Navigating the “Shift” with Intention and Honor: 12 Ways to Care for Aging Parents
One of the most lovely parts of caring for aging parents is enjoying activities with them. Grateful for a trip to Maine with my mother when she was in her early 80’s.
Girl, Make Your Bed……
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11
For Election Day……
Does this election break your heart or fill you with joy? Whatever the answer, I encourage you to change your focus from human kingdoms to God’s Kingdom. The God of the universe is sure, true and never changing. He is on the throne and in control. His Kingdom is eternal and will never be shaken. Look to Him. You will never be disappointed!
Ask the Hard Question
“But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10
My father was a humble, quiet man, strong and principled. He was a good father who deeply loved my mother and their four children. He was not an outwardly religious man. He did what was expected of men in his generation: he took his kids to church every Sunday and he said the blessing at meals.
One summer my father was diagnosed with a cancer so rare that none of his doctors had ever treated it. His condition deteriorated rapidly, requiring hospitalization. Nothing was effective against the cancer’s rapid progression. But even as his overall condition worsened, my father’s spirit amazed everyone. He was his wonderful self, joking with the nurses even when he could barely breathe
A Bit of “Before and After” Theology and Psychology
I believe that deep in every soul is the common memory of life in Eden, that perfect place in which man walked with God. When we lost Eden, the desire to return was imprinted in every person born after The Fall. This common desire lives in hope that despite the ugliness of life in this fallen world, we can regain the perfection which once existed. As a result we work to transform life into something better. Every person I have ever known dreams or imagines some way life could improve.
Making God’s Word Personal
Years ago I began a practice that has made God’s Word deeply personal to me. On my birthday each year I read the Psalm that corresponds to the number of years I am celebrating. I have come to think of the Psalm as a birthday present from God!
After I read the Psalm, I weave it into my heart and mind in the coming months. I study it, learn about it, memorize parts or all of it, and write about it in my journal. The Psalm becomes deeply personal and meaningful in my life. God reveals so much to me about Himself through my study. As I approach my upcoming birthday, I cannot wait to read the next “birthday present from God.” Sometime I even peek ahead!
My “Before and After” Divine Design
I also love God’s Word, and He has given me the gift of teaching and seeing applications, and the ability to show how a story can apply life today. I did not start attending Bible study until I was in my 30’s, and it turned my life upside down, in the best way possible. Studying the Bible transformed my life and my heart. (Of course, that’s its purpose!) God called me to seminary in my 50’s to supplement my given gift of teaching with a deeper knowledge and understanding of His Word. Today, my calling is to teach the Bible to other women so that they will understand its power and allow it to transform their lives. I love transformation.
Transformation is at the core both in my physical world and the spiritual world. I love making old things new, whether it is furniture and homes or the hearts and souls of women. “Before and After” is indeed a key phrase for both my thinking and my actions in life.