KEEPING THE DREAM

By Marie Tschopp

“He will not grow tired and weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28 NIV

I could not believe it happened again. For the second time in less than a year my husband lost his job due to a plant closing.

I looked around my kitchen at the cabinets my husband installed a few years before. It was his dream to build his own home, doing the majority of work himself. Now, we were faced with selling. Thoughts of unfairness darted through my mind like shooting stars in a meteor shower.

“God, we thought it was your will to build. Why did you have us build only to sell?”

Needing an answer, I grabbed my Bible from the table and flipped pages. I sensed an urge to turn to Isaiah 40, so I did and read about the greatness of God. Verses like 18, “With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? “ And verse 26, “…He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name, because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (NIV).

To be honest, I felt worse—insignificant even. I doubted an all powerful creator cared what my family faced. Still, I continued to read on to verse 27, and it was as if God took my face in his hands as He said,

“Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?”

I read the verse again and again, “…why do you say…my cause is disregarded by my God?”

I closed my eyes as the tears fell. God cared, and I knew my family would be okay no matter the circumstances.

I took a deep breath and prayed, “Thank you Lord. You are great and mighty and you really do understand.”

When I opened my eyes another verse caught my attention,

“….The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28 NIV

I fell to me knees and prayed, “Father, thank you for loving us so much. You tell us that nothing in our lives is insignificant to you. I choose not to worry, but to trust in your loving care.”*

*Within a week, Brian had a new job because the previous employee quit unexpectedly and without explanation). 

A Grateful Pair Of Eyes

by Marvin Ferguson

Among all the components of the human body I think the eyes are most intriguing. And without them where would we be?

The coach always said to the hitter to keep his eye on the ball. Don't worry about the color of his eyes or hair. And so he grimaced staring at a ball hidden behind the pitcher's knee. Then, suddenly, like a bolt of lightening from out of nowhere it crossed the plate.

Traveling on the infield grass, a pair of eyes watched the ball as the shortstop scooped it up into his glove. Another pair of eyes watched while diving for a ball that escaped into left field.

In the movie "Trouble With The Curve" Clint Eastwood, hitting coach, started having problems with his vision. When baseball fans and players watched in awe at a called strike, even Clint Eastwood insisted that it was a strike. Yet his attorney daughter was amazed at how he could see it. His reply, "I heard it." And the viewers laughed.

Sitting in the waiting room I pondered the thought about my wife's cataract surgery recently. My mind was racing. How fortunate we are for God to give us the gift of sight.

But God always provides. The late Ray Charles, blind from his childhood, was a gifted piano player and singer. Ronnie Milsap, blind from birth, became a popular country singer.

On another note the Bible says to live more by faith and less by sight. From a different perspective our walk with God depends more on trust and faith than what we see or intellectualize.

And so I live with a grateful heart for the gift to see, and even more so that our faith doesn't depend on our sight.

Fulfillment

By Jeannette Doran

Fall is a time of fulfillment, joy and gratitude. We see the fruit of our labors and rejoice with thanksgiving. Over the past year we have worked towards the fulfillment of our desires. We have worked the land with firm hope for the abundant harvest. We begin to see the beauty of the countryside rich with vivid color. We feel the cool breeze; delight in the golden fields, orange sunsets, the wheat and corn waving in the wind. We remember our toil of the past year, our times of furrowing the fields and sowing the seeds. We are grateful for having given time to pruning, weeding and watering during the summer times of rapid growth. As fall comes we gather the harvest and store for the months ahead. Carefully we collect the seeds for next year’s planting. We prune and clear the land for winter’s long sleep. Seeing the fulfillment and fruit of our toils we gather together in thanksgiving giving joyful thanks to God and one another.

