It’s always interesting to see what neighbors put up in the hallway between our separate condos, either hanging from their doors or on a small table beside their doors. This is one of my favorites so far this year. 🙂
Yes, kindness matters. I recently read that when a great author, Leo Tolstoy, met a homeless man, he reached into his pocket to give him some money. But his pocket was empty. He said, “I’m sorry, my brother, but I have nothing to give.” The beggar replied, “You have given me more than I asked for – you have called me brother.” (Grace For the Moment by Max Lucado)
“Too often we underestimate
the power of a touch, a smile,
a kind word, a listening ear,
an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential
to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia
Who We Are
In Christ
Jesus Is a Faithful Friend
Who Can and Will
Carry Us Through
Footprints In the Sand
by Leona Lewis
“I heard you say I promise you I’m always there When your heart is filled with sorrow And despair
And I’ll carry you When you need a friend You’ll find my footprints in the sand”
Nature is a Retreat of Hope
“There are moments
when all anxiety and stated toil
are becalmed in the infinite
leisure and repose of nature.” Henry David Thoreau
Thank you to my brother, John, in Arizona for the photos of Coues deer and javelinas and to our son, Glen, for the Florida sunset while vacationing with his family. (🙂 Please respect copyright laws. 🙂)
Thank you to all of you who share beautiful nature photos on your blog posts. They always breathe hope into my spirit. 🙂
A Tragedy Redeemed by God’s Grace
Results in Hope for Others
In 2014, a woman died from exposure in a parking garage stairwell, because she wasn’t dressed for the cold. That’s when our KELO news partnered with Lewis Drugs to start Keep Keloland Warm. In October and November, there’s a huge box in Lewis where anyone can put their gently used or new coats. There are distribution times and places where people who can’t afford coats can sort through the tables for warm winter wear for themselves and their children. It’s so humbling and gratifying how thankful many of them are and how excited children are to get a “new” coat, mittens, and caps. It doesn’t erase the sadness of the loss of that woman, but God is good to use a tragedy to wake us up and to give us grace to do what we can to ease the suffering of others.
Jesus says:
“So I give you a new command:
Love each other deeply and fully.
Remember the ways that I have loved you,
and demonstrate your love for others
in those same ways.“ John 13:34 VOICE
No Matter What We Feel,
There Is Hope,
Because We Are Loved
You Are Loved
by Stars Go Dim
“…You are loved If your heart’s in a thousand pieces If you’re lost and you’re far from reason Just look up; know you are loved Just look up; and know you are loved When it feels like something’s missing If it hurts but you can’t find healing Just look up, know you are loved Just look up, know you are loved
And you, don’t have to prove yourself Don’t try to be someone else You don’t have to prove yourself Don’t try to be someone else…”
God Is With Us In the Pain,
Not Only In the Praise
I am slowly reading through Alia Joy‘s book – Glorious Weakness. There were times I had to lay it aside to deal with memory triggers, but I keep taking it up again, because I feel so understood.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such gut-wrenching honesty. She doesn’t whitewash the pain of abuse, poverty, loss, racism, injustice, mental illness, chronic illness, or any adversity we go through. She reminds us that “poverty of spirit is the birthplace of all grace” and encourages us to be authentic.
“Sometimes the gospel is perverted to lay a heavy burden on those who most need mercy and grace, who most need a Jesus who meets them in their pain. And I promise you Jesus is that and so much more.”
“What if we believed faith was less about blind devotion to all the right answers and more of an invitation to come fully into relationship with Christ and be met in our most desperate and confusing moments?”
“So often church teaches us to hide our true selves, to cover up our anguish, our rage, our brokenhearted longing for a better story.”
“I wish someone had told me it was okay to succumb to anger, to the great and formidable why? I wish I had understood that God is undaunted by my humanity.”
“Let us pour out the oil of gladness and praise from our lips but let us not forget the wails and cries and pounding fists. God is here too.”
I could keep going with all the truths I highlighted in this book, but these are some of the ones I more recently came across.
Nature is a Retreat of Hope
“All God’s creatures are a unique expression of life whether on earth for 100 days or 100 years.” Anthony Douglas Williams
I’m always fascinated by the uniqueness of God’s creatures. Each one has a purpose, whether we enjoy them or are grossed out. Since my brother John moved to Arizona, I am awed by the variety of creatures there, some I’ve never seen before. Thanks again to my brother for sharing his gifts of photography. (🙂 Please respect copyright laws. 🙂)
Hubbard’s Small Silkmouth CaterpillarHorse Lubber GrasshopperJune Bug and a BeeCrab SpiderVerdin Bird Eating BugsAnother Pose of the Verdin Bird
Three tornados whipped through Sioux Falls this month, causing damage and devastation to some businesses and homes. There were injuries, but thankfully no deaths.
Avera Heart Hospital was among the buildings damaged. They shared a photo of a chunk of wood that broke through the lobby window. Do you see the cross?
“Our windows may be broken, our building damaged, but even during the roar of the storm, God shows up.”Avera shared.
God still sends hope in the midst of life’s storms. It may not always “feel” like it in the midst of anguish and devastation, but He is holding us up. He never backs out on a promise!
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b
God Can Turn Our Struggling Stories
Into Hope For Other Strugglers
Do you ever watch America’s Got Talent? I’m not always able to, but I like watching it, especially during the finals. What I love the most are the stories where tragedy turns to triumph. This year’s winner is Kodi Lee, a blind and autistic young man who plays piano and sings so beautifully and with such heart. Though this song was not his final one, “Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters” was one of my favorites.
There were other contestants who are winners, too. By sharing their stories of pain and using their gifts, they will continue to make a difference by breathing hope into hopeless, broken hearts.
Tyler suffered leukemia at age 4 and was bullied in school because of his lack of hair. He turned to music in a violin and is now not only an 11-year-old cancer survivor but a remarkable violinist who gives hope to other children with cancer.
Voices of Service, military members who act as a light in the darkness to soldiers suffering with PTSD, will continue to spread hope and make others feel less alone and more understood. I love their Footprints In the Sand.
There are others who came from disadvantaged neighborhoods/countries or special circumstances that encourage others to never give up.
We Are Never
Invisible to God
This month I reread The Invisible Woman: When Only God Sees by Nicole Johnson. I was reminded again that nothing we do needs to be noticed or praised by people. Focusing our hearts on God alone and what He sees changes our perspective in life.
The story that especially touched my heart is that of one of the workers building a great cathedral. He was carving a tiny bird that eventually would be covered by the stone roof. Someone asked him why he was spending so much time and giving so much attention to something that no one would ever see. The builder continued carving and replied,
“Because God sees.”
Years later Martin Luther urged people to have the same perspective:
“Milking a cow was no less holy than giving an offering. Luther believed that a housewife had as great a calling as a high priest, and that both should perform his or her work as though God alone were watching. Holiness comes from God and from the heart of the person doing the work, not from the work itself.”
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God.” Anne Frank
Photos from Our Ever-Changing Falls
Bird Photos From My Brother John in Arizona
Immature Black-crowned Night HeronGray HawkPossibly an Immature Sharp Shinned HawkImmature Red-Tailed Hawk
“Too often we underestimate
