The Beautiful Jennifer

A few weeks ago at our niece's wedding, I sat near a beautiful woman who caught my attention. She was laughing, talking, smiling -- and absolutely enjoying life.

Leave it to me. I finally asked her to tell me her story. And Jennifer did.

She was born with a limb difference, with her hands positioned near her elbows. But within minutes, I realized something -- what I first noticed about Jennifer was quickly overshadowed by who Jennifer is.

She is intelligent, accomplished, funny, confident and full of joy. She talks with her hands. She feeds herself with them. She has adapted beautifully to life.

And she LEADS!

Jennifer is an owner and general manager of a gymnastics facility in Lubbock, TX -- where she helps lead staff and encourages young athletes. She is also a nationally rated gymnastics judge.

Talk about turning my thinking upside down!

Maybe we spend too much time looking for what is “normal.” Because, really -- who among us is completely normal?

Some of our differences are visible. Others are tucked away behind nice clothes, good hair, strong handshakes and carefully practiced smiles. We carry grief. Insecurity. Disappointment. Physical limitations. Family struggles. Regrets. Fears.

Jennifer reminded me that what we carry doesn't have to determine how we carry ourselves.

God told Samuel, “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Perhaps that's our assignment too.

Look longer.

Look deeper.

See the person -- not the difference.

I first noticed Jennifer because she was different.

I remember Jennifer because she SHINED!

And maybe that's what real beauty looks like. As my mama always said, "Pretty is what pretty does!" And, that's Jennifer! Thank you, Lord, for introducing us to Jennifer. She certainly sets the pace for using the gifts God has given her. May we use what God has given us with everything He's given us!

#GodLooksAtTheHeart #SeeThePerson #gymnastics

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I’m Looking for the WELL DONE!

No, I’m not talking about my steak or hamburger. Although, if you ask me how I want those cooked, “well done” might be part of the conversation!

I’m talking about my life.

There are words I long to hear when I walk through Heaven’s portal:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)

WHEW! What a welcome!

But “well done” doesn’t begin when this life ends. It begins with how I live today.

Am I generous? Kind? Humble? Forgiving? Encouraging? Do my words bring life? Does the way I treat people look anything like Jesus?

I’m not talking about perfection. Thank goodness! I’m talking about direction.

Paul tells us to "think about whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and of good report." Philippians 4:8

That doesn’t mean avoiding everyone who is negative, doubtful or struggling. Jesus went straight toward hurting people.

But I don’t have to let someone else’s negativity take up residence in me!

Maybe God placed me there to help flip the script.
From complaining to gratitude.
From discouragement to hope.
From bitterness to forgiveness.

Romans 12:1 calls us "to present ourselves to God as a living and holy sacrifice." That means He gets all of me -- even those little corners I’d rather keep to myself.

Lord, give me holy boldness to surrender them.
That unforgiveness? Yours.
That pride? Yours.
That attitude? Yep. That too.

I’m still a work in progress. But every morning gives me another opportunity to love better, forgive quicker, encourage louder, give more generously and represent Jesus more faithfully.

I’m not working for His love.
I’m living from His love.

And when my journey here is finished, there’s one review that will matter more than all the applause this world could ever give.
I’m looking for the WELL DONE!

#welldone #LivingSacrifices #flipthescript

The Tap, Tap, Tap on My Heart

A couple of nights ago, we attended an event supporting Hospice Austin. The room was packed with people whose lives, like ours, had been touched by the tender care hospice provides.

We know that care personally.

Both Carl and I had the privilege of walking alongside our spouses during their final journeys.

Hospice came alongside our families -- not replacing our care, but adding another layer of compassion, dignity and l

I especially remember our hospice chaplain. He was a tenderhearted, caring and loving man. He encouraged us, prayed with us, and even sang to us.

In the middle of one of our hardest seasons of our lives, God sent a man with a song. And somehow, for those few moments, our hearts rested as we gazed out our window at God's love and creation.

“I see trees of green – red roses, too! I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself -- What a Wonderful World!"

That’s what love does.

It reminded me of the Good Samaritan. He saw a hurting man and didn’t walk around him. He stopped. He cared. He gave. He stayed involved.

Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37)

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little tap, tap, tap on my heart.

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a dear friend to her medical appointment -- while Carl spent time with her husband. Carl listened as the man talked about his life and the woman he loves so much.

No fanfare. No applause.
Just showing up.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest ministries God gives us.
There are lonely people who need friendship.
Sick people who need encouragement.
Grieving people who need someone willing to sit beside them. Neighbors who need to know somebody notices.