Our preparation for autumn’s fruit is a reflection in our spiritual lives. We work our inner furrowing in the land of our souls and we carve out spaces of growth towards a deeper intimacy with our God. All phases of growth are necessary. The desert periods bring rest, deep silence and darkness. These times ready the land of the earth and our souls for the furrowing of the fields and the seed sowing. In the spiritual realm we till the barren soil of our souls through vocal prayer, spiritual reading and reflection and periods of silent prayer. We spend time sitting still waiting for God’s work in the darkness and silence. All of these works eventually bring about the fulfillment of our desires. It may take a lifetime but we see as time deals gently with us so does our Beloved richly reward us. In our soul’s growth our inner being needs furrowing; we want to allow the Spirit to till the soil of our souls, to prepare spaces for seed sowing. We plow as we clear our minds of negative or fearful thought and begin to plant the tiny seeds of faith, compassion, hope and joy. These are watered with God’s grace sprinkled throughout the moments of our days. These seeds will grow and blossom as we nurture them. Our Carmelite rule invites us to meditate day and night on the Word of God and encourages us that a holy thought will guard us from all harm. We grow in faith as we focus on the truths of our faith such as the reality that the Creator of our universe dwells in the center of our being. Deep within our very being our God finds a home, a dwelling place. What a profound truth of our faith! Reflecting on this truth of our faith will fill one with hope and our hope grows as we experience God’s presence in our daily lives. Our hope is fulfilled and this creates a reciprocal love or a loving relationship with our Creator who so longs for our love in return. May we all know the rich abundance of autumn’s harvest and may this overflow into our spiritual growth and fulfillment.

The Ministry of Accepting Myself

By Brenda Lysak

I did everyone a favor by hating myself. This attitude gave voice to apologetic self depreciating remarks, a cover up. The reality of me scared me.  I thought I was looking after the problem so I wouldn’t be a bother to anyone. I thought rejecting me was a motivating exfoliating punishment. Strangely I was trying to protect myself. I thought if I rejected me, no one else would.

Unfortunately, or happily, not accepting myself turned out to be evil.  The hatred spilled out all around me.  Imagine, the decisions I made during that time!  If I could rewrite my story, what different caring thoughtful exciting decisions might I have made on my behalf?

About 16 years ago awhile reading and rereading Romans chapters 1-6 every day for 30 or more days not only was I radically born again but also experienced a revelation about the evil of hating myself. I did an emotional U-turn.  I had to use my mustard size faith to avoid the plunging emotions of self hatred that had become my default mechanism. But because my belief system had changed my behavior changed.

A perfect holy God accepts me awhile fully knowing the depths of my depravity. If God loves me who do I think I am to hate myself?! I recognized the evil of prejudice yet I was prejudiced against myself. Of all the people I am responsible for how irresponsible to dislike myself.

I have been on a journey of growing awareness of just how good the Good News is.  How deep, how wide, how high, is God’s love.  I will never forget the day the revelation of God being bigger than my stuff hit me. I could see all of me and smile because I had become aware of who my Savior was.

I sang this song over and over before it hit me. My past, present or future is not the issue, who Jesus is, is all that matters. Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what you are; I am finding out the greatness of your loving heart. You have bid me gaze upon you, and your beauty fills my soul. For by your transforming power you have made me whole. (Jean Pigott, 1845-1882)

December 27

By Lisa Lickel

Did you know that, according to many traditions, this is the third day of Christmas? The real meaning behind the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” follows: From 1558 until 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. During that era, this carol was written as a catechism. Each element in the carol has a religious point which the children could remember. The third day of Christmas is a gift of Three French Hens. The Three French Hens represented Faith, Hope and Love, from First Corinthians 13.

Sing with me!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a Partridge in a Pear Tree (JESUS).

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, Two Turtle Doves (OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS), and a Partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

…And so forth, through day Twelve.

Pretty nifty, eh? A secret code and repetition, the true mother of learning.

