The day Don and I were married no one could have convinced us we could be any more in love than we were that day! However, after 37 years of marriage we both know love can deepen or it can fade. We have experienced both, and we have chosen the path of deepening our love.

It didn’t happen overnight, and at times it took hard work!

One of those times, was six months into our marriage. It was a lonely and scary season, and it felt as if we were adrift at sea with no compass to guide us. Thankfully, at that time we were scheduled to take a group of college kids to a campus ministry retreat, where (unbeknown to us) the speaker’s topic for the weekend was “Relationships”. Not only did his presentation include humorous anecdotes regarding the difficulty of communication in marriage, but it also brought much-needed answers!

One resource mentioned by the speaker was a book titled “To Understand Each Other” by Paul Tournier. This concise book opened our eyes and our hearts to the amazing dynamics of communication. Tournier’s  challenge was to be courageous enough to share our true selves with one another, and as a result come to a deeper understanding of the person God brought to us in marriage.

As we worked to apply the concepts in the book we began to move past our fears and share our deepest thoughts. The author was right —it definitely took courage to remove our self-protective shields and care more about understanding each other than being understood. It was a process that took time and caring. But it also brought incredible transformation! Our communication deepened, our acceptance of one another flowed more easily and our enjoyment of each other became a delight! We fell more deeply in love!

Today, as I look back at that season, I clearly see God’s love and faithfulness in a myriad of ways:

His timing for us to attend the retreat at the height of our difficulty.

His words spoken through a gifted retreat speaker.

His concepts conveyed through Paul Tournier’s writings, and most of all

His amazing grace that empowered us to make a lasting commitment to live every day with the desire

“to understand each other!”

The night before our son Drew’s, wedding, after the rehearsal dinner, we gathered as a family just to relax and have fun together! Paul brought a “drum box” and everyone, including the grandkids, had to take turns while our oldest son, Dan, played song after song. These videos are just a glimpse into our “fun” evening.

at sunset

a big red barn

dear friends

precious family

guitar music floating on the breeze

prayer

vows

the presence of God

our son Drew

the love of his life, Kate

their “sweetest day”

You may kiss your bride!

Congratulations Drew & Kate!

Sunday mornings have become special for me as I observe the children in our church gather and dance to the praise songs.  Watching them I often see a glimpse of who they will become… (more…)

I just finished reading “The Beginner’s Guide to Signs, Wonders and the Supernatural“, by James Goll. Because I’m a teacher, any title using the word “Guide” captures my attention and beckons me to explore it. And my exploration has left me pleasantly surprised. The Forward, by Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor of Bethel Church, Redding, California, states he believes the book is a “miracle in that it was written in the midst of the greatest crisis of the author’s life: the loss of his wife to cancer.”

This fact alone, caused me to want to read on; for I knew the author must have great depth of character to continue a project even while his heart was breaking. Johnson says, “While many would challenge God at this point concerning His goodness, or become embittered because of such horrible personal trials, James continued to pour out on these pages what has taken him decades of faithful service to learn; that God is always good, He is accessible, and that all believers can live like Jesus. As a result, we have a textbook on living in the supernatural, all the time.”

Throughout the book, Goll establishes foundations that draw our hearts to the Word of God, and to intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Central to his teaching is the Cross of Christ. While presenting Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, he writes: “If I am going to boast in something, I want to boast in the significance and power of the cross. Jesus’ cross is central to our salvation.”

Goll highlights the Holy Spirit’s function at the time of creation as that of “brooding” or “hovering” over the earth . Something, Goll believes, He is still doing in this present age! He states, “The creative life of the Spirit broods over His own people, energizing them in special ways, more diverse and numerous than we can comprehend, bringing heavenly light to earthly darkness. From the beginning, the Spirit has desired to find those through whom He could manifest Himself.”

The author’s personal insights into the supernatural realm and his obvious, deep relationship with the Holy Spirit bring a challenge to each one who will read this book with an open heart. The following excerpt states it well:

“God is ministering the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit to those who hunger for Him and honor Him. Give Him free reign. Ask for more of His Spirit. May He hover over you and bring His order out of your life, making it a supernatural, God-infused life.”

Many more insights and challenges await anyone seeking to know and understand how to live naturally supernatural! It’s a great read!

Small vases filled with beautiful flowers, trays laden with towels, bath oils, lotions, and the lovely scent of lavender greeted us as we entered our overnight guest room. I knew our friend had taken great time and care to create this inviting atmosphere, and in an instant it ushered us into such warmth and welcome! Within moments the years melted away and our hearts connected as if we had never been apart. My sister and I had come to spend time with dear friends who recently re-located from a distant city to a cozy university town not far from our city! What a wonderful start to our visit!

We talked….oh how wonderful it was to sit and talk! We caught up on each others families, our loved ones activities and especially our spiritual journeys. We laughed and we cried, but most of all we loved! Loved how God had worked in each others lives over these many years apart, and loved each other more as we shared the good times and the bad! I found it to be a small taste of heaven on earth!

Our visit was short, but oh-so-sweet! As we drove away, I watched as she and her husband stood arm and arm and waved good bye to us. An overwhelming sense of gratitude filled my heart as I realized ……. though many years had passed, we were still deeply connected and our friendship had remained strong. Who would have thought one lovely day together could bring such refreshing to our souls!

Throughout our time together one thought continued to bombard my mind…….friendships are a treasure! They are gifts to our lives and are to be honored ……for they reflect the very heart of God!

As I write this post I find myself hoping you, who read my blog, have friends such as this in your life. True friendships really are gifts given to us by God.

Please take a moment and share what you enjoy about your own friendships! I would love to know…..because I want to learn from you, and cultivate this area in my life!!

Don’s Great Aunt Beryl went to be with Jesus on Father’s Day this year and Don was asked to deliver her eulogy for the funeral. Before I tell you what he and others shared, I must mention his aunt was a woman who never desired to be in the spotlight. In fact, she strongly objected when forced to be the center of attention. She definitely wouldn’t like this post being about her!

At the funeral Don related a story when at age five he stayed with Aunt Beryl and Uncle Erv. He recalled going with them to do their morning chores, returning for breakfast and after breakfast kneeling down with them for a time of prayer! Aunt Beryl’s son David confirmed this time of kneeling for prayer was a part of his everyday life and Beryl continued it until kneeling became too difficult for her as she grew older.

A friend and pastor of a nearby church delivered the sermon for her funeral. Somewhere in the middle of his sermon he told us how he and his family lived in the county where Beryl’s little church was located, and how he had been, (what he called himself) a “hellion”, in his teenage years. Then one day he began to feel badly about the way he was living, and started thinking about God. Within a short period of time he gave his life to Jesus and started coming to Beryl’s church. Soon after his conversion his entire family turned to Jesus and they too began attending the same church. One Sunday after service, while talking with Aunt Beryl, she conveyed how happy she was about his and his family’s salvation, and how she and Erv had knelt and prayed every day (for quite some time) for his family to come to Jesus!

My heart jumped as I realized the man giving her funeral sermon was a direct result of Beryl’s prayers! She may never have desired the spotlight, but it was very clear her prayers effectively brought the light of Jesust into other people’s lives!

As this realization soaked in, I wondered…..who would be standing there preaching this sermon if she hadn’t prayed? And then the pastor interrupted my thoughts with some similar questions….. “Who will step up and be the “Beryl” who knelt and prayed for lost families like mine?” “Who will fill her place of prayer?”

“Will you……?”

Don's Great Aunt Beryl's Church where her funeral was held. It was a packed house that day!!