Author: Wendy

Finding the Light

Posted on by Wendy
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

A few weeks ago, I was getting dressed for church and I was listening to some praise and worship music. I usually prefer quiet when I’m getting ready for church, but this particular morning, I found a Pandora station and cranked it up.

When I was almost ready to turn it off, the song, “I Can Only Imagine,” by Mercy Me came on. I’ve always loved that song, because I find it to be so true. We have no idea how we will react when we get home to the other side.

Of course, my inner teenager came out and I sang to the top of my lungs like I thought I was Cary Carrie Underwood. You apparently never get too old for that. Praising God out loud, in private, lifted my spirits in an amazing way. I really struggle this time of year. It’s so cold and so dark and it’s been raining forever and it was once again, supposed to be another rainy Sunday.

But, as I sang and danced around, (try not to judge, King David danced for God) :), I no longer cared about the weather. I was just thankful to be alive and going to church.

When the song was coming to an end, there’s a line that says, “Will I stand in your glory or to my knees will I fall?” I hit my knees and when I did, I could see the sun peeking through the clouds, through my closed blinds and my heart overflowed.

I would never have seen it through those closed blinds if I hadn’t been on my knees. I stayed there awhile and prayed and felt a brand new peace.

I don’t often kneel to pray, but sometimes, when I’m particularly troubled, sad, or frustrated, I do. I don’t believe it’s by any means a requirement for our prayers to be heard or answered, but there’s something about being in that humble position that always makes me feel very close to God.

That morning, it just felt natural and I followed that nudge and was rewarded with a sliver of the sun and a promise that bright things were on the horizon and that He is still in control and still listening.

I attended church and went about my day, but I thought about that sliver of sun all day long. I was reminded that we can learn a lot when we are on our knees and what a beautiful thing hope is. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Here’s the song, in case you want to hear it!

A Call to Nature

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When we get outside our own four walls, it’s hard to miss God.

Last week, a large part of our nation was slammed by the Polar Vortex which was essentially, some brutally cold weather. The news was full of stories of temperatures in the negative twenties and there were actually people who lost their lives. Here in the Deep South, it dipped into the twenties and for us, that’s really cold. We huddled inside under blankets, and wore big coats when we had to go out and grumbled a lot, but by Saturday, it was sunny in the high sixties.

My hubby and I had plenty to do on Saturday, but we both agreed we had to get outside and walk and soak up some sun. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t have taken the time to do that. Taking a walk would have seemed like a frivolous waste of time when I had so much to do. But, time and age, have slowly changed my heart and mind on what is most important in life.

We went to our local botanical gardens and joined a slew of people who agreed with us. We had a hard time finding a parking spot.

It felt good to be outside. Our winter hasn’t really been that cold, but we have had so much rain since the fall, that we almost broke a record. Time in nature has become a bit of a scarcity. We met smiling face after smiling face, on that trail and I marveled at the age diversity of our fellow walkers.

There was a mama carrying a baby and walking with a preschooler. There were couples young and old. There were families. There were solitary walkers. There were some elderly people who I wouldn’t have thought would have braved the trail. Yet, they too, greeted us with a smile. There were runners. There were people who looked to be in perfect shape and those who looked like they were trying to get into perfect shape. Some sat down on benches by the river to rest or reflect.

I think I probably saw every stage of life, represented on that walk and no matter the stage, they all were seeking the same thing: to be outside, in nature and enjoy Creation. We worship a creative Heavenly Father, who has given us so much beauty, that we too often take for granted. We tend to gravitate towards the physical lists and tasks and neglect the spiritual ones that feed our souls and we suffer for it don’t we?

My nature walk reminded me that no matter our stage in life, we are called to participate, to get off the couch and get moving in whatever capacity we can and to be thankful for what we have been given, because when we give thanks, our eyes are opened to the many blessings we all have and miss.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Celebrating Christmas All Year

Posted on by Wendy
Pine needles still show up in the strangest places reminding me that Christmas is always with us.

As I write this, Christmas is over. The tree has been taken down, the decorations put away and the New Year has been rung in. It’s already February.

It amazes me how back in November, people were putting their trees up even before Thanksgiving, proclaiming it their favorite time of the year. Gorgeous pictures of Christmas trees crowded my Facebook feed. We couldn’t wait to celebrate Christmas. But, by New Year’s everything is put up and packed away, as if it never even happened.

Humanity has always had a super short attention span.

I’ll have to admit, I always take my Christmas tree down before New Year’s Eve. As much as I enjoy the tree, I long for my regular space back. But, this year, we put up a real tree for the first time, instead of the artificial pre-lit deal. It was an experiment of sorts for our family.

