Musings and Marvelings on my Jesus Journey

I am musing about... Colors! And why God made them. And more specifically, for now...the colors of Autumn! I mean, fall is just lovely, don't you agree? The warm glowing golds, the rich lavenders and maroons, the violets, reds and yellows.  The sky seems more blue, the clouds more white. The crisp air accentuates the boldness of the hues around us, and the chilliness adds to the warmth of fall's color palette. The colorful landscape about us, has a way of making us feel cozy. Happy. I mean, how often, this time of year, do I hear someone (often strangers at the gas pump, or fellow hikers, whomever...) say "I just love this time of year!!" It is like God is giving us a big hurrah before he ushers in the drab browns and grays of winter.  And in thinking about Winter, I know I am, colorfully speaking, giving it a bad wrap. I think C.S. Lewis would agree. After all, what did he say about Winter? Something about Narnia being a place where it is "always winter and neve...

  I am musing about... How Our Car Went Berserk! This past week I was out in Indiana visiting our daughter and family. It was a fun time doing fun things with the grandsons. At one point, I had a couple of them in the car with me. We had just enjoyed ice cream at the park and they were loaded back in their car seats. As I stepped on the break and pushed the ignition button, it acted wierd. Didn't start. Strange lights came on. Then went off. On again. Off again. Hmmmm. I tried again, Same thing... A small voice came from behind. "Grandma, did you think about praying about it?" Good idea. We did. It started. "Thank you Jesus." And we were off for our next adventure. Well, honestly, I did not give it any more thought after that. I must have passed it off in my mind as a "fluke." Until last night. It happened again. In our church parking lot. It went berserk again. Lights flashing. Strange vibrations. Couldn't get it to start. Strangely (humbled to ad...

  I am musing about... Hills Recently, my hubby and I took advantage of a gorgous fall afternoon and hit the Kankakee River Trail on our bikes. It was lovely. It meandered through cool woods and along the river, through a state park, over a suspension bridge, past a camp ground. It was not your typical rail to trail ride (which we also enjoy), but provided more diverse scenery and landscape appeal. And it had hills. Not that many. Not that bad. Really. But it was not, well flat. And about half way through, my left pedal broke. Fell off, almost. Other then the bar part. So I could still ride it, but it was somewhat uncomfortable and not as effective. I am one of those riders that prefer the flat grade. When whizzing down a hill (yes, its fun!), I am aware of the reality that I will need to climb it on my way back. It kind of has a way of stealing the thrill a bit, you know? I think most of us appreciate it when our life is rolling along smoothly. No hills to climb. No big challenges...

  I am musing about... Christians and Gaslighting. What is gaslighting? We hear that word tossed around quite abit these days.  Gaslighting is a mental trick of sorts, a  "playing with someone's mind". It is an approach that makes someone in the right feel like they are in the wrong, It is a means of making the oppressed feel like they are the oppressor, of making the victim feel like the victimizer. It is hard to explain. It is tricky. And it is real. When it comes to Christians expressing their beliefs, the society and culture we are living in, can make us feel hesitant to express our opinions, making us feel like we are self-centered, lacking in understanding, one-sided and even unkind. We need to take a deep breath. We need to stop and consider. What is it that we are expressing? How are we expressing it? Are we, God forbid, being rude, unkind or violent in any way? It is so important that we exercise humility, kindness, love and compassion as we step out with bold...