Canyons & Fireworks

How are your New Year's resolutions going? Did you ever actually make any? As an Enneagram three (the achiever) I am constantly setting goals and aiming high. Words like change, progress, and breakthrough get me excited. As you can imagine I also struggle with burn-out, compassion fatigue, and can overbook myself.  My objective in 2024 is to strive for things that can't possibly lead to exhaustion. I want to pray with thanksgiving, slow dance with my husband often, and read poetry aloud with my daughter.   Stopping to smell the roses after successes is necessary; but I can't help but reflect on Hezekiah.  Last week's blog post covered some of Hezekiah's accomplishments but most importantly put him in the category of "pleasing in the sight of the Lord."  What about Hezekiah’s failure? Deeply embedded in Christian aspiration is the desire to end well. We know that no man is without sin, but Hezekiah’s misstep came disturbingly at the end of his life and had ...

Today is Martin Luther King Day and I am taking advantage of having the day off. To my utter surprise, Rob took the initiative and purchased the king-size adjustable bed, I am now reclining on as I write. While this might seem impulsive we have actually been praying into this matter for over three years. Foolishly we thought a practical queen-sized bed with additional storage in the frame would serve our needs. Perhaps the size would have sufficed but the lack of support, lost for the storage, has wreaked havoc on the alignment of our backs. It all came to a head when Rob started working extra night shifts and could not fall asleep despite exhaustion.  Thus we now have what feels like an island in the middle of our room and I couldn’t be more pleased. Funny, we received our long awaited king-sized bed on Martin Luther King day weekend. I am choosing to take this as a sign from Psalm 24 that our ancient gates and doors are open for the King of glory to enter.  What a gleeful no...

I am a sucker for atmospheric scenting. There is no such thing as too many candles, wax melts, diffusers, and the like in my opinion. Hawaiian breeze and cotton cloud dream are two of my favorite plugins. Lately, the redolence of my household fragrances have brought to mind the Biblical altars I have been studying. Refilling my dispenser seems more like a priestly privilege than a humdrum chore. As idyllic as incense and other sacred items are, we can't talk about altars without addressing their defilement.  Many kings and priests disrespect the holy things of God and debased themselves by making sacrifices and burning incense to false gods. Some even sacrificed their own children to gods like Moloch and Baal!  The accounts of Eli and his sons, Saul, and Uzziah offer unique lessons. We are told some disturbing things about Hophni and Phinehas. The two sons of Eli stole for their own pleasure the temple sacrifices meant to burn on the altar, mistreated worshipers, and slept wit...

🚨I would be honored if you would listen to this podcast episode.  The God Attachment Healing podcast had me on as a guest. This podcast is an AMAZING resource for those who want to learn more about attachment, heal their attachment issues, improve their relationships, or grow closer to the Lord. Sam Landa is providing rare and valuable content.  Please note you must be logged into your listening platform in order to make a comment. Comments and shares help out a lot! Thanks for the support! https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aWV6GJeDuaMhvUHHsSAH8?si=ddMQPS-SQAmfC1d49V2_Lg

This is the year of the open door, Psalm 24, and Psalm 84. The purpose of the open gate in Psalm 24 is to let the King of Glory enter. I want to learn about this open gate and God's glory, but God has been highlighting something else. Before Solomon’s temple, the ark was separated from the tabernacle and altar (1 Samuel 4). The main focus was on the return of the ark, but let's take a look at biblical altars. The first altar mentioned in the Bible is the one Noah built after the flood (Genesis 8). Immediately after Noah sacrificed on the altar, God made a covenant with mankind and the animals. God pledged to never again destroy the earth with a flood and as a sign of this promise we were given the rainbow.  The next notable altars are Abram’s. First he built an altar when God appeared to him and promised the land of Cannon (Genesis 12). Abram built another altar when he and Lot separated, and God reaffirmed this promise. When Abram asked God how he would know he would take poss...

Streams of rain poured from the heavens the day after Christmas. The rumbling of raindrops calmed my soul and gave one final justification, of the season, to be a homebody. Hopefully treasured times of connection with friends and family have filled your December and not just an exhaustive list of rooms to decorate, recipes to make, and items to purchase. Regardless of how your Christmas season turned out, it's drawing to an end. Are you satisfied or are you visited by the post-holiday blues?  Soon the gyms will be full and mindsets will shift back to goals and work. A part of me loves the idea of a new beginning and casting vision. Today my thoughts are elsewhere. I can't help but notice how quickly we go from one thing to the next. The tides of time roll in and out but, what about rest?  More than once I have had to learn the lesson of Sabbath rest. The all powerful God, at the very beginning, institutionalized rest weekly. The gift of trusting the Provider enough to refrain ...

What are your favorite Christmas movies? It's a Wonderful Life is a personal favorite.  My daughter loves Home Alone and my husband usually chooses The Polar Express . Last year I added the movie Klaus to our must sees.  Regardless, the various depictions of A Christmas Carol are mandatory. Rob and my mother both go for the hilarious Bill Murray's Scrooged . As someone whose second language was English and who grew up outside of Pittsburgh, all things Sesame Street have my heart. A Muppet Christmas Carol is like my Christmas movie spirit animal with A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey as a close second. Charles Dickens' instant bestseller from 1843 portrays a narrative we sill find uncomfortable today. To correct behaviors, one must heal the person which involves addressing memories and wounds from the past. This truth hit mainstream popular culture 180 years ago but we still try to avoid the personal implications.  Why do we shy away from this transformative work...