Five years ago, as I approached turning 50, I felt compelled to become more mindful of gratitude. I did not want to turn into someone self-focused about aging or one who was cynical or complaining.

So, I set my heart with a posture of gratitude—even as my creaking back would snap, crackle, pop more and more as I got out of bed each morning. Age is going to happen–how you approach it matters.

I am 55 now. Each year I chose a “word” for my theme of the year instead of the hum drum usual “do better” list that would undoubtedly be blown by the end of January. These New Year’s Resolutions over the past few years sum up the progression from the time I was 50 until now at 55:

50: Gratitude

51: Contentment

52: Joy

53: Questions for daily reflection: Have I prayed for someone today? Have I helped someone today? Have I encouraged someone today? Have I been kind to someone today?

54: Kindness

55: Be kind. Invest more in people. Get healthy (because there’s always those 15 pesky pounds!).

What I realized when reflecting on this list is: Attitude AND Actions should BOTH be present!

It is great to know to be thankful, but we should show that we are thankful. Act on it.

Begin each day thanking God for His mercies. Speak of His goodness throughout the day. Share about his wondrous deeds. Think on His goodness. Extend goodness and mercies to others.

Psalm 145: 1-6 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.

Adopt a mindset of daily knowing, thinking, and then doing things that show gratitude: “Today is the only day you get to live THIS day. This is the only July 11, 2024 ever! Make it count!”

I began to start each day with this same daily thought. It revolutionized my whole outlook.

The switch from mere introspection to one of action combines thinking about thankfulness with also showing thankfulness.

In the book, The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare, the main character, Daniel, is forgiven by Jesus at the end of the book. Daniel begins to rush after Jesus to thank him for healing his sister and for forgiving him, but instead, he turns to his enemy, a Roman, and invites him into his home.

Gratitude feeds hospitality.

Hospitality creates joy.

Joy spills over into action.

Share the joy. Pray for others. Encourage someone. Be kind.

Today is the day!

Live with: Gratitude + Contentment + Joy + Kindness + Investment + Encouragement—this day!

Live life daily with gratitude and beyond!

When my daughter lived in South Korea, she walked by a military base on the way to her job each morning. She told me about seeing a group of young men out front one day playing Rock, Paper, Scissors and then seeing one guy just immediately pick up a broom and start sweeping. No argument. No refutation. Just sweeping. The die had been cast. The game had spoken. The decision had been made.

This image has stuck with me because, as a teacher, conflict is an ever-present thing to work through with students. “Whose turn is it to take the passes back to the office?” Rock, Paper, Scissors. “Whose turn is it to help with dismissal?” Rock, Paper, Scissors. If there is not a procedure in place for a certain task, Rock, Paper, Scissors. Done.

It’s such a simple thing. But so useful. It paves the way to help work out the conflict—simply.

Conflict is a killer of the soul and a destroyer of the mission. Or at least it gives bad vibes about whose turn it is to play with the jump rope or take a found lunch box back to the office.

Recently I read Proverbs 18:18 (ESV) which states, “The lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.”

That is what Rock, Paper, Scissors is—the lot. It is a method of determining the outcome of a decision in a fixed way that helps you get back to the business at hand. It does not derail you but helps you get back on track. It’s keep on keepin’ on–at its best!

As a teacher, I love preventative measures to handle conflict–to think about how to react even before you are in a situation.

Each year during the first week of school, I lead my students in an “Overlooking Minor Offenses” exercise to help pinpoint some of these potential conflict issues and how to handle them.

I am more convinced than ever that most conflict begins by slights or perceived slights. Understanding this and learning how to recognize these moments can be so helpful in letting the little things go.

We explore verses in the Bible about peacemaking and refer to some quotes from Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker. We talk through possible scenarios and distinguish between major and minor offenses.

Another way of low-conflict decision making is the name jar—the jar that has sticks with all the students’ names written on them.  This is a great way to help “choose” who does what next.

Many times, I have referred to “the lot” when using the “pulling sticks” method of decision making– “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:33)

Students feel so hopeful with raised hands and bright eyes, and then, when they see my hand moving toward the jar, they seem hopeless with dejected faces and downcast eyes. This used to confuse me, but then I realized it is their seeing the finality of “the jar has spoken” mentality. Their happy faces and pleases (or pleas) will get them nowhere. (And, I love it because it gets me off the hook from having to choose. Ha!)

One year when I only had four boys in my class, I was using the “pulling sticks” method to make groups. The boys were all begging to be in one group (of course!) to which I was reticent to acquiesce. Low and behold, when I pulled the names for the groups, all four boys made it into the same group. I had quoted the lot verse so often that one student exclaimed, “It’s God’s will!” So, yes, I Iet them all be together . . . that time.

So remember, whenever you need a sure-fire way of deciding or solving a stalemate quickly with minimal conflict, Rock, Paper, Scissors to the rescue!

“Alright. You can inquire.” Words spoken to me by my husband back in January. We had just received an email about a call for adult volunteers to work at Glorieta Adventure Camps this summer.