All my life, I have heard complaints about real trees shedding and I didn’t really notice much, until we took it down. Even though we swept and vacuumed repeatedly, little green needles continue to show up in the strangest places. I have discovered them in rooms all over the house when the tree was only in the family room. I have even found them on the stairs.

Who knows how they got there?

Interestingly enough, my vacuum cleaner won’t pick them up unless I use the hose. I have to reach down and pick it up myself and every time I find one I feel a nudge reminding me that Christmas is never really over even though the decorations are gone.

The true heart of Christmas is about the birth of a savior and the birth of hope and light for a dark world in deep need of Him. While the gifts have been exchanged and the calendar quickly moves on, the gift of salvation remains. The retailers might be telling us it’s time for Valentine’s day and the radio stations have stopped playing Christmas music, but our souls need to remember that hope and light remain with us everyday, all year long.

That truth alone, is reason to celebrate every single day we wake up. Some stray pine needles reminded me that the meaning of Christmas really doesn’t have a date, even though humanity would like to give it one. It’s much too big and wonderful to be confined to a single day or even a single place. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Christmas Writing Break

Posted on by Wendy

My daughter is home from college for Christmas break. My son will be out of high school in another week for his break. My hubby and I have two Christmas functions to attend after work this week. The hustle and bustle has definitely been taken up a notch for me. In an effort to enjoy every minute of this Advent season, I need to be very intentional with my time, so I’m taking a writing break until January. I can’t wait to see how God will show Himself in the details of this season and I look forward to meeting you back here in January to share. I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeking the Light

Posted on by Wendy
Christmas is coming!

As I sit typing this post, it’s pitch black dark outside and really cold. It’s supposed to drop into the twenties tonight. I feel exhausted from a busy day. My body feels like it could be close to midnight, yet it’s barely 7:00.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a dear old friend at church on Sunday. I hadn’t seen him in a while and we were catching up. He has recently retired and I told him I had been praying for him. He thanked me and asked me to keep praying. He told me he was keeping busy, but really struggled this time of year with the dark, and lately, rainy days. I nodded in agreement and assured him I would.

Tonight, sitting at my keyboard, I agree with him. I much prefer to write in the daylight with sun shining brightly through my windows. It’s so easy to see God, in the chirping birds and blooming flowers, or even in the fall foliage.

It’s sometimes much harder to find Him in the darkness.

There’s actually something called Seasonal Affective Disorder, where people become moody and depressed during seasons with less light. Our physical bodies and minds instinctively crave the light.

I find it beautifully symbolic that the days grow shorter and shorter, the closer we get to Christmas. It’s as if the earth itself is groaning for the light that we are readying our hearts to celebrate. On December 21st, we experience the shortest day of the year and after that, the days begin to lengthen little by little.

Then, just three days after that longest night of the year On December 24th, we celebrate the light from heaven that came to earth to change the fate of mankind forever. Thanks to that baby, we never have to walk in spiritual darkness again.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it was also three days between that dark Friday and the glory of Easter morning…

As I ponder these coincidences and the power, goodness, and timing of God, I glance over at my dogs who are always at my side when I write. They don’t carry watches around and they don’t seem to care whether the sun is shining or it’s the dark of night. They like to be near me.

I smile as I’m reminded that we worship a God who is also by our side, rain or shine, day or night. He likes for us to be near Him. When we search for Him we will always find Him even in the darkest of circumstances. After all, He is the light.

So, let’s all take a deep hopeful breath and remember that the darkness never wins. Christmas is coming soon. Hallelujah!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Growing in Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Faith teaches us that we have nothing to fear.

Yesterday, a little girl came into the school clinic. Her mouth was bleeding and she was a little panicked. Our nurse had stepped out, so I did a little triage. I asked her if she had lost a tooth and she said no. I gave her a cup of water to rinse her mouth out, so I could get a clearer look.

She rinsed and I took a look. There was a baby tooth that was the source of the bleeding. I asked her if it was loose and she told me that it started bleeding when she bit into an apple. All of the pieces fell together and I assured her that all was well, that her tooth was bleeding because it would soon come out and that she didn’t need to worry.

She looked like she wasn’t sure she believed me, but she took a tissue with her and went back to lunch.

It wasn’t long before she came back in grinning, with a tiny tooth in her hand. This time the nurse was in the clinic, but she stopped by my desk to show me. We talked about the tooth fairy coming to visit. She got a bag from the nurse to keep it in and she was on her way, much happier than she had been when she came in the first time.