If you’d like to know more about the meaning of the rest of the song, check my blog (to be published 12/25/11): http://livingourfaithoutloud.blogspot.com/2011/12/twelve-days-of-christmas.html

From Lisa Lickel, author of A Summer in Oakville, with Shellie Neumeier

Finding Peace

By Jeannette Doran

Fear and anxiety! How they disturb our peace! To live in tranquility is everyone’s desire. Yet, how is that possible in today’s world? Just turn on the news and we see violence and anger exploding from every corner of our world. Can we keep these external events from destroying our inner peace? Do we realize that we allow ourselves to be swept away with issues outside of us that are sometimes minute ? This in turn can create overwhelming fear and anxiety.

If this happens so easily what do we need to do to guard our peace?

I have come to understand that when I focus on the beautiful in my surroundings quietness envelops my being. I like to call these God gifts. I delight in the dancing willow branches newly blossomed, in the greening grass and bare branches painted in yellows and green swaying with abandon.

The beauty of God surrounds us in creation. My solution is to focus on the positive and the loveliness. To choose what brings peace and not fear. It can be a holding on to a lovely thought as well as looking at a golden crocus amidst the brown leaves, the red tulips in bloom or feeling the gentle breeze on my face. I do whatever quiets my inner being and helps me rest there in peace in God’s presence. May we all learn to look at the beauty around us and find God’s peace in each moment.

Finding Hope from the Storm

By Kathryn Lang

The sun woke me up – caused by partial curiosity about what I would see out my window and a growing hope that I would be able to plug in the coffee maker to my battery backup. The devastation around me had not cleared up during the night but saying out loud that I have it bad becomes tough when I know that others around me were hurt so much deeper. It still hurt to see the limbs and debris that reminded me of the trees on the other side of the house.  Matters only got worse when the coffee issue did NOT get resolved. Strike two.

Thursday needed something normal after such a crazy Wednesday. It started at six in the morning with as close to a direct hit as I ever want to encounter. We left for shelter shortly after that first round cleared out. The three trees sitting on the house would have probably anchored us from being carried away, but my husband was worried about the structural integrity more than anything else. A crack in the kitchen and a crack in the boys’ bedroom hinted at some serious damage.

He and I drove back to see our property during one of the many breaks to check on everything or more to see if there WAS anything to check on. The highway was covered with downed trees that had not been there before. A second storm had struck our community. The factory a mile from us had been demolished.

It looked like everything for us was still in the same shape that we had left it. No electricity, a hole in the wall and three trees on the roof. Home sweet home.

We returned to hunker down for two more hours sheltered from the storms then we made the dark ride home. The stars were shining bright but they only seemed to add to the darkness. The town near our home was dark and the drive home was covered with debris. If you did not know your way by instinct then you were NOT going to find it by sight.

It will take months for us to recover from the storms that swept through on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. I walked around yesterday looking for some idea of what I could do and I am still looking. My to-do list includes a lot of boxing up and throwing out and hope.

Hope from the Storm

Faith – I hope that my attitude and actions show my faith in God. He did so much preparing our lives for the storms and sometimes we miss what He has done for what is coming when the storms hit.

Testimony – I hope that what happened that morning allows us to tell of God’s protection and guidance. We were in the roar of the storm, but no one was hurt and even they had a sense of calm during the chaos.

Praise – I hope that this storm draws an entire community together to praise the blessings that can come from the storm. It will take months for all the trees to be cleared, but many of the projects that we have talked about for years will be completed when the work is done. We made new friends and reconnected with old friends during the storm. The calls of concern and support were a reminder that we are not alone.

Determination – I know that I am called to write. Journaling became my only release and I continue to journal about the experience. God put a desire and a purpose in my heart when it comes to writing and I have to be determined to push beyond all of the distractions (no matter what their packaging) to reach the place.

The storms of life come unexpectedly and sometimes with great devastation. But the sun comes up the next day. See past the debris and destruction and dig down for your hope. Never let the things that are right now hinder you from experiencing the blessing of tomorrow.

Let the faith that is planted in your heart through worship, study and prayer grow a testimony that you share through your words. Praise the Hand that guides and be determined to stay focused on Him no matter how the waves try to toss you about.

