I’m not a very deep thinker. When I was growing up in Dallas, there was a D.J. on WRR named Jim Low. One of his tag lines was “even nonconformists conform to nonconformity.” It made sense, but wrapping my young and simple mind around it gave me a headache. I feel the same way about some articles I’ve read recently about the existence of God. (more…)
I met Brent and Sharon Harmon in early 2007 when David and I first got serious about the RV lifestyle. I’m not sure how our interest was first piqued. The first thing I remember is David showing me a luxury motorhome on his computer. It sported a mid-six figure price tag, and we laughed over the impossibility of owning one as we oohed and aahed over the fancy, tricked-out bus. (more…)
Monday I wrote about how the old Yiddish proverb, “Man plans and God laughs” has been evidenced in my life recently, specifically in relation to my garden. My brother Jim’s comment on that post was “God laughs, indeed! But God also grants the blooms!”
Reflecting on what he said, I realized that his comment expressed one of the reasons I’m so fascinated with gardening. Oh, I like being outside, digging in the dirt, feeling the warm sun on my back and the cool breeze on my face. I enjoy choosing the seeds and bedding plants, arranging them in neat rows, fertilizing and watering. But my favorite part is watching God do His part. I love discovering news shoots as they fight their way through the dirt and spread their first leaves toward the sun. Like a child counting gifts under the Christmas tree, I check and re-check, looking for new buds and blooms. (more…)
Doing something nice for someone with no expectation of reward is nothing new, but every so often the idea is pulled out and given a new coat of paint. When I was a kid, these actions were called “good deeds,” and every Boy Scout was expected to do one every day. A few years ago, after a media makeover, good deeds became “random acts of kindness.” Now, thanks to the latest episode of NCIS, they may become known as “hit-and-runs.”
Episode 13 focused on Abby Schiuto, everybody’s favorite zany genius
Actress Pauley Perrette, aka Abby Sciuto from “NCIS”, signs autographs for fans in Las Vegas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
who runs the NCIS lab. Her current case caused her to flash back on her “first” case, a time in her childhood when she tried to solve a mystery. Just like the adult Abby, she became emotionally involved with the people she met and took their problems as her own. Her inability to solve their problems, and her inability to resolve her current case in a happily-ever-after manner, led her to question her value as a person. As always, Gibbs came to the rescue: (more…)
On Tuesday I posted the written account of the Ladies’ Conference our church hosted on January 12. Here’s the pictorial version. (more…)
The table decorations had disappeared, the signs that had been suspended over the buffet table with fishing line were gone and the Fellowship Hall was set up for Bible study class. The multitude of signs pointing toward restrooms, registration and coffee were gone, and the masculinity of the men’s rooms had been restored, the artificial flower arrangements having been removed from the urinals. A vacuum was running somewhere, and several of the youth were wiping finger prints off the glass doors. Extra chairs were gone from the sanctuary, and the Communion table was set and ready for Sunday morning worship. David and I boarded the shuttle bus that would take us and a few other tired volunteers to the remote parking at the Methodist church. It looked like the Redeeming the Time Ladies Conference our church had hosted was over, but it wasn’t. (more…)
I wrote on Monday about the ladies’ conference my church is hosting tomorrow. We’ve spent the last two days mopping floors, swabbing toilets and dusting blinds. We’ve set up tables and chairs, arranged decorations and put up signs. We’ve baked muffins and bagged cookies, put gift bags together and answered phone calls. We’ve panicked and we’ve prayed, and we’re all tired.
This afternoon when I was revising the schedule one more time, I heard the front door open and a voice say “Is Linda here?”
I looked up and saw a lady holding these beautiful flowers. She handed me the vase and said, “I hope they’re what you had in mind.”
“I didn’t order any flowers,” I said. (more…)
From: Zeology The Art + Science of Sleep
I missed my Friday post, partly for the same reasons I’m writing instead of sleeping at 12:30 in the morning and partly for other reasons. First, we were out of data on our WiFi card and our new month didn’t start until Saturday, and even though I have unlimited data on my new iPhone, I wasn’t sure I was up to blogging on a three-inch keyboard. Second, we spent the morning winding up our New Year’s visit with David’s mom and the afternoon driving home. I intended to write on Saturday, but then the real reason kicked in – I was preoccupied. Several months ago our pastor asked if I would consider coordinating a one-day ladies’ conference our church was planning to host. If I had said no right then, I might have posted a blog on Friday, and I might be asleep right now. Instead I said I would think about it and pray about it and let him know. (more…)
My son Christian Piatt had a confusing spiritual upbringing. He says he was raised by a Southern Baptist and an atheist, so he split the difference and became a heretic. In fact, his blog is called “Father, Son and Holy Heretic,” and he uses it as an outlet for, among other things, working through his spiritual restlessness. He recently wrote a post titled “Longing for the Unreachable God” in which he talked about wrestling with the focus on personal salvation and specifically on the assurance that some Christians, especially more conservative Christians, feel about their eternal destination. Since then I’ve spent some time reflecting on his post, and I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts. By the way, in case you’re wondering, I’m the Southern Baptist in the equation. (more…)
Unless you’re a brand new visitor to my blog (and if you are, welcome!), you know that I cared for my parents for many years and that they both went home to be with the Lord in the last couple of years. Dad passed away on May 13, 2011, and Mom followed him on May 20 of this year. I was close to both of them, but especially to Mom, and on May 30 I wrote a post about how much I miss her. It’s become my most popular post, getting almost 1,800 views to date, almost three times as many as my previous favorite about why old people smell bad. (more…)
