This is the day.....

that the Lord has made, not like tomorrow or yesterday. He made today in a special way, so let's all sing and be glad." This little song, learned when I was young, has become an oft sung meal-time grace for our family. Sometimes, when it's been a tough day, I'll sing it in a cranky voice with a grouchy face, just to make the kids smile. I'll replace the word "glad" with "mad" and finally raise a chuckle among those around me.

But, today, there is no need to sing it cranky style. This whole day has been amazingly perfect. Here's why:

Beautiful sunshine
Happy chickies in the violets
Dear friends moving in with us for a bit
One week till the Church Basement Roadshow (www.churchbasementroadshow.com)
Laundry on the line
Helpful kiddos and most exciting of all....

a brand new niece arrive safely today!

Thanks, God, for a sweet day! May I be as able to praise you as readily during the hard times too.

God is....

I did this art journaling thoughts during a lovely worship time at our friend's home this weekend.

Some thoughts on what God is and is not are written into the painting.

God....imagines, is about seasons of growth and rest, is about life, is freedom, is beauty, is a creator, sees me as I was created to be, is celebration.

God is not ....forceful, "just" anything, pain, all rules, pride, competition, small, only mine, only yours.

Finding the Way of Jesus part 2

Many of you have asked about how our Thursday night group went. Surprisingly (to me), not at all like how I had pictured it. I had thought that by the end of this four week group, we would have come up with some great plan to relieve vast amounts of suffering in our community, or maybe the secret to world peace. Now that I think of it...maybe we did.

If I had to boil down our 4 weekswith 17 people in 28 chapters containing 33 years of Jesus's life and words, I think it might have come to this: Be one in heart with Jesus, and move forward under his authority.

Oh, God, if we really lived like that....Imagine!