What’s Your Dream?

By Shelly Atkins

When we were little kids, we dreamed about the amazing things we would do when we grew up. Somewhere along the line, we gave up on these dreams. Maybe someone told us we didn’t really have the athletic talent an Olympic gold medal swimmer, or some one said hardly anyone makes it as a singer on Broadway. Or maybe it’s just not practical to jump on an airplane and travel the world. I mean, how would you make any money?

 And that’s what it boiled down to for me. I couldn’t possibly be a writer, how would I make any money. So I tried other practical things like teaching and journalisim. But those aren’t my passions. Not my dreams. Not what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’d lost my vision, my dream for my future. I was letting life take me on a journey without a map. I didn’t like the direction I was going, but felt powerless to do anything about it. I had lost my vision. 

Without vision, we wander around in the dark both literally (if we lose the ability to see with our eyes) and figuratively (if we loose the ability to discern with our hearts.) The dictionary defines vision as “the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.” (from www.dictionary.com). Isn’t that faith?

A few months ago, someone on a social network I’m a part of asked the question, “If you could change your situation, the way you fill your days, what would you do?” The answer for me was simple: I’d quit my job and work as a freelance writer full time. 

But the first rule of freelacing is: DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.

I haven’t ever really been one to follow all the rules. The more I thought and prayed about quitting, the more I wanted to do it. But I was scared. What if all those fears I kept telling my self were true? All those fears that kept me in a job for years: What if I wasn’t good enough? What if I didn’t make any money? What if I quit and I hate freelancing? 

Last week I put in notice at my job at a local newspaper. I have a little over a month left. I feel free now to work on what I want to do, interview and research the things that interest me and fill my writing days with my own stories and ideas.

Quitting has taken a great leap of faith. But isn’t that vision? I have a vision now, I’m working on turning that vision into goals and setting steps to achieve those goals. I have a map and am dictating my own journey.

What’s your vision? Are you writing it down and working towards it? What do you need to get there?

A Vicarious Life or a Vivacious Life?

By Helen Knueven

Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus went alone to pray after sending His disciples on a ship. While they were there a great storm developed. At some time of the night, Jesus’ returned to them. He walked on the water, and met up with the tossed ship that rocked the frightened followers.

They were afraid they saw a ghost, but Jesus reassured them. “Don’t be afraid; it ‘s me!”

Peter, struck by the adventure and sight of Jesus walking on water requested, “Jesus, if that is you – tell me to come to you!” Jesus complied – and Peter walked on the water for a short time until the ravishing waves caught his attention and then he began to fall.

Jesus realized Peter’s faith was wavering. He extended His hand and lifted him up. After they entered the ship, the storm subsided. The vote was unanimous amidst the disciples: Jesus was the Son of God!

Many sermons have been preached on this passage. Some point out the necessity of faith and urge us to have more faith and to be less like Peter.

Some say, “Be like Peter! At least he walked on water for awhile.”

Others emphasize the graciousness of our Lord . Though He chastised Peter for doubting, He did not hesitate to extend Himself in two ways: in calling out to Peter to join Him in the water walk, and in holding him up when he began to sink.

Today I would like to share another thought. I would like to focus on what Jesus was doing after He sent the disciples away. He was praying. Time with the Father was valued far above everything else. Of all the people He could be healing, of all the storms He could be calming, of all the profound sermons He could have been preaching – Jesus’ priority was His relationship with the Father.
Jesus could have handled this situation is so many different ways. If He relied on experience instead of relationship, He may have spoken to the waves as He did in Matthew 8:26-27. If He did, Peter would have never walked on water. Nor would the others have witnessed the available power of God for everyone who believes.

Because of His constant communion with the Father – He always knew the best way to handle every situation. Although experience is a good teacher – the Holy Spirit is the best teacher.

