Tag: Suzanne Montgomery
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Just Let Me Be Me: No Labels
It’s not easy being the medical person in the family. When my mother introduces me as her ‘doctor daughter,’ I cringe. Even though I want to help her navigate a confusing health care system, I’d rather do it incognito. Sometimes I want to cry out, just let me be me without the diploma and the…
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Darkness Before the Dawn
In the Christian calendar, this is Holy Week. It’s the short time between Palm Sunday and Easter when Jesus entered Jerusalem, died by crucifixion, and rose from the dead. For the people nearest him, it was an emotional rollercoaster. Have you ever thought about how the disciples must have felt? They certainly experienced deep darkness…
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Signs of Spring Abound All Around Us
Signs of spring abound all around us. But if you live in Indiana like me, you resist believing it’s here to stay. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cleaned out my flower beds only to have a snowstorm hit the next week. Just when I think it’s time to break out the shorts,…
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Look Around You: Winter is Over!
Look around you: Winter is over; the winter rains are over, gone! Spring flowers are in blossom all over. The whole world’s a choir-and singing! Spring warblers are filling the forest with sweet arpeggios, Lilacs are exuberantly purple and perfumed, and cherry trees fragrant with blossoms. Song of Solomon 2:11-13 Message Bible
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Mirror, Mirror, Who Do I See?
When an animal or baby first sees their image in a mirror, they believe it’s real. It’s amusing to watch as they ponder their reflection. They touch the hard surface and often look behind it trying to find their new playmate. It’s such a disappointment when they eventually figure it out. In my imagination, I…
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Surprised by an Unexpected Masterpiece
When it comes to snapping photos, I’m a self-proclaimed addict. Ask my husband. I stop whatever I’m doing, pull off the road, or run across a field to catch a beautiful scene. Only my love of nature surpasses my passion for photography. It thrills me when the opportunity arises to capture God’s created handiwork with…
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Make My Words Count For Good
My husband, Tim is teaching tonight and I’m trying to brainstorm a subject for this week’s blog post. Frequently I choose my content based on what’s happening in my world at the time. But often I struggle deciding on a topic. I pray for guidance. Every once in a while, an idea will pop in…
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Finding Our Focus in the Forecast
Folklore plays a vital role in the oral history of every nation and region of the world. It’s typical for old timers to reminisce with their friends about the legendary fish that got away. With each telling, it gets bigger and better. Such is the nature of a tall tale. But here in the Mid…
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The Invisible Treasures Hidden in Our Own Hands
Setting goals is a must to achieve success in almost every endeavor. Without some sort of goal, our lives flounder aimlessly. But even the best aspiration can become a stumbling block to real joy if we let it. When we focus intently in one direction, we risk developing tunnel vision, ignoring everything else. With this…
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Season the World With Your Saltiness
Salt is one of the most common seasonings in the 21st century kitchen. A cook adds salt to her culinary creations to enhance the flavor of the ingredients. But back in 1st century Judea, salt had a wide variety of uses that seem obscure to us today. When Jesus said to the crowds, “You are…
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Forgiveness: A Sacrificial Act of the Will
When people harm us, our natural human inclination is to retaliate or seek revenge. In contrast, the decision to forgive often comes with great effort or personal cost to the injured person. Ultimately, forgiveness is a sacrificial act of the will. It’s not a feeling but a committed choice. Forgiveness becomes possible when we decide…
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Courage: Choosing to Do the Next Right Thing
Often when asked to define courage, we tend to offer examples of extreme acts of bravery. We think someone is courageous if they jump into a raging river to save a drowning child. When the first astronauts flew into space, they showed courage as they risked their lives to travel where no one had gone…
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Time for Rest and Renewal on Lazy Bee Farm
Seasons change and so does life on Lazy Bee Farm. Winter is a time for rest and renewal as animals hibernate and trees lie dormant awaiting the break of spring. All of creation moves in cycles according to ordered rhythms of life. Out here on the farm, we depend on its consistency. There is a…
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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…
