Category Archives: God

An Open Door for the Gospel

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Profanity and raucous laughter shot through my bedroom floor. I prayed for relief from the noise downstairs. “Who is this neighbor, anyway?” I wondered.

The next day I sensed God nudging me to find out.  In the summer heat of southern Oregon, my neighbor had his front door open.  As I approached, the middle-aged man inside looked up from his TV set. A half-empty liquor bottle rested beside him.

“Hi,” I said cheerily through the screen door.

“Hello,” the man replied. “I’m Cole. You must be the gal who lives upstairs.”

“That’s right, I’m  Jane.  I’m working in the area this summer doing my college internship as a park ranger.”

As our conversation in the doorway progressed, Cole asked, “What do you like to read?”

“The Bible,” I ventured timidly. Cole’s eyes widened. “I want to talk with you about that sometime.”

My heart surged as I realized God was providing me with someone who was open to hearing about the good news of Jesus Christ.

But back in my apartment a cloud of doubt rushed in. I was no Biblical expert, and only three weeks remained before it was time to go back to college. How could I make a difference in such a short time? Continue reading →

Oh, You Beautiful Selfie!

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When I finally upgraded my cell phone, it came with a new feature: a “front-facing” camera designed to take “selfies.”   Though I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, I was kind of excited to make a few attempts, even though the smartphone only contained a minuscule 1.3 megapixel camera. Well, it turned out that my phone’s camera was not only smart, it was a little too truthful . . . especially in th7DDK8X4Fpoor lighting. I took A LOT of selfies before I could find even one I wanted to share on Facebook.

As I peruse my gallery of selfie attempts (the few that escaped the “delete” button) it’s easy to be self-critical. “I don’t like that one because it emphasizes my tall forehead.” “That one makes my jawline look too heavy.” “My hair is so thin and limp.” I find myself searching intently for a photo that magically minimizes my “problem areas” . . . like the dark under-eye circles that never go away, or the furrows between my brows that make me look unintentionally stern.   Even when I find what I consider a flattering shot, I realize there is no way to hide the reality (short of airbrushing or Photoshopping) that I’m not in my thirties . . .(or even forties) anymore.

I suspect I’m not the only one who struggles to feel beautiful. After church one day I chatted with a couple of friends who are in the same age-bracket. One shared about a new beauty product meant to perform anti-aging wonders around the eye area. Next she sang the praises of mascara. (She, like me, has invisible lashes without the help of Maybelline.) Finally, to sum it up, she said, “I’m just a hag without makeup.”   “Aren’t we all?” was my reply. Continue reading →

Curling Irons and Grace

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thMSC4O6C5It had been a bad hair week.  My curling iron was on the fritz and I had suffered the indignity of flat hair for several days.  Mission number one?  To buy a new hair appliance at the local drugstore.

I drove in early Saturday morning, sure to miss the crowds.  As I expected, the store was virtually empty.  I barely noticed the woman and her daughter who entered just behind me.  Making a beeline to the hair care aisle, I no sooner had began to survey the very sparse selection of curling irons when I realized the pair were on the same mission.

They sidled in from the left, and I kindly moved to my right.  But my attitude quickly changed as they began reaching for the very last curling iron in the size I wanted.  “I WAS HERE FIRST!!!”  I internally screamed.  “That curling iron should be MINE,” I seethed silently.  Thankfully, they put “my” curling iron back on its hook and moved down the aisle.  I snatched it quickly before someone else could. Continue reading →

Happily Ever Single

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th2VVPPJUT“Maybe you’re the girl thinking you’ll end up alone.”  These lyrics from “Someone Worth Dying For” by Mikeschair still make me cringe when I hear the song come on the radio.   While the overall message of the tune ultimately has good intentions, it sadly puts singleness on a short list of worst-case scenarios.

I’ve seen an unhealthy fear of singleness drive many women (and some men) to a desperate pursuit of marriage.   This was especially true when my peers were in their 20’s and 30’s.   When I parted ways with a guy I was dating in college, I remember him gasping, ‘Will I EVER get married?” He was 21, and the next gal he dated said, “I do.”   When I was 39, I received a note from a friend in her early thirties. In it she described her plan to lasso a man. Clearly forgetting my age, she stated emphatically: “I will NOT be 40 and single.” She was not.

I, on the other hand, breezed into my fourth decade decidedly unmarried. Surprisingly, I did not turn into a pumpkin, a reclusive cat-lady, or whatever other fate-worse-than death scenario people believe will happen if you don’t marry by a certain age. Now in my mid-fifties, I can testify that remaining single is nothing to be feared or avoided at all costs. That’s why it concerns me that there is still a subtle, yet prevailing attitude that singleness is an inferior destiny – or worse, abnormal. Continue reading →

Not Homesick Anymore

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thQJFP90RMThe double doors slammed. There was a pause, and then the familiar shuffling of dragging, uncooperative feet. Soon Clarence would round the corner into the airiness of the camp lodge’s lobby. First he would make a beeline to the three garbage cans and fish with his gnarled hands for pop cans. Then he would awkwardly pour coffee from the big metallic urn and carry the steaming stryofoam cup to “his” table.

I had watched this ritual virtually every day for over a year, and I knew that the finale was approaching when his broken gait carried him to my receptionist’s window. He leaned closer to my desk and waited for me to catch his eye. As I looked into his face that seemed to carry such haunting sadness and pain, it brightened with the most delightful grin. Continue reading →