Has God placed you in some form of leadership? Can you trust the Lord to develop the faith of the people in your life? Do you unintentionally stop those you lead from growing by managing? Or do you lead from the outflow of your relationship with the Lord? Have your best lessons in life been learned from lecture or by experience? Though Jesus Christ was fully human and fully divine - He walked as a man in obedience to the Father; thereby becoming our example.

Let’s be honest. Human nature is walking on concrete, not water. But we are in this Christianity for the magnificent nature of God.

Only in His presence are we truly transformed.

Jesus does not want us to live on the edge of experience but in the joy of God’s ability and presence through us. My prayer is that our communion with the Father will precede our decisions and life’s occurrences.

MANY PATHWAYS TO GOD

By Michael Elmore 

While working for a healthcare institution as a chaplain, I had a serious difference of opinion with management over their point of view regarding spirituality. They held to the idea that “there are many pathways to God”.  This viewpoint is extremely popular today and reflects a majority opinion in healthcare at this present time.

The idea that “there are many pathways to God” was birthed out of the necessity to meet the spiritual needs of a plurality of patients who held views outside the scope of traditional Christianity. It is true that our country is becoming more diverse in its religious views. It is equally true that healthcare facilities have been confronted with this problem. However, their response has been to innovate by promoting religious tolerance.

This presents a problem. In order to meet this need, healthcare facilities have had to radically differentiate between religion and spirituality. Under this new definition, religion is seen as beliefs based on a set of sacred writings which offer a moral code that necessitates a change in behavior.

Spirituality, on the other hand, is that which gives meaning, hope and comfort to the patient outside the confines of traditional religious practices. Spirituality is primarily a response to a person’s felt needs and offers cognitive and emotional help to those in pain. The focus of spirituality can center on the comfort found in family life, relationships with friends and acquaintances, and may include reflecting upon hobbies as well as favorite pets. Spirituality is sometimes based on the transcendence found in nature, or personal theological views held outside accepted organized religion. These ideas are often very personal and have little rational basis.

As a result, separating religion and spirituality has nullified traditional religious practices in medicine. Now there exists a bias in favor of spirituality which has eliminated traditional religious practice. First of all, spirituality fails to recognize that Christianity is not about religion but is about relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Second, healthcare institutions continue to hire Christian ministers, by and large, and then prohibits them from practicing that which they have been trained for – presenting help through Christian values. I found that this attacked my integrity as a chaplain and left me in a quagmire of my commitment to Christ and prostituting myself to the facility which provided my paycheck. This is a difficulty quandary to be left in.

One answer is don’t hire Christian chaplains if they are prohibited from sharing their faith. Instead, hire social workers who are far better equipped to meet emotional needs.

One of the most visible examples of the idea of “there are many pathways that lead to God” was articulated by a national leader while appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He said that “getting to God is like climbing a mountain – there are many pathways to God”. I like the response made to this statement by Christian broadcaster Cal Thomas. Cal said that getting to God is more like what an airline pilot must do every day. The pilot must land straight on the runway to avoid a crash and burn. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of this is death.” Proverbs 16:25. Let us be aware then that while healthcare institutions promote a “spiritual viewpoint” it is not necessarily Christian.

Search for Serenity

Posted by Jeannette Doran

         Fear seems to surround us at every turn.  In print and on air, the message is fear. How can one be  free from fear and anxiety?  Recently, the news brought a glimmer of hope as the world rejoiced in the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners. In the simplicity of their lives their faith and prayer to God was their strength and confidence that God was able to perform this miracle and hope that God would. We watched as they prayed and offered thanksgiving to the God who saved them. Their faith and trust in God awed most. Perhaps their example of faith and hope shows us a way to find a serenity that will lead to freedom from fear.      

        In my search I have come to realize that our confidence in God's love expands as one experiences God's touch and our faith becomes more tangible. Spiritual growth and knowledge envelop one in peace and stave off fear. As we grow in understanding that God is truly our refuge and strength fear will not take hold of us. For fear and anxiety cannot exist in a heart that sees God’s touch on our daily lives.  I find God’s presence in scripture as well as the golden fields and the yellow orange sunsets of autumn. All these nurture my confidence and faith in God and expand God in my life.

