Boxed In

 The living room looks like a storeroom. Who knew our life could be contained in that many boxes?! And there are more boxes to fill as we get ready to move. This is after loading up the back of the Subaru with "stuff" and donating it to Value Village, and depositing a work van load at the local dump. No photos to share of these events, which I'm sure you'll appreciate. 

Not everything in life can be fit into boxes. I'm glad we have spiritual freedom to live outside the box the world sometimes tries to cram us into. As I've mentioned previously, it's been an honor to have some of the devotions I've written published on various websites. Today I'd like to invite you to check this one out where my musings entitled "Spiritually Anorexic" was posted today.

Love Lines from God

Enjoy!

Announcement: Eastward Bound

 
For the past three years some of my devotional pieces have shown up about once a month on the website, ChristianDevotions.us. Then more recently on a blog called Love Lines from God. Please be encouraged to check these publications out. I'm sure you'll be blessed by what is shared there. Also keep an eye out for another blog that I'll be participating in called "VineWords" after the first of the new year. 

This year our women's ministry deacon at church invited me to share some devotional thoughts in a newsletter going out occasionally to the women, and I was delighted to do so. 

I'd like to put the last one I wrote here on my blog as a way to announce the change we are approaching as of the end of October. So here goes:

How Does Your Garden Grow?

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:11 NIV)

How I admire people with gardening skills. Although both my parents were garden-minded, that gene did not get handed down to me. Every summer Dad set up his garden in well-fertilized soil by the barn. Corn, potatoes, and maybe some pole beans grew in abundance. On the east side of the house Mom's efforts produced gladiolas, chrysanthemums, and irises balanced with rows of carrots, peas, leaf lettuce, and a patch of squash. Sadly when asked to pull weeds, I couldn't even distinguish weeds from carrots.

Isn't it wonderful that God compares His people to a well-watered garden? Similar to the lushness of those summer gardens of my childhood, what the Lord plants in us and nurtures brings results that cannot be mistaken. 

When I encountered Isaiah's prophetic statement in my prayer journal recently as the verse for the week's reflection, it settled in my heart just when I needed it.

You see, after much consideration, prayer, and discussion over the past couple of years, my husband and I have made the decision to move to Idaho. My emotions are like a rollercoaster. I love being in Washington state. It's my home, where my roots are. But in all practicality we need to be in a place where the cost of living is lower. Fortunately we have family already living in the Boise area that own rental properties; we have been offered access to one of them. While dragging my heels through the dirt a bit, I'm recognizing this is God's way of meeting our needs. 

Still my tears have spurted like a water hose with holes at the thought of being at a distance from my children and grandchildren that live here in Washington. What reassurance to know that God is fully capable of tending each one of us in whatever soil He plants us, and bringing about amazing results. I'm starting to look forward to what He'll grow in me in Idaho.

Think about the beauty God is growing in your garden.

Wasting Away in Blackberries

 

The old farm where I grew up has been in the process of being destroyed organically. My dad sold it back in the 1970s and since then, blackberry briars have taken over. Wherever an opening was found in any structure still standing, they snaked inside, digging in their thorns, pulling down roofs and decimating walls. Little of the barn buildings can be seen and if left as is, blackberry vines would fully encase the house. It's not known why the destruction was allowed but my heart hurt to see this once beautiful property looking like Sleeping Beauty's castle before the prince came to rescue her. Renovating was no longer an option at this point. If ever I were able to buy back this land, the only thing to do would be to bring in a bulldozer and completely level it before restoration could begin.

A writing exercise sent me to this Bible verse: "The LORD determined to tear down the wall around the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withhold his hand from destroying. He made ramparts and walls lament; together they wasted away." (Lamentations 2:8 NLT) As sad as it looks and for various reasons I found with further study, God made the choice to let Israel, the Daughter of Zion, be destroyed. Whether it was with blackberries or some other vegetation, or at the hands of sword-wielding warriors, the end came. He still has a plan for full restoration that He is working on. He has measured it all out and knows exactly how far things must go. Clearly grieving over loss is an expected part of the process. 

