Encounters with God – Rescue – Part 4

Rick took several fishing trips to Alaska with friends and customers. Sometimes they would fly to an inland lake and be dropped off for a week with a guide who knew how to survive in the wilds. They went well armed in case a hungry grizzly showed up. Thankfully, the bears kept their distance. Sometimes …

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The Need and Right to Know

My heart aches for women facing crisis pregnancies, but in the early days, there was no question whether a pregnant woman was carrying a human being or not. Everyone knew she carried a child. And every woman who plans a pregnancy knows the moment she has confirmation of conception that she is carrying a precious …

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Bread

It takes time for God to make bread from wheat. He selects the land and plows deep, turning and enriching the soil. He plants the seed, sends down pelting rain, soft dew, and warmth from the Son so that the seed opens and begins to grow, first as a tiny seedling, then a thin stalk …

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Encounters with God – Part 3

Rick and I have lived in several homes in Sonoma County. Our first was in Sebastopol. Rick had come north to start Rivers Aviation Services and was looking for a home, while I stayed in Valencia until our three children finished the school year. There were NO rentals available, not until the very last minute, …

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Hard Times and Violins

Rick and I have been through some hard times lately. Parkinson’s is a merciless disease and continues to march on. Contracting Aseptic Meningitis in 2019 only exacerbated his challenges. Living with pain isn’t for the faint-hearted. He never complains, though he mentions how much he misses his car and the independence that came with having …

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Encounters with God – Part 2

Encounters with God can be for different reasons. In another recent blog, I wrote about a warning. This time I would like to share about confirmation. When I first became a Christian, and by this, I mean asking God to be Savior and Lord of my life, I had many faith questions. (I still do.) …

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Encounters with God – Part One

Our pastor, Jim Swaney, is teaching a series on the Holy Spirit. After one sermon, our worship leader gave a spontaneous testimony of how God had been “speaking” to him for years, even before (in his forties) he gave his life to Christ. Some of us are slow to listen, including me. I was in …

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Pruning

Winter has come to Sonoma County. The wind picks up at four. It’s dark by five. I’m ready for bed by seven-thirty but sometimes wait until eight before calling it a night. And then when Rick and I get up by five in the morning, it’s still dark! When I take Ranger out for his …

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Hearts, Flowers, and Daily Valentines

Ah, February—the month of Valentine’s Day. When I was a child, my classmates and I taped up empty lunch bags in the classroom, hoping they would fill up with cards, and maybe a special one from a secret crush. It was a day of excruciating anticipation, ending sometimes in delight or crushing disappointment. I remember …

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Season of Dreams

The hard thing about January is that it can feel like a letdown. The wonder and miracle of Christmas is over. Other than the Rose Bowl Parade (for me) and the Rose Bowl Football game (for Rick), everything quiets down. It’s time to take the ornaments off the Christmas tree and store them away, take …

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