       St Therese truly experienced that God “is occupied with each soul as though there were no others like it.” In Scripture we are urged not to fear, to trust always and “to pour out our hearts before God” Who is our refuge. (Psalm 62v8). We read of God’s tenderness and love telling us that we will never be forgotten, that God draws and leads us “with human cords, with bands of love like someone lifting an infant to their cheek.”  (Hosea 11v4) God delights in us and when we fail remembers us and deeply yearns for our return. In Jeremiah we read: “I am filled with tenderness towards [you].” (31v.20 NEB)  

       As we grow in intimacy with our beloved, God’s life flows into our being, we lose our fear and anxiety and we find God's loving Presence in every detail of our lives. We do at last find a lasting serenity.

Letter to the 20-something Me*

Dear 20-something Gail,  

Good news!  Today I started to write a list of things my newly turned 60 year-old wanted to do in the next five years and discovered I could only think of 3 things that I would really like to do that I haven’t done yet.  So that’s good news for you at the age of twenty-something. You get to do so many of the things you dream of doing and you're not the total loser you sometimes feel you are.

I thought the first sentence of this letter would be “What are you thinking?!”  That would be in reference to being such a perfectionist and also insisting things be done YOUR way all the time.  It takes courage, but letting go of the idea you must never be wrong will free you from the fear of failure and release you from the prison of perfectionism.

But it also has to do with your spiritual condition.  Instead of spending so much time trying to “do” things for God, try spending more time alone with the Father.  If Jesus found it necessary to spend time alone with His Father every day, do you really think you can manage without it?  The day you put into practice the words of Ron Dunn “Decide now that you will never again go to bed without reading God’s word” will be major, a life-changing, spiritual renewal.  Get serious about a daily quiet time.  Your life and your walk with God will be transformed into something beautiful that will sustain you in life.

Ladies Bible Study Fellowship will change your life, challenging you and growing you into a woman who LOVES God’s word and studying the Bible becomes a way of life for you.  Keep on going.

Guess what?  Even though in college you didn’t have the courage to pursue music as a career, by sheer persistence and availability you do manage to have a life filled with music, singing, leading choirs in churches, high school and community musicals, and even become a partner in a private studio.  So hang in there doing what you love.  God has provides opportunities you could never imagine.

Don’t worry so much about money.  God takes care of His children and you are His daughter.  God brings amazing opportunities to always work with friends.

More good news—that sweet guy you married because he was so nice and so hard to argue with is still the same sweet guy today.  Although you did manage to find ways to argue and the even the whole “peace at any price” thing did get annoying, you are both so stubborn that divorce is never really an option. 

Show your love for Rick more in words of support (his “love language”), respect and admiration for how he does his job instead of trying to tell him how to do it.  Brag about him.  Keep up your fierce defense of him always.

Forget about the disappointments, the hurts and mistakes. Hold on to the joy and fun. Keep on laughing together and being silly. Your marriage, at 40 years and counting, will be stronger and happier than ever.

20-SomethingGail, please realize that people show their love in many different ways.  The criticism you feel from your in-laws is just them treating you like a well-loved member of the family.  It's really a compliment.  BTW, things get MUCH better after the first grandchild.

Good for you for waiting to have children until you were ready.   Your children are the light of your life, but you will never regret that you waited.

Be easy to please as a mom, a friend, a teacher and a wife.  It’s a hard job, but God will move you next door to a wonderful friend who will model great parenting and become a permanent part of your life, blessing you with her wisdom and friendship.

About being a mom:

Be a thermostat, setting the climate in your home, not a ther-MOM-meter, acting hot and cold to everything around you.  The day you realize it’s up to YOU to set the attitude each moment, you and all the kids have a lot more fun!  You can act happy even when you don’t feel like it.  Believe me, the benefits are great.