I grieve over losing things, from certain places I enjoyed living in, to loved ones making less than best choices, to friendships that soured and died, to my own youthfulness passing by. I look around to see where God put His measuring line in hopes the mark He placed for the boundary is in sight.

In Bible Study Fellowship this year we're looking at how God did bring Israel back out of Babylon to their homeland. Knowing that God uses a measuring tape reassures me that there will come a time of restoration. When I understand that tearing down a city allows a new one to be built, hope surges up and the pain in my heart ebbs. 

And where the old farm is concerned, a new owner has purchased it. Changes are slowly happening there. Yes, hope rises. 

So when I look at upcoming changes in my life, changes that mean closing the door on the familiar and dear and moving through a door that leads to new surroundings, I'm grieving at the loss, but also beginning to feel flickers of hopeful expectation at where God's measuring line is drawn. 

Change Happens

 August 25, 2025

Life is full of change. I remember when Mt. St. Helens erupted. Almost 300 miles north of the volcano, we heard the blasts, one right after the other on that May 18th morning in 1980. Recently we visited the Mt. St. Helens Visitors Center in Castle Rock. The change in topography from prior to 1980 to now is significant, as well as in plant life and animal species. Apparently the variety of vegetation and animals exceed what was there pre-eruption. 

My Bible states in Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." And He is the One I'm following as we encounter changes of our own. 

More to come on that subject in the near future. You're welcome to come along on this new adventure by following this blog.

To Mark Where God Has Spoken

“…I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Genesis 35:3b NLT)

Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there. (Genesis 35:14-15 NLT)

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT)

Other words for distress are anxiety, disappointment, perplexity, vexation, and heartbreak. There are more in the thesaurus but these concepts stand out for me as we navigate through the COVID-19 storm. Early in January my daily Bible reading took me to Genesis 35. Knowing the story of Jacob and the challenges he went through, this was my prayer, “So many times, God, we’ve been in distress and we’ve prayed to You and You stayed with us all through our journey, every move, every place we’ve lived. I’m struck by the fact that You ‘went up’ from the place where You spoke to Jacob. Did he see You go, keeping his eyes on You? I want to keep my eyes on You. May my LIFE be like a stone pillar to mark that You have spoken into me.” 

As the weeks go by during quarantine, what kind of stone pillar am I putting in place to honor God? I picture Jacob searching for just the perfect rocks to pile up on top of each other to form his pillar. Maybe some have a sheen and sparkle to them while others have a dull finish but are solid and firm. Will my pillar have rocks that shine out and chunks that give stability? Like the piece of sparkly quartz as I’m standing patiently in line at the grocery store and there’s no toilet paper in stock, or the marble slabs of gratitude for the medical professionals putting their lives on the line. A plain and solid rock goes into place when I act in kindness and with a smile. And how about a big ol’ conglomerate boulder of respect for our government leaders trying to do what’s right to keep us as safe as possible. And let me not forget the foundational granite stone of faith as I trust God when our income source is denied because our business is non-essential. Or will my pillar crumble to gravel under the pick axes of anger, bitterness, blaming and doubt? 

When I remember that it is God Who is my strength and it pleases Him to make me strong (Psalm 89:17 NLT), I’m confident His inscriptions will cover the structure as each stone settles into position. This attitude is free for the embracing; I encourage you to start gathering your stones as you shelter in place. What beautiful monuments we’ll have to mark where God has spoken.

Shalom Shattered, Shalom Restored

It didn’t bloom last Spring, this tulip in its little pot. A stem came up with promising green leaves but no blossoms ever appeared. Perhaps the confines of the planter restricted its roots.

What a sweet surprise to discover it pushing up through the soil a couple days ago. As I’ve been led recently to look at the shattering of shalom in my life, God is using this plant to speak to me. My heavenly Father has brought a lot of healing to my heart’s garden over the years. But I recognize that there are still constraints that choke my growth.

One of my earliest recollections of trauma involves the death of my sister, Debbie, at age four. I was born eleven months after her so we were very close. And yes, I remember her clearly. When she died, I was told that she’d gone to be with Jesus in heaven; my constant companion, my best and essentially only playmate, had left me behind. Such a time of confusion, bewilderment and the unfairness of it all. Then when I thought we were going to see her—it was the funeral we were going to but I didn’t understand what that was—and expecting to see Jesus too, because of being told earlier that’s where she’d gone, I was sorely disappointed that Jesus was only a painting on the wall, and my sister lay unresponsive and cold in a pretty box. I felt foolish for my beliefs and somehow thought I should’ve known. But how could I? I was only three years old.

I can see where this experience has led me to often see myself as left out, not worthy of being included. It seems silly, I know, to think of not dying as a message that I wasn’t worth including, but that is how my little three-year old brain worked. It was a lie I believed about myself and carried along with me, a box I restrained myself in. Also from this I can see where I hold myself away from whole-heartedly investing in relationship with loved ones because how could I stand it if they leave me behind too. Then there’s the sense of “I should’ve known” in any given circumstance where there really is no way for me to know in advance something that is beyond my comprehension.

Thankfully my Jesus is not confined to a painting. He was with me in that earliest time as He now is in this present time. The Holy Spirit has brought healing and will continue to do so. Fully experiencing the pain and sorrow and grief means that I will fully experience the joy He has for me. There is no shame in not knowing what is around the corner and failing to understand life and the confusing incidents in it. Like that little tulip in the planter on my balcony that didn’t reach its bloom last year but is poking its head up again this year, trying again for another chance, my heart is coming up through the grime of sorrow and finding a place of inclusion in His light. Shalom restored.

Inner Delight

Confronting and overcoming obstacles while sitting around a dining room table this past Saturday wasn’t about the food. In fact, that peppermint popcorn? Yum! The only obstacle between those kernels of buttery sweetness and my mouth was having only two hands to deliver them. What I’m talking about transpired with a small group of women who’re responding to God calling them to write…to write their stories, explore ideas together and share them with others, learning how to do that effectively. There are casserole-sized doubts and pressure cookers of misgivings and feelings of lack in each of us. As we opened our hearts we found serving platters of encouragement, affirmation, camaraderie, and strength, with a smorgasbord of humor on the side. And I came away with a feeling that I’ve struggled to identify. 

It is a sense of something special and wonderful happening, like when you’ve got the soup kettle on the stove,

and the ingredients are starting to simmer, smelling absolutely heavenly and promising. It finally came to me as I journaled later. I'm calling it "inner delight" and it lines up with a prophetic word given to me quite awhile back. 

It was about 30 years ago; I was attending a women's Bible study in a small church with a friend. During the small group discussion and prayer time, one of the women said that she had a "vision" pertaining to me. She “saw” me leading/teaching/mentoring women in some way. At the time I kind of scoffed at the idea, being a busy wife and mom raising four kids and I couldn't imagine women wanting to follow me anywhere or listen to anything I had to say. And this whole idea of “prophetic vision”? Lets just say it was a dish I was dubious about sampling.

Looking back I can see how God has led me through doors that I wasn't expecting, stage right and stage left and behind the scenes, has brought me through a variety of experiences, including leadership training and positions, and now He shines a light on this particular spot, the spot He intended all along. The inner delight that comes of being where He has called and prepared me to be as He overlooked

my initial scoffing, and the knowledge that He gave me the desire of my heart—His recipe for inner delight. Could be the woman in that Bible study group had a preview glimpse of it for me.

And these women I am privileged now to sit with at a table are ladling out all kinds of tasty words to savor.