Author: Wendy

When spring finally shows up each year, I love to get out and walk. I am not a treadmill or gym girl. I like to be out in nature, taking in all of the glorious sights that nature has to offer this time of year and I am never disappointed. Unfortunately, the other thing I can usually depend on this time of year is my neighbors burning leaves.

My neighborhood is full of hardwood trees which create like a billion leaves. There is one particular set of homeowners along my walk who insist on burning their leaves and it seems like they burn them all of the time, which probably seems like no big deal, right?

But, when I am walking or running and breathing hard and the air is filled with smoke, so are my lungs. It gets difficult to breathe and my fabulous walk in the beautiful sunshine, gets tarnished. I sometimes shoot daggers at them with my eyes as I walk by, not that they notice, and I allow myself to get angry, which is normally the complete opposite effect of exercise for me.

But, as I was fuming about it the other day, it occurred to me that those people probably have no idea how uncomfortable their smoke from their leaves, makes people. They are just burning their leaves on their property, thinking about clearing out their yard.

I then began to think about things that we all do that inadvertently effect those around us. Things like constantly complaining about our spouses, or our kids, or our jobs, or our churches.

Words can be like smoke and have far-reaching consequences. When we are regularly venting to a friend, there may be others around us who hear us. Maybe they are having their own relationship struggles and negative words spill over on them. Maybe they are questioning their own faith and our griping about the people at our church just reinforces their idea that churches are just social clubs anyway, not true places of growth and worship.

The Bible tells us “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4:29

Constant negative words also eventually effect our own thought processes. It becomes a vicious cycle. We speak negatively and then we think negatively and then most of our thoughts become negative. God has a different way for us, a different plan.

“And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8

Perhaps Lent is an ideal time to focus on all of the good things and then try to only speak good things, then maybe our “smoke” will be like a breath of fresh air in a world that desperately needs it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

My son is reading the book, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” in his 8th grade language arts class. It’s an incredibly moving and sad story about two boys who are friends during the Holocaust. One was Jewish. One was not. They both end up dying in a Nazi concentration camp.

I don’t like to think about dark times in history or dark things for the most part. When a television commercial comes on about children starving or animals being abused, I change the channel. The images stay with me long after the commercials and they weigh heavily on my soul.

I suppose our society as a whole has become that way. We are big avoiders of what troubles us or makes us uncomfortable and the pharmaceutical companies are more than happy to help us stay numb.

But, perhaps there are some stories that we need to hear. Perhaps they should trouble our hearts and souls. If we don’t remember the Holocaust, then we forget to honor all of those lives that were lost and we forget about the atrocities that humanity is capable of. If we forget, then we will allow it to happen again.

My pastor recently said that there are Christian churches who are refusing to place crosses in their sanctuaries and they never preach about the crucifixion. They find that it’s kind of depressing and people don’t go to church to leave depressed. He also said that many churches had done away with Good Friday services because the attendance was so low. Easter services on the other hand, were bursting at the seams.

I was kind of stunned. There’s no way around the fact that the crucifixion of Christ is probably the darkest moment in all of human history. It’s ugly and brutal. The pain and suffering involved can almost be too much to consider, but as Christians, we have to consider it.

The entire life of Jesus pointed to that ugly and brutal cross and he willingly went there and died. Isn’t refusing to remember and reflect on that an insult to the Son of God who did it for each one of us? How can Easter and the resurrection mean nearly as much if we don’t take the journey to Calvary?

If we allow ourselves to gloss over that huge sacrifice, can we feel truly redeemed by it?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a look on the bright side kind of gal and I avoid sad movies and stories at all cost. But, there are some stories that must be told, even horribly dark ones. It seems to me that there could be only one force in the world that would want us to forget the crucifixion or the Holocaust, for that matter. That force would have to be God’s enemy as well as the enemy of His people.