There is some bad news—the hard parts of life really are necessary.  Once you are through them, you’ll be a stronger, better and more compassionate woman.  Sometimes your heart will break. Turn to Jesus and trust in God.  God loves the broken-hearted.  He is near the crushed in spirit. He will hold you and carry you through.

Start a journal.  Sorry to say it but your long-term memory stinks and time goes flying by.  A journal will help you remember the good and sort out the difficult.

Get over having your birthday in December.  You’re going to spend Dec 16 at so many rehearsals, work parties and performances you may as well accept it now. Whining is not becoming.  However, it IS okay to insist that birthday presents be wrapped in birthday paper.

Never sit on the washing machine and stretch your arm over your head trying to change a light bulb.  Just trust me on this one.

So 20-somethingGail, the best advice I can give you is to look for and embrace the love that surrounds you from your God, your husband, family and friends.  Let your life be ruled by that love and not by all the “what if” worries and fears that you struggle with.  The many things you're afraid of will never happen, so let go of fear and hold on to love.

You have the love of a good man, amazing, life-long friends, a dysfunctional, but intensely loving family, and most of all, an awesome God and Savior.

Remember “Write your sorrows in sand and your joys in stone.” 

“The days are long, but the years are short”.  So just be sure to show up each day ready to enjoy God’s gift of life.

See you in 40 years or so.

posted by 60-something Gail Smith

*My thanks to Cassie Boorn for sharing her great blog and ideas with the world.  Check out her blog for more letters from women to their 20-something selves. http://cassieboorn.com/about-me/

Welcome to The Great Blog Adventure.

Whenever I don’t know how to start writing something, I go to the dictionary.  It’s chockfull of words many of which I’ve never even used.  When I sat down to write my first post for The Great Blog Adventure, what did I do?  That’s right, I went to the dictionary, at least the on-line version.  You don’t need to remember how to alphabetize (or even spell) to use the online dictionaries.  Even the dictionary writers don’t know how to spell.

The first word I looked up was:

Blog – noun. “a website that allows users to reflect, share opinions, and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal while readers may comment on posts.”¹ (Oh, please let there be readers who WILL make comments)

Sounds like the perfect definition for what this group of bloggers is attempting on these digital pages.  Our topics will be many and varied.  Some of us write inspiring devotions, some great book reviews, some share their opinions on life, faith, current events and just about anything else that strikes our fancy.  And some of us just can not resist going for laughs. 

Next I decided to take a look at the definition of great.

Great - “of major significance or importance; "a great work of art"; "Einstein was one of the outstanding figures of the 20th centurey"²

I love the definition and think it’s a great goal, too.  It certainly gives us something to aspire to (and some of us will leave no participle un-dangled in the effort to sound natural).  An opportunity to create a work of art doesn’t knock every day.

*Rabbit Trail Alert (RTA)--Those of you who are good spellers will have noticed that this definition of great is where I discovered that dictionary writers can’t spell.  “…century”?  And they also use pointless examples—where’s the word “great” in the sentence about Einstein? Maybe I’m not the only one who needs a  proofreader.

Finally I looked up adventure where I found out

“An adventure is an activity that is perceived to involve risky, dangerous or exciting experiences.”

“to take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome” ¹

“a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)²

While I doubt The Great Blog Adventure will be posting anything unlawful in the near future, I am thrilled to be undertaking this wild and exciting “risk in the hope of a favorable outcome” with you. (If sharing who you are and what you believe through your words in a public forum isn’t risky then I don’t know what is.)

I invite you to join me as we read, write, share and learn together on this great blog adventure.

It is my prayer that as we reveal our lives, our thoughts, our creativity and our faith through our words, that God may bless our readers, stretch our talents and continue to grow us into the writers He intends us to become.

So I’m thinking maybe we got the name right.

Let The Great Blog Adventure begin.

Gail P. Smith

¹.From .wiktionary.org/wiki/

² wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn