A Hint of Things To Come

June 2, 2010 by 5 Comments

Guess what’s in the bag?! Here’s a clue — it’s a hint of things to come. It’s the bridal gown! Yay!!

After an unplanned delay the day Kelli and I went to T-town to pick up said gown, Don and I finally brought it home last week. And none to soon. Kelli’s bridal portrait session was yesterday — in yet another town. This MOB gets around, huh?! :)

I wish I could give you a real peek at the gown or at one of the pics I snapped yesterday, but we all know the bride’s appearance has to be kept a secret until the big day arrives. But I can tell you this — she’s going to be gorgeous! I can’t wait to see the results of the photo shoot! And I can’t wait to share pics after the wedding! And yes, I know I’ve used way too many exclamation points in this post :)

Getting the dress and having the photo shoot truly does hint at things to come. It’s all really going to happen! My baby is going to be getting married next month! Pretty exciting, isn’t it?

As exciting as the thought of our upcoming celebration is, there’s another event on the horizon that makes ours pale in comparison. We as the church, as the bride of Christ, should be making ourselves ready for His appearance. He has promised to come again — and it’s all really going to happen!

The Word of God gives us some signs to watch for when the time for Christ’s return is drawing near. Have you seen any lately? Have you noticed the hints of things to come? Even though we may have some rough waters to tread before He arrives, the end result is pretty exciting, isn’t it? Join me in a shout of praise! Offer some exclamation points with me!!! :)

“…’Nation will rise against nation…There will be great earthquakes and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven… they will lay hands on you and persecute you…

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.'” Luke 21: 10-12;25-28

*Don’s mom had to go back into the hospital this week with a U.T. infection (can be serious for someone in renal failure). Please pray for a quick recovery for her — and for me to keep my sanity during these busy weeks before the wedding! Not the best time for extra responsibility…

Filed Under: appearance, beauty, joy, praise, preparation, signs

Spotting the Evidence

August 26, 2009 by 2 Comments

When you think of Kansas, chances are you think of farms and wheat fields, but now when you drive across the state, you’ll also catch sight of the occasional wind farm. I took this shot from our car as we drove to Colorado last month. And yes, it’s a small miracle that it’s not a blurry mess :)

As we approached these unusual crops of wind turbines, I guess I hoped to see some kind of fast and furious blade show, but nature didn’t treat us to such a display on our travel days going out and coming home. That’s probably something I should be thankful for now that I come to think of it. When the wind gets going in Kansas, it can turn into The Wizard of Oz all over again!

No, we saw no evidence of wind until we were nearly parallel with the turbines, and even then the blades barely moved. But move they did. We spectators just had to watch sharp to spot the wind’s workings on those particular days.

As Christians, I wonder how sharp the spectators around us have to watch to spot evidence of God’s Spirit moving in our lives. Do they have to get right up close to notice anything different about us? Or do fruits of the Spirit such as love, peace, gentleness, and self-control flow so freely from our lives that others are treated to an obvious display of His work whenever they look in our direction?

If there’s any kind of fast and furious show that others can observe in our lives, how about we make it a show of the Spirit? May they see evidence of Him — even at a distance!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galations 5:22-23a

*My photo

Filed Under: nature, signs, travel

Evidence of Pure Delight

July 26, 2009 by 2 Comments

This little gal and my nephew Gavin have something wonderful in common — they both know how to freely enjoy an ice cream cone. No inhibitions. No embarrassment. They just dive in and come up smiling, with the evidence of pure delight plastered all over their faces.

I should have a picture of Gavin in all his chocolate glory, but alas, I failed to capture the shot. We traveled to T-town this past week to see one of his ball games before the end of the season, and I dutifully took pictures there. However, when the game was over and we stopped by Braum’s for a celebratory ice cream treat, I left my camera in the car. Big mistake.

Yes, I missed the real photo-op of the night. If I hadn’t been so pooped (this was less than 48 hrs. after all our vacation travels), I would have hot-footed it out to the car, grabbed the camera, and snapped a priceless pic to share with you all. Now you’ll just have to imagine it — sorry! :)

Gavin’s still young enough (7 years old) to throw caution to the wind and eat an ice cream cone the way a playful puppy might. I’m not sure how he managed it, but the chocolate trail on his face went a full 360 degrees around his mouth. What can I say? That boy enjoyed his ice cream! :)

Wouldn’t it be fun if we adults gave ourselves permission to enjoy ice cream — or life in general for that matter — with the same carefree abandon of a little boy? Instead, as we grow up, we grow more reserved, and before you know it, we forget what it’s like to throw caution to the wind, dive in, and come up smiling.

What do you say we give it a try this week? Join me in leaving inhibitions and fear of embarrassment behind. Let’s freely enjoy something we love. Let’s leave a trail of joy in our wake and let our faces shine with the evidence of pure delight. And yes, for some, that might include chocolate!