Since I'm still here, God must not be finished with me yet.
Maybe you’ve been feeling that little tap, too.
Call someone.
Visit someone.
Sit with someone.
Listen.
Encourage.
Pray.
Love.

We don’t have to do something enormous.
Sometimes God’s love looks remarkably simple.
It just shows up.

#loveshowsup #hospiceaustin #justshowup

This Program is Interrputed with an Important Announcement...

YOU ARE LOVED! Yes, YOU!

Consider this one of those announcements that interrupts regularly scheduled programming because somebody needs to hear it today.

Maybe it’s you.

We’ve all heard of pulling petals from a flower while saying, “He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me...”

Thankfully, we never have to play that game with God.

There is no last petal that says, “He loves me not.”

God loves us. Period.

“The LORD is good; His love is eternal and His faithfulness lasts forever.” Psalm 100:5

How’s that for setting the record straight?

And then God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” — Jeremiah 31:3

Now, let’s take THAT to the bank!

I dearly love my husband, my children, grandchildren, extended family, church family, neighbors, friends -- and even my Mahjong-playing buddies!

But as much as I love them, I’m human. I can disappoint them. I can forget something, say the wrong thing or simply fail to show up the way I should.

And they can do the same to me.

But God’s love isn’t moody, fickle or dependent upon whether we behaved ourselves today.

His love doesn't say, “I’ll love you IF...”

His love says, “I love you.”

Maybe someone has failed you. Maybe you’ve failed yourself. Perhaps you’re carrying something from yesterday that keeps whispering, How could God still love me?

Here’s your answer: He does.

God IS love. His love is everlasting, faithful and unfailing.

So, friends, family, neighbors -- and, yes, even those who might not particularly like me -- here’s today’s public service announcement:

You are loved.

I am loved.

We are loved.

No flower petals required!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming -- with this truth tucked securely in your heart.

#iamloved #youareloved #flowerpetals #iloveyou

Not All Warriors Wear Combat Boots

We’ve been thinking lately about brave men and women who put on combat boots, leave home and step into dangerous places to defend others.

And...that is courage.

But last week, I discovered another kind of warrior.

I accompanied a dear friend to a dialysis appointment. My friend’s kidneys no longer function, yet instead of living in complaint, this precious person keeps showing up -- with humor, determination and a conquering spirit.

Then I looked around the waiting room.

One by one, people arrived for dialysis. Some carried blankets because the treatment room gets cold. They would spend four-plus hours connected to machines doing what their kidneys can no longer do.

Four hours.

Then they would leave -- often exhausted -- only to return and do it again.

Suddenly, I saw warriors everywhere.

Some warriors wear combat boots. Others carry blankets into dialysis centers.

Some battles make the evening news. Others are fought quietly in hospital rooms, cancer centers, rehabilitation facilities and homes where someone is simply trying to make it through another day.

I left there changed.
More tenderhearted.
More grateful.
And more determined to pray.

Jesus came “to bind up the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18), and Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Maybe we can't heal the person sitting beside us. But we can notice them. We can listen. We can encourage. We can pray. We can give a caregiver a break. We can thank the medical teams who serve day after day.

And perhaps we can complain a little less about our inconveniences.

There are warriors all around us fighting battles we know nothing about.

Today, I’m praying for them.

"Lord, strengthen the weary. Comfort the hurting. Guide the doctors and nurses. Give patience to caregivers and families. And help us never become so busy that we fail to notice someone who needs a little kindness, a little hope and a whole lot of prayer. Amen.

A Museum That Made Us Stop and Remember

Last Saturday, we headed to Fredericksburg, Texas, expecting a pleasant day in the Hill Country.

One of our first stops, just across from the Visitors Center, was the National Museum of the Pacific War.

We were drawn in like a magnet.
We had no idea how deeply it would affect us.

The museum is in Fredericksburg because Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II, was born there. But this museum is about far more than battles and military strategy. It is about people.

We saw aircraft, uniforms, weapons, photographs and personal stories from Pearl Harbor, Midway, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and beyond. But behind every display was something more sobering: a life.

Someone’s son. Someone’s husband. Someone’s father. Someone who left home and never returned.

And then there were the millions of innocent people around the world whose lives were forever changed -- or ended -- because of war.

I found myself thinking, How often do I enjoy the blessings of freedom without considering the tremendous price others paid for it?

We aren’t typically “museum people,” but lately history has been getting our attention. First, the Titanic story touched us deeply.

