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There’s No Place Like Home
I just finished painting my new kitchen. What used to be “canary yellow” is now a combo of “slate smoke” (gray-blue) and “shoelace” (not quite white, but not cream either…picture a slightly used sneaker shoelace…did I just say sneaker?) The important thing is the kitchen is not yellow anymore – not that I have anything against yellow. But it wasn’t what I chose for this kitchen. I wanted to make it mine. A dear pastor’s wife long ago told me, “When you move into a new home or parsonage, give it a good cleaning. That way, when the cob webs show up, at least then you know that they’re your…
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Cyber Time vs. Family Time: Taking Technology to Task
“My kids and grand-kids will be coming for Christmas but we don’t talk anymore. Most of the time I’m competing with cell phones and hand-held games!” shared a friend recently. I looked at the group of women around me and saw nods of affirmation and understanding. My mind flashed back to this past Thanksgiving. Yep. It was the same at our gathering. We did some talking, lots of eating, but more often than I liked, I witnessed heads bowed – no, not in prayer – but in rapt attention to Facebook, Solitaire, and countless internet-accessible games. I’m not going to attempt to address the whys and how’s of this…
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I Ate Yesterday
Recently, my husband and I were walking the streets of Hell’s Kitchen in Mid-town Manhattan. We happened upon a homeless man sitting against a building. After talking to the man for a few minutes, my husband offered to buy him some food. He declined. “I ate yesterday,” the man explained. As if that explained anything. Similar phrases from the past replayed in my mind. “I took a bath last week.” (That one always made me chuckle.) “I washed my hands yesterday.” (Really? Nice try!) Now, “I ate yesterday.” Hmmm. I walked away wondering, was the man ‘half in the bag’ and that’s why he refused to eat? Or did daily…
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The Rest of the Story
Since I started this blog last spring, I utter a constant prayer throughout each month, “Lord, what do you want me to write about this time?” I try to keep my eyes and ears open to His leading for a topic. In addition, thanks to past writing classes, this little phrase, “Write about what you know,” frequently runs through my head. As we approach the end of October, 2015, what do I know? What is God leading me to share about? It’s a no-brainer this time. I have to finish my recent story. I have to. Because I promised I would. To read parts one and two of this journey,…
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Do You Know His Name?
A dear friend of mine is about to have a baby! The proud parents have revealed her gender, but her name remains a secret. All their other children begin with the letter “J.” This has prompted some interesting dinner-table discussions (at times approaching competitive levels) as we attempt to guess the name while awaiting her arrival. Will she have a popular name – Jenny, Joy, Jean? Or will her name be more unusual – Jasmine, Jamimiah, or Jacoba? (yes, it’s real, just google “unusual J names for girls.”) Whether they choose a more common name or unusual one, I’m sure it will be beautiful! Recently, I read about a guy…
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Why I Won’t Make a Top-Ten List About Pastors’ Wives
Nowadays, there’s a Top-Ten list for everything. They’re easy to read and can sometimes even be helpful. I’ve heard them on Letterman, scanned them for health tips, and even perused the do’s and don’ts in ministry. Recently, I read a revealing “what you should know about your pastor’s wife” article. It was creative, humorous, and I could relate. However, even though I’ve worn the title of “Pastor’s Wife” (or PW) for almost 25 years, I won’t create that list. Here’s why. First, we are all so very different. Some are career gals, some are stay-at-home types. There are those who are involved with their husbands in ministry. Others are called…
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