I thought about that little girl on my drive home. I thought about how she panicked when she saw blood and how she wasn’t so sure that I knew what I was talking about. How could something bad like blood in her mouth, mean something good was about to happen?

Sure, I knew what was coming, because I’m older and I’ve been there, but how often have I panicked myself, when something was different than I thought it should be?

Things that we consider bad, happen to us all of the time, the job we didn’t get, that we wanted so badly, the relationship that didn’t work, even thought we gave it all we had, that no, that we wanted so desperately to be a yes, can all seem devastating at the time.

Yet, the passage of time, coupled with age, allows us to look back and more often than not, see all those “bad,” things were actually good and led us to a better place, or a better situation, or even better people.

The longer we walk with God, the more we come to realize there’s always a plan and that He’s always in control. There’s a peace that comes from knowing and believing that since He’s got it, we simply don’t need to worry about what comes next.

We’re really no different than the little girl and her tooth. We don’t have to panic because something good is in the works. We call that faith.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Candle of Hope

Posted on by Wendy
Our hope in Christmas is so much more that anything we can buy or create ourselves.

Yesterday at church, we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent, which marks the beginning of the period when we expectantly wait for the birth of Christ. Every Sunday until Christmas, someone will light a new candle and read some Scripture and then say a prayer. The Church takes the opportunity to prepare our hearts for Christmas.

As Christians, Advent reminds us to prepare for Christmas in a different way than the secular world prepares. It’s a thoughtful time of reflection that doesn’t require us to spend any money or to do any physical running around at all. I remember when my children were little and we were asked to light a candle, we would talk it over several times before we actually did it and everyone was a little nervous.

Yesterday, a sweet couple had been asked to light the first candle of the season. I always admire how polished they are each Sunday. They usually look like they stepped out of a clothing advertisement. After the husband read, the wife went to light the candle and the lighter didn’t light. After several attempts, she looked up at the congregation and told us they had practiced. The pastor stepped in and she couldn’t light it either and she finally passed it to the husband who had no better luck.

There was some laughter in the congregation at that point. But, then another parishioner handed the wife a different lighter and she lit the candle. The entire congregation erupted in cheers and clapping. The husband then said a prayer and they returned to their seats.

Although I’m sure that couple would have never chosen to have their technical difficulties, I ended up thinking about the Advent lighting much longer than I usually do.

I thought about how we often lose the meaning of the season when we are intent on creating the perfect Christmas. We live in a broken world. Our children or other loved ones, sometimes get sick at Christmas, or the turkey turns out dry, or the picture perfect cake didn’t turn out like we hoped, or finances are strained, or relationships are strained.

Perfection does not exist on this side of Eternity no matter what our friends at Pinterest or Facebook would like for us to believe. We will often fall short of the world’s ideal picture because sometimes no matter what our preparation was, the lighter just won’t light.

As Christians, Advent calls us to remember that we are in this world, but not of it and when we struggle and overcome, Heaven cheers for us, just like our congregation did for that couple. We are preparing for the One who overcame it all.

The first candle lit in Advent was for Hope. Our hope is something so much better than anything we could buy or create ourselves, this Christmas season. An advent candle mishap, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Table and Chairs Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
If this was my first project, I might have given up.

This past summer, I refinished several pieces of furniture for my daughter’s college apartment. I found that I really like creating with my hands and that there’s something incredibly rewarding about bringing new life to something just sitting in storage and gathering dust.

One of my daughter’s roommates decided to move out and another girl is moving in, so they needed a table. Naturally, I knew right where one was. It was sitting in my parents’ barn just waiting for me to give it new life. I gleefully went with my hubby in the freezing cold to pick it up.

It’s interesting that this particular project happened to be last of the apartment projects. First of all, it was a table and six chairs. It took up a lot of space and a lot of time. Secondly, all of my other projects were done during the summer. There was lots of light and I could store everything in the garage.

This time, most of it had to be done in the house and I didn’t have much light to work with. I had to step over or around chairs for weeks. To top it off, most of it wasn’t solid; it was veneer which is particularly difficult to work with. The chairs and base took a primer coat and three coats of paint. The top had to be sanded carefully, yet repeatedly and took several coats of stain as well as polyurethane.

If this would have been my first project, I might have given up. I might not have even tried all of the other ones out of sheer frustration, but it wasn’t my first. I had created and seen too many before and afters and I was simply too stubborn to give up.

In the end, it turned out just fine. My daughter was happy and she and her roomies have a place to gather to eat, or talk, or work on projects that require them to spread out.

