The Master’s Hand – A Poem

“I need to speak with You, Lord,
and offer You my life.
You can have it wholly,
the pleasure and the strife.
You gave me a notebook,
fresh, and clean, and new.
I penned some in it’s pages
now I give it back to You.
The narrative I’ve written
is just a senseless blot.
It’s rhyme without a reason:
no purpose and no plot.
So take my living story
into your Author’s hands.
And weave me a new version
that through all time will stand.”

He took the open diary
in His gentlemanly way.
And tenderly He asked me,
“Can it be whate’er I say?”

Field Day Dawning

It was perfect weather for Field Day.  Slightly overcast, but sunny and warm.  The threat of a shower was in the air, but never really developed into anything except a refreshing sprinkle near the end of the day. My mind, however, wasn’t on the weather.

Good Intentions Gone Bad

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  ~Unknown

Here’s a saying who’s origin dates back to as early as the year 1153.  Although, personally, I thought it originated with my mother!

This expression always befuddled me as a child.  I knew what “good” meant.  And, as the youngest of 5 children, I thought I had an idea about “hell.”  But these two concepts never seemed to intersect with the other.  How could they be used in the same sentence? 

What’s the Rush?

I had an unexpectedly late start to the airport.  It’s Saturday afternoon and I am in a hurry to return home so that I can celebrate Easter and my youngest daughter’s birthday with my family.  True to characterization, I am verbally coaxing the driver’s around me to move faster or move out of the way.  Don’t any of these people have someplace to go?  By the way they are driving, you’d think they had nothing better to do today than impede my progress.

Crimes Against Humanity

Recently, our pastor challenged us to live our Christian life in the “No Spin Zone” (to borrow a phrase from The O’Reilly Factor.  In other words, our daily walk should be authentic.  There should be no reason for a follower of Jesus Christ to put external “spin” on their personal beliefs, choices, or actions in order to get them to seemingly “fit” within the values espoused by the Christian faith.  Plain and simple.  Do I live that kind of life?  Can I avoid the cultural pressures to conform, and live day-to-day steadfast to biblical truth?

As a people-pleaser by nature, I know I sometimes struggle with “standing out.”  It is easy to succumb to preserving my “image” in order to avoid the uncomfortable tension of being “out there,” standing up for something on my own.  However, my Christan faith often calls me to that exact place.

Epoxy for the Heart

My preteen and I just returned from a Mom/Daughter Conference in Katy, TX.  The one-day event was titled You and Your Girl featuring Author/Speaker Vicky Courtney from Virtuous Reality, a ministry dedicated to promoting and preserving the virtue of teen and young girls.  Although my own girl was initially apprehensive about a weekend of lectures and intentional bonding, she was won over by a hotel slumber party with her friends and the opportunity to meet Singer/Songwriter Lindsay Kane.  It turned out to be a great weekend of fun, fashion, and forming foundations!

Vicky Courtney spoke on such topics as Guarding Your Heart, Putting the Brakes on the Rush to Grow Up, and The Top Three Lies About Beauty. 

True Love

(Must be read as a dramatic narration to receive it’s full value.)

We stumbled in the door of the crowded restaurant.  A growing shared hunger and the need to stretch our legs had led our family of four to this place in hopes of a respite from the unending Texas highway.  It was the only place in the area, the golden arches drawing us in to it’s fat-filled high-carb trap like a spider into it’s web.  As we stepped inside and took our place in line, I imagined this lonely, yet familiar, place must draw thousands of other travelers from the busy road.  From the looks of the building, it had stood it’s ground a long while.

Our extended wait in line allowed us each a bathroom visit, leaving behind rotating sentinels to defend our claimed position.  We even had time for a supervised return to the car for jackets to ward off the over-eager air conditioning, hoping to restore blood-flow to our limbs before we lost all sensation.  Finally, the wait was over; our moment arrives.

Try Your Hand

Well, I’m home today with a sick child. Fever, cough, congestion, basically all of the symptoms that have the power to disrupt the best laid plans of the Stay-At-Home Mom. I anticipate spending my day reading long forgotten children’s books and playing dust covered games to get us through the first day of Spring Break.  Although I enjoy these unexpected furloughs from the norm, where I can revel in the unmitigated overtures of my child and lavish her with special attention, the Type-A in me has a hard time letting go of the ever-present To-Do List.