"Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household." (Exodus 12:3 NIV) Spring-forward has brought so much beauty to our neighborhood this year! Our Sunday drive saw rows and rows of Bradford Pears, and Yoshino Cherries, Redbuds and even Dogwoods shouting out in a symphony of blooms. We love this time of year as ...
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Imagine, you’re doing your best to raise 3 kids, and money is so tight that none of you have eaten for days. You hear about a gig where if you show up to help butcher a pig, you’ll get paid with a small share of the meat. At last, the kids will have something to stop their grumbling stomachs for a day or two. You get up at 3am, walk ...
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A window treatment salesman showed up at my house four hours early for an appointment scheduled for 12:30 pm. Of course, I wasn’t home. Upon receiving the call from this very perturbed person who was very challenged about my absence, I double-checked the email reminder to be sure my appointment was correct, and it was. This salesperson preceded to call me eight more times. First, he was angry that I wasn’t home, ...
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One of my favorite songs to play is Hillsong United’s “Another in the Fire.” It takes me back to a Bible story I first heard as a child, but I missed the ultimate significance and the main miracle until just recently. So, here’s the “Parksified” synopsis of what the song is based on - Daniel Chapter 3. King Nebuchadnezzar(of whom I’ll refer to as King Neb from this point forward), like a lot ...
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"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8. I hope this verse provides a sense of calm, the world is a little tossed up right now.Over the weekend I took a virtual exercise class with my friend Brooke, she lives on a farm in Virginia. I asked how her community was coping with the pandemic, she said "they're not," and that made her nervous. Yet, ...
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“I’m sorry, not sorry I’m late, I slept in today” is one of the best things I ever heard my friend Cathy say. Cathy is a well planned, uber-organized, high-level corporate assistant, and a newly divorced single mom. The arrival of this pandemic increased her workload in many departments. She now works from her new at-home office, as does her team, all while caring for her three dogs. Did I mention ...
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Do you know someone who is suffering? Most of us can only say "yes" to that question. It may even be YOU who is suffering. So many people in my life come to mind, people who have lost jobs or had their hours cut, people who are struggling to balance working from home and helping their kids learn online, and more. Yet struggles that seemed insurmountable before the pandemic continue, including ...
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What a weird year 2020 has been. And here we find ourselves in the middle of a cultural battle over whether to wear a mask or not. Pro-Maskers want everyone to wear masks to prevent the spread of Covid, while opposition opinions range from personal freedom to the legitimacy of wearing a mask actually working. You’ve probably had these conversations yourself or at least seen the heated debate on social ...
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‘It’s that kind of a year’ is my new go to for explaining the feelings I call angst about how everything is different and often harder than I want it to be. The I want it to be part of that is what makes me switch gears to what God wants for me. I stand loved and corrected. The musicians in the group ‘I Am They’ are very representative of ...
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As the world tries to quickly unfold out of a time of quarantine, the word phase is often used to denote who can do what. Haircuts are a hot commodity, gyms are tricky , and a dining out experience is appreciated more than ever. Every person and family is in their own different phase, regardless of the CDC requirements. It's a comfort level thing. Even shopping for essentials can be a challenge. I ran into ...
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