Now, this museum reminded us again that history isn’t merely dates in a book. History is people.

I walked out grateful for America, grateful for those who served, and especially grateful to God for the peaceful life I am privileged to live today.

But I also walked out wanting to pray.
Our world still desperately needs peace.

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray…then I will hear from heaven.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14

May we remember those who gave so much. May we treasure the freedoms we have. And may we never stop praying:

Lord, let there be peace -- and let it begin in us.

#NationalMuseumOfThePacificWar #IfMyPeople #freedom

There’s a Whole Lot of Life Out There!

Carl and I are what I call movers and shakers. Not necessarily because we’re shaking up the world -- but because we don’t sit still very long!

Last Saturday was beautiful, and staying home just didn’t seem right. So we pointed the car toward Fredericksburg, Texas, about two hours away, and off we went.

Fredericksburg has quite a story. Founded in 1846 by German immigrants, those early settlers planted crops, built homes and businesses, and established a community that still proudly celebrates its heritage today.

One fascinating part of its history occurred in 1847 when John O. Meusebach met unarmed with Comanche leaders and negotiated a peace treaty. Imagine the courage required to sit down, listen, talk, and seek peace instead of conflict.

There might be a lesson for us there!

We started at the Welcome Center, watched a film about Fredericksburg’s history, and then did what movers and shakers do -- we WALKED!

And, of course, we continued one of our favorite traditions -- taking photos of beautiful churches.

Wherever we travel, church steeples seem to catch our eyes and our cameras! There’s something special about seeing houses of worship standing as reminders that generations before us gathered there to pray, worship, marry, grieve, celebrate -- and trust God.

Then came lunch at Der Lindenbaum. Carl chose pork schnitzel, cabbage and potato salad, while I enjoyed delicious beef stew.

It was a MUST -- all that walking requires nourishment! 😊

Fredericksburg is filled with shops, restaurants, history, friendly people -- and evidence of a community that continues to thrive.

It reminded me that we can become so comfortable with our routines that we forget there is a whole lot of life out there waiting to be enjoyed!

“This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

So let's keep moving. Keep learning. Keep noticing those church steeples. Keep rejoicing.

God’s goodness is everywhere. Sometimes we just need to get out and go see it!

#fredricksburgtx #thisisthedaythelordhasmade #keepmoving

Two Birthdays, One Beautiful Day

 

September 16th isn’t just another square on my calendar. It is a DOUBLE CELEBRATION DAY!

It belongs to two of my precious girls -- my daughter-in-love, Shawntel, and my one granddaughter, Alexia -- amongst those five grandsons.

And God tied their stories together in the sweetest way.

Years ago, when we lived in Tulsa, OK -- we were celebrating Shawntel’s birthday. She had already captured our hearts, and we had prayed she would someday become our son Ryan’s wife.

Well, that birthday came with an extra-special surprise -- Ryan asked her to marry him!
Talk about a birthday present!

While we were still floating somewhere between birthday cake and wedding bells, the phone rang.

My daughter, Staci, was calling from Dallas -- “Mom, come quick! The baby is coming!”

And when your daughter says “come quick,” you don’t ask questions. You GO!

So, off we raced from Tulsa to Dallas, arriving just in time for another celebration.

Alexia had made her grand debut -- on Shawntel’s birthday!

Five grandsons would eventually surround our family table, but Alexia was our GIRL -- the bows, the pink, the sweetness, and, yes, just enough sass to keep those boys in line!

Today, both of these beautiful women love God deeply.

Shawntel has been an answer to prayer -- a loving wife to Ryan, devoted mother to four boys, and my precious “bonus daughter” who has always called me Mom.

And our Alexia is now married to her Winston and serving God in Kauai, Hawaii, beginning a beautiful new chapter of faith and purpose.

What a reminder that God doesn’t simply give us days on a calendar. Sometimes He fills one date with so much goodness that it becomes a family landmark.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” — James 1:17

Happy Birthday, my beautiful girls!

September 16th gave our family two very good reasons to love even greater -- and to celebrate two beautiful might women of God! ❤️

God Was in the Details

Leaving church last Sunday, Carl and I decided to try a restaurant we had never visited. And voilà! The first one that caught our attention was PickleDilly’s in Cedar Park -- not far from home.

The restaurant sits above the Apex Pickleball Club, so while enjoying delicious food, we were entertained by players serving, volleying, and competing below. Dinner and a show -- without buying theater tickets!

