Category: Transformation
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Christmas: When Our Expectations Flip Upside Down
Christmas time is packed full of expectations. Every parent tasked with decorating their home and buying gifts for their children understands exactly what I mean. Even those hosting the holiday meal make sure to serve it with all the expected traditional dishes. No one wants to disappoint their loved ones. We strive instead for that…
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Open Our Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
The world competes for our attention. A variety of influencers from movie stars to media moguls vie for our interests. Politicians and corporate leaders work to redirect our focus toward their own agendas. With all these voices clamoring to garner our notice, how do we sort through the beneficial messages from the harmful ones? Do…
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A Reflection of His Glory
I’ve heard it said that we Christians should be like the moon in that it doesn’t emit light of its own but reflects the light of the sun. Similar to a face in a mirror—we are not God but a reflection of his glory. What light we carry in us is from God: the divine spark. When…
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Disposing of What’s Dead for New Growth to Emerge
This morning, I spent some time dead heading my prolific Christmas Cactus. Disposing of what’s dead for new growth to emerge is a necessary process. As I removed the wilted blossoms, I noticed something interesting. Next to each dead flower a new bud had formed. If I hadn’t removed the old, I never would have…
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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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Rite of Passage: An Unforgettable Milestone
Certain events mark unforgettable milestones in life. They act as a rite of passage, moving us into new eras of existence. The following story depicts one such event in my life. It is a fictionalized version with names and some details changed but it’s based on a real occurrence. As with every rite of passage,…
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Something Lost But Something Gained
This year comes to a close and the new year begins. To say 2020 has been a challenge is an understatement. Each family, each person experienced it uniquely. For me, the year brought a mixture of grief and joy for something lost but something gained. Over the first half, I watched cancer spread through my…
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Garbage In Garbage Out: Poison for the Soul
Garbage in. Garbage out. So often we hear this expression used in reference to computers. But have you ever stopped to think it might also apply to humans? Whatever we ingest is sure to come back out with predictable consequences. Shouldn’t we take as much care to watch what we put into our bodies as…
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The Great Reset
Humans as well as most living beings tend to resist change. Why alter direction if life is running smoothly? There’s no point. Right? Instead of evaluating whether our existence could be better, inertia keeps us stuck in the same old patterns. Comfort trumps transformation. Until something moves us out of our familiar spaces, we shrug…
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Through Loving Deeply We Become Real
As a young girl, I learned what it meant to become real. When I was only 5 years old, I remember going to visit my great, great grandmother, Anna Peterson. She had just turned 103 and many family members gathered to celebrate her birthday at my great Aunt Mena and Uncle Augie’s home in Marion,…
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Washed Clean by the Power of Love
Rain has fallen off and on all morning. One moment the sky drizzled while the next it poured. I sat at my computer watching through my window as I worked from home. Finally the sun broke through the clouds. Its rays made the water droplets on the plants in my flowerbeds sparkle. After my workday…
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Treasure Hidden in Earthen Vessels
Have you ever spent an inordinate amount of time searching through your pantry for a container? After digging through various shapes and sizes, you pull out your prize. Only then you discover that none of the lids fit! That perfect container remains hidden or simply doesn’t exist. But our leftovers must be stored in something….
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Ask Me Who I Am
Ask me who I am. In the short bio for my website, I give a brief answer to this inquiry. “Dr. Suzanne Montgomery is a Family Physician, Mom, Author, lover of gardening, hiking and Jesus (not necessarily in that order).” This is by no means a complete inventory of my identity. Instead it gives a…
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Beauty Rises from the Ashes
My daughter Rozie recently sent me a picture of a flowering bush growing up through a crack of hardened volcanic rock. She shot this photo on the Big Island of Hawaii. Not so long ago, Kilauea erupted, spewing ash and lava, wiping out everything in its path. But nature is tenacious. Beauty rises from the…
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Drawn Toward the Flames
Who doesn’t enjoy relaxing in front of a fire? Both humans and animals are drawn toward the flames. It’s warmth and everchanging hues hold us captive. When Indian Summer fades and the crisp evenings of late fall begin, we huddle together around campfires once more. Sparks climb high into the darkened sky while hot dogs…