During the season of Lent, perhaps we should take a good long look at the cross and all it symbolizes. It can be painful and uncomfortable, but it’s important and make no mistake, in the end God wins.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

I took a walk yesterday, it seemed like overnight, the earth woke up. There are so many things in bloom. I suppose all of the rain we have been complaining about really did have a good purpose. Isn’t it funny how life works out that way? As I was walking and appreciating the beauty and thanking God for the gorgeous day, I came across a forsythia bush, that brought back a memory.

The forsythia bush is bright yellow and sometimes called yellow bells. They bloom in the spring. We had two big ones at our last house. One day many years ago, my mother-in-law and her companion, Bill were visiting. I was complaining that our yellow bells weren’t blooming well at all.

Now, Bill, was one of the sweetest natured, quietest men that you would ever meet. He was a retired principal and he loved to grow things. He always had a huge garden every summer. He leaned over and asked me if I had tried watering them.

I was kind of stunned. What a simple question, right? I mean, plants need water to grow and I watered the plants in pots at the house, but not the bushes. I grew up on over a hundred acres with a well. We didn’t really water much because the well might run dry. We had pear trees, plum trees, apple trees and scuppernongs among other things. They either made it or they didn’t. We didn’t coddle anything much.

But, when Bill and I were talking, we were in a deep drought and had been for quite a while. Why hadn’t I thought of watering the yellow bells? I admitted to him that I had not. He kind of smiled and told me that might help them bloom. He was right of course. He put some water on them while he was there and they did bloom soon after.

Seeing the yellow bells today reminded me of that sweet, wise man and of that conversation. They were blooming because of all of the rain. All living things require water to thrive. What else in our lives do we need to water to make them bloom? What areas of our lives have we allowed to fall into drought?

When I think about it, all relationships require some effort to keep them blooming. From friendships, to marriages, to families, to our spiritual relationship with God. Over time, if we don’t give them care and nurture, water, so to speak, they will not only stop blooming; they can eventually die.

The same goes for goals and dreams we may have. If we don’t devote any time to them, they can die too and some of them are likely meant to produce beautiful fruit.

Lent seems like an ideal time to consider the areas in our lives that may need watering. Who knows, by Easter, we may have more blooms than we know what to do with. What do you need to water?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

While Lent is supposed to be a time of reflection and drawing closer to God, it’s also a season of repentance. We don’t like to think about repentance much or about sin. It’s often easy to pick out the sins of others, but our own sometimes seem to escape our notice.

One thing I consistently find when talking to parents of all ages and stages is that they carry around guilt regarding their children. They regret a wide variety of decisions they made while raising their kids. They carry guilt over things like their kids’ education, or not being more involved in their lives, to getting a divorce.

The truth is, there’s no way that any parent will always make the right decisions. Parents are humans. Humans are flawed and broken and we make mistakes. But, we can also be forgiven.

When we repent and ask God for forgiveness, we are forgiven because of the blood of Jesus. He shed it for all people and for all sin, period. As Christians, we sometimes need to ask ourselves, if we really believe that. If we do, then we cannot carry around unresolved guilt. When we do, we are really saying to Jesus that his sacrifice didn’t count. We are saying that everyone else’s sins can be forgiven, but our sins are special and especially dark.

Does that concept sound ridiculous? Hopefully, it does, but a lot of people are carrying guilt and shame needlessly. When we lay our burdens, even guilt, at the foot of the cross, we must leave them there. If we truly believe in the power of Jesus, we cannot pick them back up.

We also need to remember that we have an enemy that loves for us to carry around anything that causes us pain. Anything that separates us from God is a victory for him. Guilt that we have repented of, that we have placed at the foot of the cross, is no longer our burden to bear, even if Satan whispers in our ear a different message. We aren’t to listen to him.

Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 9b

Lent may be the ideal time to ask ourselves if we believe that. If we do, then we have to repent of any guilt that we stubbornly cling to for whatever reason. It’s not God’s way or in His plan for us. How can we serve Him with our whole heart if we allow darkness to abide within our heart? Unresolved guilt is darkness.

