Small Stories of a Big God
The Chalkboard
I can’t remember now where I bought the board – a simple chalkboard that you would use in a restaurant to write Today’s Specials on. Just a blackboard with a plain wood frame. But I do remember the first scripture I wrote on it: The joy of the Lord is your...
A Time to Every Purpose
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 1Timothy 6:6-7(ESV) The huge disco ball slowly spun, raining colors across the walls while a song thumped out a 70’s disco beat. My...
Surrender
Dear friends, Please forgive my blogging vacation. I am finally writing a book and making reasonable progress, so I have approached a few of my favorite writer friends to be my guests. This one is from my favorite writer/friend and my precious big brother, Bob. He...
Waiting on Empty
Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. James 5:7 ESV The dog was a disaster. My husband told me to wait, but I...
Good Courage
“Treasure” the neatly penned label read. I scanned the pile of boxes stacked against my desk. Something made me label this one box, besides the occasional urge to organize my life. When I sit at my desk, I can reach all the things I love; pictures of husband, kids,...
Small Gifts
I heard the bells ringing as I crossed the parking lot,and there, in front of the Salvation Army stand, was a middle-aged man in jeans and sneakers, wearing a Santa cap with white cotton balls across his brow, chin and upper lip. His face was obscured, so I’m not sure...
The Next Step
Sunday morning. I swung the back door open, the door Rosie always used, but this time she circled the car three times, stopping at the door for a few seconds then looking up at me, and walking away. I knew what it meant. But the last time she circled she took a small...
The Day God Came Into My Kitchen
I plugged in the iron and flipped the small cabinet open in the kitchen, releasing the ironing board. It was one of my favorite things about that house in Yarmouth. It was the first house I ever owned, bought with a small down-payment of borrowed dollars from hopeful...
The Jesus Tree: A Backyard Metaphor
This blog turns four years old this month and I wonder: Have I run out of meaningful things to say? Am I repeating myself? I told a friend I had writer’s block the other day, and she said I should write about having writer’s block. And I replied: “I already have.” (A...
The Story of Stella
The cat died. I keep looking for her as I step outside or pull into the driveway at night and then I have to remind myself: she’s gone. I saw it coming six months ago when she stopped grooming herself and her plush soft fur turned into matted dreads with leaves and...
Confessions of a Dead Rebel (and a Happy Sheep)
"Our Father who art in heaven, Harold be thy name…" No, not Harold. It took my sister several years to realize God was not named Harold. Harold was our uncle. And why was the guy in the robe named Father? I thought our Father was Dad… My first memory of church was a...
A Mother’s Day KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment. —Anna Jarvis Anna Jarvis. You probably...
Trials and Treasure
I told my husband I would not complain anymore. I didn’t mean forever. I might’ve meant that day or evening. No, I think I said too much about it – about gratitude and rejoicing and how I needed to regain some things. Darn. Now I’m stuck. Ooops, I just complained. Now...
The Cross in the Way
I’ve been thinking about dying a lot lately. Not my physical death, which I have little control over, but the spiritual one. We love words like Resurrection and Regeneration but Jesus talks about the death part a lot and we just kind of nod and change the subject....
The Fruit of Our Lips
“He is thy praise and He is thy God.” Deuteronomy 10:21
The bright light escaping from behind the shades shook me awake and I sat up quickly straining towards the clock. Only 6:35. I pulled the shade down and it snapped up, making more noise than I wanted. My eyes were instantly assaulted so much
Night-Shifting or Please Don’t Feed the Zombies
Psalm 42:8 (ESV) By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. To quote Charles Dickens, “Never say never.” And one more famous quote, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” (Alexander Pope,1709 and...
Ventilators, Constellations and Other Things I Can’t Explain
“I know this time of year is hard for you…” the email began. It was from a friend whom I had met through the unfortunate commonality of losing a child. And my heart smiled. She was comforting me, unconsciously learning the “gift “ of 2nd Corinthians 1:4, from a God...
A Different New Years Eve
Mire (noun): wet, slimy soil of some depth or deep mud. (Verb): mired, miring: to plunge and fix in mire; cause to stick fast in mire,to involve, entangle. December 29th. I don’t know why this date stuck, because I never got a chip or token, but it did. I counted back...
Noel (Offline)
The internet went out on November 24th. At first I thought, No big deal. I can get around it. But one day and one hour with tech support turned into a week and countless hours of pinging and plugging and unplugging. And each piece of equipment has it’s own support...
Paying it Forward
I planted the beets according to instructions in September, refusing to let the cold dirt go to winter yet, and sure enough they grew, just like the paper packet said. I call my husband the Dirt Man because every spring he carefully turns over the hard ground, adding...
The Victor’s Path
Molly was my best friend, hands down. We met at Mrs. Krumick’s desk in third grade, as I watched her staple her thumb, then stare at it in disbelief while I waited for her to scream, but she didn’t. Molly was blond. Her mother was the only single parent I knew back...
The Perfect Gift
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comethdown from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17 KJV) The other day I had so many bright ideas I had to lie down and take a nap. I’m sort of stuck with...
For Those Who Can Never Forget
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Psalm 147:3,4 (ESV) Rosie and I resumed our walks around the pond this week. Summertime we are banned (well, dogs are) which is fine...
Spencersmom.com Turns Three (or There is Nufeng Like God’s Love)
I stepped out on my son’s deck yesterday morning and noticed right away that the temperature had suddenly dropped. The air smelled sweet with crape myrtle blossoms and a gentle wind swept upward into the tall oak trees behind the house, shaking the drying leaves so it...
Walk in Love
A lot of things had changed, especially the old neighborhood. But the graveyard had mostly remained the same, except for the missing climbing tree. It had been fifty years, so it’s hard to remember when the beautiful dogwood tree came down, the tree that gave shade to...