JWalking: The Blog

O ur Bible study group just finished Jen Hatmaker's book Tune In , about hearing the voice of God through various means and circumstances. As part of her last section, "God Haunts" (where God likes to "hang out"), she focuses in on God speaking to us through His creation. She poses a question about whether we hear God through nature. "Are you a 'Nature Girl'?" she asks. Of the seven gals around the table, five were not nature girls. (Not even the beach! I was stunned!!) The gal next to me didn't comment (I know she goes to the beach but maybe that's where it ends....) Me? I'm very much a nature girl, though, these days, I find God speaking to me more directly through reading the Bible. But as a girl growing up, God and nature were synonymous. Had I been more assertive (like way more assertive), I could have led a lively debate—"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature when she's a fraud anyway!" Maybe it was because I...

D o you feel, some days, like the hayride just dumped you off at the start of the corn maze, and you are scrambling around lost? The paper in your hand isn't a map. No, it's just a series of questions that you have to answer. "It's like a big game," you say, reading the directions. "I'm supposed to be looking for the answers!??!" Feeling a little frustrated, perhaps? Or maybe a little contemplative, if that's more your character. Maybe you just need to look up ! "The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you." —II Chronicles 15:2 And knowing His very presence, you can take that next step forward in confidence. "You have made known to me the path of life, Lord; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. —Psalm 16:11 We may not have all the answers. But we have our greatest Help walking with us! Life is still a maze, but stopping and appreciating a mo...

Wow! An Award-Winning Poem by CJ Wow! I won a contest. Wow! I caught a butterfly. Wow! I hit a homer. Wow! I gave canoeing a try. Wow! I got invited to a party. Wow! I found my missing charm. Wow! I won my soccer game. Wow! I fixed my broken alarm. Wow! I got my first A+. Wow! I got in a cool club. Wow! I can chop a pepper. Wow! I received a new toy sub. Wow! I bought a new pet dog. Wow! I trained my own pet fly. So many reasons to say “Wow”, So many reasons why. * * * T urns out, Daughter #1 did win in a contest. She captured second place in the Intermediate division (3rd-5th graders) of her school's PTA Reflections contest, Literature category! WOW! Reflections is a program sponsored by the National PTA that focuses on the creative arts—literature, music, dance choreography, video, visual arts and photography. Local PTA's host schoolwide contests and first-place winners advance through the county, state and ...