I have loads of great memories of past Halloweens. But the best one is of a “Dance Party” our family performed for my mom on her birthday. Dressed in silly wigs, glasses and hats, we shucked and jived through the kitchen while she watched from the adjoining room. I’m so grateful we recorded it; her delightful laughter is audible in the background.
In remembrance of JinJan, who was sweeter than a bag full of treats—and to share why she shone brighter than a jack-o’-lantern—I’m reposting a perfectly timed analogy of what gave my mom even greater joy than the silly antics of that particular birthday.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. We love you and miss you.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
What Does It Mean To Be Made New?
by Liz Curtis Higgs (Reposted with permission. Original post found HERE)
When this Former Bad Girl received Christ, you can imagine what my coworkers thought when I danced out the door on a Friday afternoon shouting, “Party!” and then strolled in Monday morning saying, “Praise the Lord, I’ve been baptized!”
Did they notice? Oh, baby.
As spring turned into summer, I soared and stumbled along my new walk with Christ, watched carefully by my coworkers, who were curious about the changes they were seeing.
One October day, our receptionist asked me, “Liz, what does it mean to be a Christian?”
Uh-oh. The most important question ever. Did I have an answer at the ready? I did not. Desperately looking around for inspiration, I saw a ceramic pumpkin on display and stammered, “Oh, Alice, it’s just like being a pumpkin.”
“Really?” she asked. “What do you mean by that?”
Friend, I had no idea what I meant. After silently pleading for the Lord to make sense of my nonsense, I said, “Well, God chooses us out of the pumpkin patch of life.” Whew.
Happy 4th of July everyone! Looking back over the past 6 months, one of the most important decisions I made was to ponder and come up with a motivating motto for the year ahead. It’s aspirational. Short and sweet. Easy to remember. It’s catchy. It rhymes. It’ll even fit on a post-it note—just like my favorite recipes :) […]
Are you a “solvent” in sticky situations?? A wiggler-out-of uncomfortable or unwanted circumstances? A doggedly determined person whose default is “I’m gonna get myself out of this mess” when things have gone sideways and you have no idea why? That’s my usual response to any obstacle. It’s often a good thing to have bulldog determination […]
I have barely slept these past 6 nights; I abruptly gave up my OTC sleep aids after hearing from my Physicians Assistant that the active ingredient, the same as what’s in a common allergy pill, may be linked with dementia. I’m not usually over-reactive to such news, after all, those studies are often unreliable. Then I had a very senior moment and my decision was made. Continue reading
It happened one chilly April morning. I found myself locked out of our new home with no spare key hidden under any fake rock. I was a total unwashed mess, underdressed in a thin T-shirt, wearing rainboots, and supposed to let my new cleaning lady into my house in just a short while. A few good […]
“When we give thanks, we enter the presence of God. We start to see our circumstances through God’s eyes. We defeat Satan’s efforts to control our interpretation of reality. We have a chance to link our situation with the promises of God. We start to see ourselves and others from God’s perspective. All of our […]
Rooted & Growing 