When the Menu is Manna

                              R ecently, I had one of those significant birthdays, another milestone, a wake-up moment that reminded me that I don't have forever left - at least not this side of heaven. I don't want to make too big a deal out of skipping from one decade to the next, but how did time pass so quickly? One minute, I am graduating from college, only to realize I now have four years left until retirement. In an instant, it seemed I had shifted from a new mother to a grandmother. Just yesterday, I was driving kids to the pool, hosting sleepovers, packing for camps, and shopping for school supplies. Still, nowadays, I rarely step foot in a pool or participate in any of those other activities. As I reflect on all these changes that came so slowly at the time yet now appear to have happened in a mere flash of light, I am tempted to make an argument for time travel. Not really, but things have changed - r...

  Still dark outside that morning, I made my way to the doughnut shop. I loved surprising the office staff with them from time to time. Opening the door to the establishment, expecting the stop to be brief and uneventful as it had been each time before, I waited for my order. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a middle-aged man enter the store. He was dressed in motorcycle attire and had a somewhat reserved disposition about him. I watched as he placed a small order.  Realizing my order was going to take a little longer to fill, I motioned for him to move ahead of me in line. Graciously, he accepted. Without anything to occupy my attention, I continued to watch as he attempted to pay for his food. "I'm sorry, sir," the clerk said. "You must spend at least $5.00 to use a bank card." Not having any cash with him, he politely concluded that he would have to return the doughnuts. There was no sign of smugness or embarrassment as he had a matter-of-fact dispositi...

Sometimes, I amaze myself. Well, I do not exactly amaze myself. It's more that I annoy myself. I tend to make rash decisions about what I think is best to do or say in a given situation, and I sometimes have knee-jerk reactions to things I feel strongly about. Before I know it, I mistake my opinions for everyone's preference or, even worse, as fact about what is best. What follows are the dreaded afterthoughts. Why on earth would that be a reasonable response? Where in the world would that have been a good solution to follow? For both questions, the answer is often neither. How can afterthoughts be a positive move? If time is taken to reflect, think through, and arrive at a conclusion that truly supports or refutes my beliefs about a particular matter maybe they are constructive. Hence, the term afterthought! Yet they can also be a detriment when an immediate response is to jump; no, it's more like a leap right out of my mouth! God's Word encourages us to seek, before w...

  T he large, beautiful tapestry hung in the hallway of the home where I grew up. My parents purchased it while living in Berlin, Germany, as my dad took his turn serving our country in the United States Army in the 1960s. The front side of this work of art was a stunning scene of deer standing among snowy trees in the darkness. I thought it was beautiful. As a child, when no one was looking, I loved to run my fingers over the tapestry and feel the velvety threads, seeing how the sheen of the knap changed depending on which way I brushed the surface. Also, I was very curious about the backside of the wall hanging, so one day, after getting up enough courage to loosen a corner, I glanced at the underside of the tapestry. I was amazed to find a smooth back with no stray threads and somewhat of the same image the front side bore, yet just a little duller in color. How was that possible, I wondered, to have perfection on both sides? I had expected to see wild patterns of knotted thread...

 Well, summer vacation has arrived. I am more than reasonably certain; no, instead, I am very confident in saying that I am not the only one with a to-do list a mile-long of things neglected throughout the school year. Teachers,  make it through the year, telling ourselves summertime will give us time to restore order, as we thrive amid the chaos created by forgetting picture day, finding the milk jug empty in the fridge, or failing to set the alarm that sends us down the hallway stepping on leftover Legos or tripping over roller blades that were not there the night before. All of which screams, "I need order." Around Christmas time, I have come to terms with the fact that I have stacks of papers to file, picture frames collecting dust, and pencils, now reduced to nubs with no erasers visible. I know I have lowered my standards when I measure a good day by being able to find a shirt without a marker or finger paint stain that matches my pants and make it out the door without ...

  Does God ever stop using us? The answer could be yes or no. I thought about this question last week while visiting my mother at the care facility where she lives—winding our way through the hallways during our routine walk, my eye caught an elderly gentleman seated at a table in the dining area with a Bible open, and residents sitting around the table. They were listening intently. My immediate thought was how nice it was for someone to come to the center and provide Bible study for the patients. My thoughts were interrupted when my mother replied, " He is a resident here." The image of people sitting around the table in the dining hall, with him leading them in studying God's word, is an image I do not think I will ever forget. I am sure that some of those people and others who were not present have no one to feed their spiritual needs, but the takeaway was this: We are never too old to be used by God. We only need breath and willingness to surrender to whatever H...