Like three giddy girls, we begin our day of exploring Arizona’s Sabino Canyon. We long to hike beside the stream that hopefully still holds water from winter snow and heavy rains. Unlike most years, this spring the desert is ablaze with flowers–blue lupines, desert marigolds, purple-pink penstemon. I hold a map of the canyon’s hiking trails and attempt to lead our trio on an unforgettable hike. Two steps and one of us stops to snap a picture. … Continue reading →
Orange blossoms draped across our tree sing a song of praise to their Creator. Their praise is the fragrant aroma they lift up to God. Like wisps of smoke their praise reaches the throne of our Father. A honeybee buzzes by and draws the sweet nectar from the blossom. The blossom and bee have joined together in their song of praise as they merely carry out God’s purpose for their lives. In my heart, I witness this miracle of how … Continue reading →
One can hardly walk down the streets of our neighborhood without drawing in the heady fragrance of Spring’s white orange blossom’s dripping from the heavy laden trees. The scent tantalizes one’s senses like warm maple syrup poured atop pancakes. The aroma drifting in through our patio door beckons me to put aside my tasks, step into our garden, and drink in the beauty before my eyes. Standing next to our orange tree, I am captivated by the clusters of blossoms hanging above each leaf. Clusters holding … Continue reading →
“Tradition, tradition!” Strains of the song from “Fiddler on the Roof” weave through my mind as I drizzle creamy, sweet glaze on the Easter Bread still warm from the oven. The bread, with its five colored eggs poking up, is a symbol of the Risen Christ. For our family, for my parents before me, and for my grandparents before them, it was a sacred Holy Saturday tradition to prepare the bread for Easter morning. Much like Christ’s body was prepared … Continue reading →
For five weeks, Christ-followers have been Meditating. Fasting. Praying. Preparing. Intent on emptying themselves. Longing to be filled with the one who gave His life for us. Lord, I have come to this time, not really prepared. For one Holy Week, all eyes are riveted on the rough-hewn beams that held our Salvation. We recline at the table of the Last Supper. Feet washed by our Savior. The bread and wine. His life to nourish our hungry spirits. Strengthen us … Continue reading →
Fingering the delicate papers, I gently placed them on the counter in a copy center. So old and precious, these folded sheets of time-worn paper cradled treasures of our family history. Treasures too sacred for me to carry to a self-serve machine. They needed to be entrusted to one who knew the art of handling precious pieces of one’s life, placing them ever so carefully on the glass of the copier, selecting just the right intensity of ink to reproduce … Continue reading →
In the darkness that engulfed my soul and spirit, I forced myself to read God’s Word. The exuberance that once flowed at the mere mention of the name of Jesus–Gone. The struggle ensued. The doubts waged on. Focus. Find the truth. See the fulfillment of the promises. The Old foretold the New. And the New in Jesus completed the Old. I squeezed these truths between the prison bars that held my mind captive. Oh! How I longed to feel the … Continue reading →
