Reflection of Providence

Stinky toes…sticky kisses…runny noses… Where does this deep love come from? What is it all about? Is it just God saying, “this is how I love you…when your silly…when your rotten…when your sad or mad or scared…when you have a boo-boo…or need some cuddle time…my love for you is as deep as the ocean’s depths. I love you, you crazy stinky-toed girl!” I think that must be it, for this love for you swells up and over me in great big ole’ waves of slobbery kisses & cuddle hugs... What I would say to you Sophie is to never quit looking at this world with imagination. Fill your world up to the brim with it…let it spill over and spark other’s creativity. Never quit being a helper, a giver, a caring spirit. Always give me “lean into” hugs & even ask me a million questions. Always be the big sister. Always take time for yourself. Always reason & think things through. Always allow that big girl heart to guide those beautiful arms and legs. For you are so beautiful. You are a beautiful s...

There is a house of hope built on the foundation of love. The walls are hewed with beams of care & the windows are sealed with beauty. The roof is sturdy with courage and strength. The face of God shines in and warms those inside. I’m like a little girl sitting on a tire swing in the middle of summer…pudgy little freckle face, bare dirty toes, sweat soaked curls plastered to her face watching this house being built. I hum my little tune…”that’s a little stone, that’s a little mortar, that’s a little seed, that’s a little water…in the heart’s of the sons and daughters…this Kingdom’s coming…” I feel the need, being my 30 year old self again, to deconstruct all the layers of what I witnessed a little over a week ago. I watched in breathless wonder as Jesus’ love was selflessly acted out from deep wells of giving. Deep wells of which drew living water not only for those that the house was being built for, but also to every person that played a part. It began, for me at least, Monday J...

I remember the first time I met Amy Scalf. I was trying to get a job at CCCS as a first grade teacher. In the end, I spent two years as their Aftercare teacher. It was a wonderful journey & I loved the children I took care of. Within the first 5 minutes of this meeting she shared with me that she had lost a child a year prior. I cannot remember the context of this conversation or what led up to it, but I remember very clearly the feeling of awe that this woman, whom I only met a moment before, was sharing her heart with me. I felt a little exposed by this sharing, as if God had made me privileged to sacred information about this person. I wasn’t quite certain why this transaction took place, or at least I wouldn’t know until further down the road. I remember coming home on May 21st, 2008 & my sister Michelle asking me if I had heard about Steven Curtis Chapman. My first thought was, “Oh Dear Lord, he and Mary Beth are getting a divorce.” However, it wasn’t the case at all. My h...