I don’t know what it is about a kitchen table that calls us to sit and stay a while. There are far more comfortable places to sit in most homes, yet time and time again, I have found myself sitting either at my own kitchen table with friends and family or at someone else’s.

What is it about a kitchen table that calls us to sit and stay a while?

My table adventure reminded me that everything we do in life, is preparing us for the next step, the next project, the next calling. It’s part of the Divine Design. God always has a plan and is always working even when we can’t see Him. Nothing is by chance and nothing is trivial. We don’t have to know how it will turn out because He does. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Christmas Tree Adventures

Posted on by Wendy
Every chapter in our lives has a beauty all its own.

On Thanksgiving Day, after the meal was eaten and the dishes were put away, my mama and I were sitting at the kitchen table, looking at the pictures we had taken. We were appreciating a little break after a day of cooking, when my college student came in and announced that she, her brother and her daddy, were going out to find a Christmas tree and asked if we wanted to go.

I had serious doubts about the success of this venture, but I was game and so was Mama. We piled up into the truck, found some Christmas music and away we went. We did eventually find a tree, but we couldn’t find a tree stand, and no one was willing to brave the Walmart madness. We went to six places from one end of town to the other and eventually gave up and went home.

But, we had fun and we made some new memories.

We did go the next day and picked out a tree and a stand. We have always used an artificial one, so this was an entirely new experience for us. When we began decorating, my daughter decided we needed a new garland, so she and Mama and I, pulled up Pinterest and got some ideas. Then we grabbed my son, and we piled into my car, turned on the Christmas music and went to Hobby Lobby. It was complete Black Friday chaos, which I usually avoid at all costs,but we got in and out without a scratch and a couple of rolls of ribbon.

Once again, we made some new memories.

We got home and my daughter and I, finished decorating our new real tree, with our new garland. We laughed a lot and my son threw in his two cents worth from time to time and we made more memories.

I share this story because my son is a senior in high school and my daughter attends college a few hours away from home. This time next year, my hubby and I will be empty nesters. Gone are the days of little ones and milk and cookies left for Santa. Those days were fun and magical, to be sure.

But, this chapter is turning out to be fun as well. We can be more spontaneous and there are no bed times. We can start new traditions. I get opinions from my mostly grown kids on things like garland and I have to say, I’m enjoying the input.

My family Christmas tree adventure, reminded me that every chapter in our lives has a beauty and magic all its own. Looking back can be fun, but longing for the past robs us of the present and there are still so many memories to make. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Celebrating Anne

Posted on by Wendy
The love and kindness we share, remain long after we are gone.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I attended a funeral. It was for one of the most influential women in my faith walk. Her name was Anne. She came in every Sunday morning, when I was a child, carrying a black flannel board and little cut out paper characters to introduce a new Bible story.

She began each Sunday morning with songs, that are forever etched into my heart. One of her daughters would play the piano and we would sing, “This Little Light of Mine,” or “Jesus Loves Me,” or “Deep and Wide,” or “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man,” or “Joy, Joy, Joy, Down in My Heart,” (she would always pause during that one and ask us where and we would loudly sing it back.”

She taught kindergarten and she happily used her gifts, week after week, and year after year, to teach Sunday School as well as Vacation Bible School. I don’t think she ever had to be asked, she just did.

She taught me and my sister, and there’s no telling how many other children over the years, about the Bible giants. I have vivid memories of Jonah and the Whale, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Paul and of course Jesus, and countless others, marching across that black felt board.

She laid a foundation that would one day encourage me to dig deeper and learn more about God’s Word. She was a seed planter.

There was another lady in that tiny country church, who was also as influential for me as Anne was and she went home years ago to be with Jesus. She was definitely a Martha. As I was praying for comfort for Anne’s family, God reminded me that my sweet Anne was a Mary, spending countless hours at the feet of Jesus and then sharing what she learned with everyone around her in the kindest, gentlest way possible.

My daily devotion two days later just happened to be about those two sisters and I was reminded how both are needed to do Kingdom work. My personal faith walk was influenced by women with both of those gifts and I learned so much from them both.

From one, I was encouraged to plan and direct Vacation Bible School for almost ten years. From the other, I was encouraged to dig into the Bible and write about and share Jesus with others.

As I stood at Anne’s graveside, the day was spectacularly beautiful. The sky was a brilliant blue and the temperature had risen to close to seventy. It was as if nature was rejoicing that she had moved onto a better place, out of the sickness and pain where she had been.

I’ve no doubt, heaven was rejoicing at the addition of a new saint and I’m sure she heard the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21

Remembering Anne reminded me that we should keep planting and using our gifts, whatever they may be. We just never know what might take root. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