“…God…richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1 Timothy 6:17b

p.s. So what do you hope to enjoy this week? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment and start your trail of joy! :)

Flickr photo by ian.plumb

Filed Under: chocolate, family, joy, signs

Summer Season — A Change of Pace

June 7, 2009 by 9 Comments

Ah, June! Don’t want to let too much of the month get away without celebrating the start of the summer season. With one week already behind us, I can’t resist mentioning one of my favorite summer song titles. Sing it with me now! C’mon, just the title — June Is Bustin’ Out All Over! Now, didn’t that feel good? :)

I don’t know about you all, but June has certainly been bustin’ out all over around here. We attended a beautiful June wedding yesterday (congrats to Blaire and Andy!), kids are out of school and keeping the local pool in business, ball parks are beehives, our church sent a group on a mission trip last week, and our own grown-up kids have already enjoyed mini-summer adventures. Yes, June is in full swing.

Other signs of June in our family include birthdays for Kristin and Shawn and summer school for Don. Birthdays equal fun, but summer school? Not so much.

Poor Don. He teaches two 5-hr. lab courses during the month of June. For those of you not familiar with college lab classes, that means he’s in the classroom the entire day and must do all his clean-up and prep for the next day before he comes home at night. This past week, he didn’t get home on Monday and Tuesday until around 9. Thursday night was the earliest at 7, but he didn’t roll in until after midnight on Wednesday and Friday nights. Crazy ridiculous, huh?

If Don can just make it through his marathon month of June, come July he’ll be rewarded with a serious change of pace. Oh, he’ll have at least a week’s worth of work just to get his office back into some semblance of order and then will need another week to prepare for the fall semester starting in mid-August, but at least the pace can be more relaxed. We’re even planning a week’s vacation — knock on wood! Certainly don’t want to jinx it by saying it out loud :)

The summer season holds a lot, doesn’t it? Not only celebrations and all manner of recreation, but work and lots of it — whether the 9 to 5, work around the house, or volunteer responsibilities. In the midst of all the “stuff” crammed into the disappear-if-you-blink days of summer, we would be wise to schedule some time for rest as well.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 in the Word of God tells us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Well, the summer season is upon us, with all its work and fun. How about carving out a season of rest within its days, too? Then, even if we can’t say it in June, we’ll be able to say at some point, “Ahhh, summer…”

**Just for fun, tell me what you most enjoy about summer or something you’re looking forward to doing this summer season!

Flickr photo by Sophia Brightsea

Filed Under: family, rest, signs, summer

Flu Shots…and Other Precautions

October 19, 2008 by 6 Comments

It’s that time of year again. Time to roll up your sleeve and offer the fleshy part of your upper arm to your local flu shot provider. Admittedly, nobody enjoys getting a shot, but some folks certainly protest more than others. Don and I got ours the other day, and let’s just say Don carried on a bit :)

Don’s never liked needles. I should have realized he’d never be a big help in medical situations when he nearly passed out during our blood tests for our marriage license :) Since then, he’s made a point of trying to be out of the room any time needles enter the picture. How they ever talked him into volunteering to run the bloodmobile on campus is a mystery to me. As senior biology instructor, I’m guessing the pressure to prove his biological prowess was pretty intense. I’m also guessing he manages to be busy doing other things when the nurse inserts the needle :) Believe it or not, he’s even worked up to giving blood himself the past several years.

Amazingly, Don is also willing to get a flu shot with me every year. Since he doesn’t want his students to miss any of his famous (or should I say infamous?) lectures, he does his best to avoid getting a bad case of the flu. We’re both big believers in the flu shot in fact. Probably all it takes to make a person a believer is having a full-blown case of it one time. I know that did it for me.

Flu shots are not the only precautions I take when cold and flu season roll around. I keep plenty of vitamin C on hand as well as a supply of zinc lozenges to start taking at the first hint of a scratchy throat or prickly nose. I wash my hands more often, and after being in public places, I reach for a little bottle of Germ-X I keep in the car. And of course, I try to stay away from sick people :) In short, I do my best to stay healthy, and from what I can tell, most everyone else is doing the same.

But what about our spiritual health? Are we taking any precautions to stay spiritually healthy? How do we fight the viruses of discouragement, apathy, bitterness, self-sufficiency, and the host of other things that threaten our souls? Do we ignore them, or do we surround ourselves with plenty of God’s Word and a healthy dose of prayer? Are we coming to God for regular cleansing and staying alert to little things out in the world we need to resist at a moment’s notice? Are we eager to spend time with other believers who will strengthen and encourage us? In short, are we doing our best to stay spiritually healthy?

I’d say it’s time, physically and spiritually, to practice some preventative medicine. What precautions are you taking? Are you a big believer in something in particular? Take a moment and share it with us — and then go get your flu shot :)

“…wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 13:10b

p.s. I had Don’s permission to share his problem with needles :)

Flickr photo by Daniel Paquet

Filed Under: advice, body, family, signs
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