A Smattering of Thought

Life around us swirls with activity.  If you were to stand on a busy sidewalk in the middle of Chicago you would feel the rush of busyness.  The crush of people and the quickness of their pace will literally blow your hair back. Always something to do, somewhere to go, someone to visit/help, some organization to volunteer with, a blog to write, a craft to make, exercise, shopping, coffee dates, Bible study, church activities, school functions, etc.   Life is busy .  Striving to maintain a household is busy enough without having to add more (and I only have one person to take care of).  Many of these activities are worthy, important and necessary, however, there comes a time with a line in the sand needs to be drawn.  This little word with power has slowly crept back into my vocabulary has given me freedom again.  It is not lengthy and will certainly not gain you many points on Scrabble or Words with Friends, but it is equally liberating and scary. ...

I wonder what it would look like to work in my very own bakery?   Would I really walk through the day on a cloud of flour dust, breathing in the wonderful aroma of warm almond or would I stumble over scattered pots and mixing bowls in an attempt to beat the angry buzzer on the oven before my red velvet cupcakes turned to a deep maroon? {phone rings and brings me back to reality}   Hmm...maybe one day.   However, if you are in the area and need some homemade cupcakes, let me know! I don't fancy myself an expert pasty chef and fondant/gum paste are not my friends, but a good, moist cake with buttery frosting I can do! Here is a sample of some things I have created.   On this blistery cold day, a little sugar might brighten our mood!

Have you ever wondered at the vastness of our galaxy?   Have you wondered how big the earth is in comparison to its surroundings?   Louie Giglio did an amazing job with the video below.  If you have not seen this video, please take time to watch it.  If you have children, bring them in and watch it together. How Great is Our God by Louie Giglio WOW!  I mean really WOW!   Did you feel as insignificant I as did?  We are this small blip on a golf ball in the vastness of the galaxy, and yet this amazing, Creator God made us in His image.  He made us with the intention of a relationship.  He thought about us, we were not created by accident or chance or mishap, it was intentional.   Though I cognitively know this, my sinfulness takes over and I think He does not care, does not listen or is not aware of my trials.  Oh how wrong I am.  Louie closes with a passage from Isaiah, read it below.   ...

It is hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I escaped graduated high school.  Many study halls & algebra classes were spent daydreaming about what my life would look like as “an adult”.  A beautiful house with a white picket fence, a handful of impeccably dressed and well-behaved children frolicking on the lush green grass while my hot handsome husband brings  me a glass of lemonade while I blissfully lounge on the hammock during a warm spring day {ignoring the mound of laundry and dinner burning in the oven}.   Ahh…this is the life! Okay, so maybe not reality, but it was a daydream!  Most teen girls envision themselves married with a family, or at least I did.  I certainly did not picture my life single and living on my own.  Each of these pictures can be electrifyingly freeing or devastatingly hindering.  Neither one is picture perfect.  Neither one is better than the other one.  As I look at my prese...

Music is healing oil for my soul.   It sets my course straight after getting turned around.   It seeks to draw me out of dark places.   Is like a perfect storm of powerful notes and truthful lyrics crashing against my weary soul.   My hearts resonates with the Psalmist David in this way.  I can almost picture him lost in his own world singing songs of deepest hurt or greatest joys.  Singing praises to God at times with no lyrics just the beat of his heart.  The well of emotion at the words which cannot be formed as he is hit with the realization of Who God really is what He has really done.  This realization is even more powerful for us on the other side of the cross.   One song which resonates within my soul right now is "How Love Wins" from The Story CD project.   This song tells the story of the thief on the cross next to Jesus.   How Love Wins:  lyrics by Nichole Nordeman, music by Bernie Herms "My life...

I love being a part of a church family where it really seems like family.   With all the good and the bad that involves...they are family! This past week I have reflected a little bit on how my relationship with the church body has grown. As a young child and a pastor’s kid, you were at church anytime the building was open.  In my teens years I came because it was a place for me to see my friends, maybe learn something and but not to be involved.  It was an obligation and one I do in order to please those around me.  While in college, the church became more of a necessity, a staple.  It was a place I knew I would be safe.  The friends would be different from the majority of the friends I had at work, or at least they should be.   Fast-forward to present day. I have been attending the same church for a very long time.   I have been passive and active.   I have been stagnant and stretched.   There were t...

Christmas is an enchanting time of year. The sights, sounds, smells, stories, and sparkling snow. The snow softly coming down outside while Christmas music softly plays. The smell of cinnamon rolls baking fills the house. Sounds of giggles, laughter and chatter fills the air.  Each year I feel like a little kid once again.  Heading off to bed with eager anticipation for the new day. Truth be told, if I still lived at home you would likely find me creeping upstairs in the middle of the night to see what appeared.  For as long as I can remember my mom would still wait to fill the stockings and put out the gifts until we had gone to bed.  Even while in college, the tradition continued.  {side note: my mom rocks} One aspect I love about Christmas is giving gifts.  I love to find the perfect gift for the perfect person.  It is not that I need to spend a lot of money, but I want it to be something unique and special, just like they are to me.  So...