and left me overly tired. My Wednesdays are such a cluster with work starting at 6:30 am, then going to my niece’s to babysit her little boy in the afternoon and Bible…
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Finding the Courage to Stay Strong and Carry On
Life is full of setbacks. Sometimes, finding the courage to stay strong and carry on is the most difficult part. It’s easy to feel like giving up when recuring obstacles threaten to defeat us. Our recent move to Tennessee is a good example of real challenges we’ve faced lately. Whatever could go wrong did go…
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Shalom: A Better Kind of Peace
When our world is falling apart, the peace we need isn’t merely the absence of conflict. What we need is an inner sense of wholeness of body, mind and spirit that transcends our circumstances. Only Jesus offers us this shalom: a better kind of peace. Suzanne Montgomery I remember the phone call from my son…
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A Kingdom Not of This World
Books are my passion. They always have been. Maybe it’s because my family often read to me as a child. Or perhaps the giant book collection given to me by my Grandma Helen hooked me. Everything from Nancy Drew Mysteries to Little Women enticed me to fall in love with reading. But by far, my…
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Searching for the Most Important Piece
This morning I struggled to see clearly. I was making a smoothie for breakfast but couldn’t find the part to blend it. The most important piece was sitting right in front of me, but I failed to locate it. This same thing happens when I search for something in the refrigerator. As my mother would…
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Wrestling With Why in a World Full of Paradox
As a child, I was naturally curious. I desired to understand my world and wasn’t shy about asking questions. Once I figured things out, I insisted on doing everything myself, even to the point of holding my own hand. My blatant sense of independence drove my mother crazy. This need of mine to control my…
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Making All Things New
Every spring I celebrate as signs of life break forth through the dead residue of winter. What a joy to spy daffodils and crocus pushing up amongst the dry leaves in my garden. When I focus on what appears lifeless, I can miss these early hints of seasonal change. God is truly making all things…
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Cling to What’s Constant
Many years ago, my family decided to take a vacation to Cozumel. Our favorite pastime while there, was snorkeling. My three children were young, but they were all strong swimmers. So, we spent some part of each day with goggles and fins viewing the colorful fish and coral life. We each attempted to reach the…
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The Power of Our Connectedness
Our 24/7 news cycle exposes us to a constant barrage of images depicting horrific events around the globe. In real time, we’re front row witnesses to unbelievable destruction caused by nature and mankind. This information overload contributes to skyrocketing anxiety. However, if we ingest too much over a long period of time, we risk becoming…
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Firmly Rooted in Jesus
Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7 It’s the year 2000 and my first trip with Timmy Global Health to Ecuador. After…
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Battle-Ready: Wisdom from a Fellow Warrior
You and I were made to be warriors. If you read my last post, you heard about David, an earthly Shepherd-King who overcame fear by trusting in the Lord. We can walk in courage like him by recognizing our heavenly Shepherd-King who stands beside us in our battles. God fights for us and with us….
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Be Not Afraid: Advice from a Shepherd King
I was made to be a warrior. Not the kind who wields sword or spear like a medieval knight. But one who dons the sturdy armor essential for spiritual warfare. Slings and arrows of evil fly all around me. Yet, I refuse to cower in fear. The Lord stands at my side. His angels call…