Just as we were about to leave, my daughter Staci called. She had found the perfect punch bowl online for Payton and Christiane’s wedding on September 26th.

Staci and Larry are preparing their beautiful 62-acre Epiphany Ranch in East Texas for the celebration. She had searched and searched, but the punch bowls were either too expensive or too far away.

Then came the God-wink.

This beautiful sterling silver punch bowl -- with 20 cups -- was priced below what she had planned to spend. And where was it located? Twelve minutes from where Carl and I were eating and just a few miles from our home.

Coincidence? I think not. Sometimes God’s plans arrive disguised as an unexpected restaurant choice!

We picked it up and made it home just in time for a Sunday afternoon nap. When I awakened, my eyes landed on a calligraphy painting Staci made for us years ago:

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me…” (1 Chronicles 4:10)

God has certainly enlarged their territory. Those 62-acres have become a place where people receive healing, restoration, counsel, and encouragement -- and soon, where two precious lives, Payton and Christiane, will become one.

Maybe you are waiting for a breakthrough, an answered prayer, or a dream to unfold. Keep trusting our Great Organizer. He knows where you are, what you need, and how to arrange details you cannot see.

Surely goodness and mercy -- and sometimes even a punch bowl -- will follow us all the days of our lives!

#pickleball #Enlargeourterritory #goodnessandmercy

Let's De-Comparmentalize

We’ve all heard the saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

Well, somewhere along the way, some Christians may have adopted another version:

“What happens at church, stays at church.”

Uh-oh!

We can sing “How Great Thou Art” on Sunday and then, by Monday morning, forget how great He is when traffic is backed up, the computer won’t cooperate, or somebody gets on our very last nerve!

Our faith was never meant to live in a Sunday compartment.

Jesus didn’t say, “Follow Me when it’s convenient.” He simply said, “Follow Me.”

That means Jesus goes with us everywhere—to the grocery store, workplace, neighborhood, dinner table, social media, and even into difficult conversations.

We don’t have to preach a sermon everywhere we go. Sometimes the loudest testimony is a gentle answer, an unexpected kindness, forgiveness when it isn’t deserved, patience when ours is wearing thin, or joy when circumstances aren’t particularly joyful.

Paul wrote, “We were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

There it is!

They didn’t just tell people about Jesus. They let people see Jesus through their lives.

And that brings us to the fruit inspection!

Are people seeing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in us? (Galatians 5:22-23)

Notice there isn’t a footnote saying, “Fruit available Sundays only.” 😊

Our faith is a 24/7 way of life. It shows up when people are watching—and when nobody is watching.

So maybe it’s time to knock down a few walls between our “faith life,” “family life,” “work life,” and “everyday life.”

It’s all ONE LIFE—and God wants to be right in the middle of it!

Let’s de-compartmentalize our faith and live it OUT LOUD—not merely by what we say, but by how well we love.

Jesus isn’t just part of our lives. He is the center of them!

I'm a Fisher-Woman!

Fishing has been part of my life since I was a little girl. I grew up loving it, passed that love along to my children, and now my grands are carrying on the tradition. Nothing makes this Nana smile quite like receiving a photo of one of them holding up a “trophy” fish!

But my favorite fishing story isn’t really about fish.

Years ago, I traveled to Israel and stood beside the Sea of Galilee. Oh my! To realize I was standing where Jesus walked—and near the waters where He called Peter and Andrew -- still touches my heart.

Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

I even have a James Avery “Fishers of Men” bracelet that resembles a fishing swivel. I wear it as a reminder: I’m still fishing!

Not necessarily with a rod and reel, but with words, encouragement, kindness, prayer, and these daily blogs.

Remember when experienced fishermen worked all night and caught NOTHING? Empty nets! Then Jesus told them where to cast their nets, and suddenly they had more fish than they could handle.

There’s a lesson in that net!

Sometimes we work, worry, plan, push, pull, and try everything we know to do—only to come up empty. Maybe Jesus is saying, “Let Me in the boat.”

Need patience with your family? Ask Him.

Need wisdom for a difficult decision? Ask Him.

Need the right words for someone who is hurting? Ask Him.

When Jesus gets involved, empty nets can become overflowing ones.

My “fishing net” happens to include this blog. Every morning I cast it out, praying that somewhere, someone who is weary, discouraged, lonely, or searching will find a little hope—and ultimately find Jesus.

I’m still a fisher-woman.

And the best part?

The Greatest Fisherman of all is right here in my boat!

So, what does YOUR fishing net look like?