Maybe we should take a little time during this season to honestly let go of burdens that have been forgiven long ago and if we need forgiveness, then all we have to do is ask. Letting go of the bad stuff that we can’t change is actually about trust and obedience. How are you doing with those two things?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

I have often thought bluebirds were beautiful. I never saw them much growing up and they aren’t as common as they once were. So, when my son had to complete a project for an agriculture class at school, last year, I naturally encouraged him and my hubby to build a bluebird house.

They are apparently, rather picky about their houses. They like for the hole to be a certain size and for their nests to be a certain height off the ground. They found the perfect plans on the internet and he got an A on the project.

Low and behold, we had bluebirds, the first season we put it out. They are very shy birds and although I often see them, they flee the moment they see me. I was able to capture this one after returning from a recent walk and it made me think about other things that we could have more of in our lives if we simply made the space.

Having two kids that are very artistic, I have found that when I created a space for them to create and the supplies to do it, they were much more likely to be creative, than when I left their art supplies packed away in a box and had to make a space on the kitchen table for them.

Likewise, when I decided to turn a rarely used formal living room into a writing space for me, Graceful Gaines was born.

I am aware that space is at a premium in many homes, but even a little corner with a folding table set up can make all of the difference to someone who has an ability and a desire to create, but needs a little nudge.

I once read that Mary Engelbreit announced to her mother as a child, that she needed a studio space. Their house was small, but her mother cleaned out a closet and put a desk in it for her artistic daughter. A studio was born and so was one of my favorite artists.

I also use my writing space for my place to read my Bible and jot down notes and questions I have. I can certainly read the Bible anywhere, but having a dedicated space to leave it out, open and ready to go, along with a pen and a pad, just seems to make it easier to make it a point to read it everyday.

Even a rarely used chair in a corner somewhere can serve the same purpose. Inviting God in regularly, can make any place holy.

Perhaps Lent is an ideal time to prayerfully consider what things in our lives would we give much-needed attention to if we were to create a little more space for them. They can range from creative endeavors to more prayer time. God created each one of us with unique talents that we are supposed to nurture and use for Him. If we aren’t nurturing and growing them, then we aren’t serving to our best abilities.

What areas in your life need more space?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

When we went to bed on Saturday night, we had to spring forward an hour on our clocks. Now, I don’t know about you, but Sunday proved to be a very long day for me. Not only was I exhausted all day, but every time I looked at the clock, it was so much later than I thought.

This happens to me every year and honestly, it takes me about a week to adjust. I have always found the same to be true with my kids, whether they were toddlers or teens; we will have a week of grumpiness. But, it’s only an hour. Should one little hour make such a huge difference in our lives?

Perhaps it shouldn’t. But, let’s ponder that for a moment. What would happen if we gave up an hour, (just one), daily, for exercise? Our blood pressure would likely drop, along with our cholesterol, not to mention our pants size. Studies have shown that our stress level would drop as well and our sleep quality would increase. That hour doesn’t seem quite as insignificant; does it?

What if we were to dedicate an hour daily to prayer time and Bible reading? Does that hour now, seem huge? That’s a lot of prayer; isn’t it? I wonder how much of the Bible we could read in a year’s time if we dedicated an hour a day to it. What would our faith walk look like? I wonder if our stress level and blood pressure would decrease in this scenario as well. I wonder if our sleep quality would increase. I feel like our level of peace would likely increase as well as joy and all of those cool fruits of the Holy Spirit, like patience, kindness and love.

We live in a busy and over scheduled world and we have the tendency to waste time and energy on frivolous things, or at least I do. Perhaps you do too? Things from playing on Facebook, to surfing the net, to checking Pinterest, can eat up an awful lot of time.

Daylight Savings Time has been a good reminder to me of the large amount of good that could be accomplished with only one hour a day. As I trudge through this week, getting readjusted, I’m going to take some time to pray about how I might better use my time.

As we travel through Lent and attempt to draw closer to God, maybe one of the best tithes we could ever give to God would be our time. Managing our time better to include more time with Him, could possibly be one of the best gifts we could ever give ourselves as well as to all of the people who happen to cross our paths.

Since time is one of those precious commodities that we never get more of, perhaps we should be more intentional with it. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