As my husband tells it, “The next thing I knew we were on a phone interview and signing up to serve!”

Yep. That’s pretty much how it went down.

A little backstory: Since my husband and I met and married at Glorieta in 1990, it has always held a very special place in our hearts. In fact, we had visited Glorieta with our kids several times. During these visits, we would see older people pouring coffee and interacting with the campers—telling their own stories of Glorieta. I told my husband over the years that I wanted to do that someday when we retired. He kind of affirmed that thought. Or maybe I heard a huff or a groan. Whatever it was, I took it as a positive response of “one day…”

We are no strangers to Glorieta, as I mentioned we met and married there, but even before that, my mom told me that in 1966 she went as the church pianist with her church’s youth group. In fact, she told me the other day, that on Father’s Day of that year, she called her dad from the bank of telephone booths in New Mexico Hall to tell him Happy Father’s Day. She said that when she got off the phone, she was crying and praying to the Lord that someone in her family would get to work there some day! Boy, was that prayer ever answered! Not only did Rob and I work there, one of our daughters did the Walkabout program and worked a summer as a wilderness guide there as well.

If I’m doing my math right, my mom’s phone call in 1966 happened when Rob was five days old. God’s providential plans are perfect—even if they seem like they take forever.

So when the email call for volunteers came earlier this year, my thought was, “Let’s do this before we are too old to to do it!” Thus began the interview process…

Long story short, we went to camp and served for the first two weeks (session I) at Glorieta Adventure Camps and had an amazing experience.

Here are a few of my camp reflections that I recorded of our time:

Day 1: I love the kitchen staff! They are amazing people. Everyone communicates SO well. The flow of the family-style dinner is awesome—they have it down! Yet, they are always in tweak/make-it-better mode. Excellent problem solvers and on-the-fly, make-it-happen creatives. Always encouraging! I love this place!

Not sure of the day (as the days began to blur): Lest it seems like all fun and games, we had a flat tire on the way out here. A huge reminder to depend on God. Always. Thankful for His mercies!

“I wish I could give you all a dollar because you’ve been working so hard!” -middle school camper

Thankful for the ones who came up to say “thank you.” Not doing it for that, but it sure is encouraging to be thanked.

Do/undo—ministry of the smile. (setting up one way—then redoing it another)

Communication barriers—hand motions are wonderful!

“Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi”—the extent of some of my morning conversations. “Hi” with a smile.

Day 7: Fatigue—follow through. Ministry. Prayer. Serving. Redoing with a smile. Encouragement.

Smile: A smile takes you from feelings of inadequacy to encouragement.

Kindness of the kitchen leadership spills over to the crew: always checking on/doing things alongside/affirming afterwards

Forged in the fires of fatigue—that’s when the Holy Spirit takes over… as spoken by one of the oldest members of our team. Mate´ Man, Energizer Bunny, and Samson are some of his nicknames….

When telling one of the kitchen managers how amazing she was, her response was that anything amazing is “only Jesus!”

Ending thoughts: I started the session with worries in my heart about “getting it right.” Thoughts of the famous I love Lucy scene where Lucy starts eating the chocolates on the conveyor belt because she’s too slow, permeated my mind. I kept asking detailed questions up front about how this or that was done and at the end of our training session/tour, the tear-filled reply from leadership that it was more about “interpersonal relationships than food prep” was all I needed to hear and see to set my fears of inadequacies aside and enter into the joy of serving people. Free to serve. Burden lifted. Right mindset.

Also, the next time I see pats of butter/BBQ packets and salt and pepper shakers arranged just so next to the napkin holder, I will know that someone, a person, a real-live human placed them all there. I will never see condiment packets the same way again.

Camaraderie and shared work between generations is such a joy. Hearing the music blare (when the service crew cranked up the massive dishwasher aka the dragon) with a range of songs… songs that were old when I was young… and current ones that I knew or did not know… loved being in the “back of the house.” Great vibes….

Or referring to the back, back, back storage room that houses all the paper goods as Neverland… and then people joking that they did not see Peter Pan there or Michael Jackson or (I thought) Metallica. Generations may have different view points of reference but they can still work together and get the job done!

Also, I finished reading a book about great master artists entitled Rembrandt is in the Wind by Russ Ramsey during my time there. One of the paintings discussed in the book was New York Movie by Edward Hopper. This paired perfectly well with my time of service. The painting depicts a uniformed movie theater employee standing awkwardly aside while waiting—being on call, if you will–while the moviegoers watched the movie in the beautiful theater. She looks a little nervous, invisible to the theater goers, pensive, not being intrusive in any way, but ready to jump in Johnny-on-the-spot if needed. I totally felt like this woman at first—during meal times. Standing aside waiting to meet any needs—a baggie for ice, more silverware, a missing plate… you got it! Then eventually learning to relax, to pray for the people as they ate at their tables, to pray for their safety and salvation—not to think about me, but to pray for them. It took a bit to lose the awkwardness, but then it was such a burden relieved.

Lastly, Rob and I left with joy in our hearts over our time at Glorieta. But this time, we left with not only thankfulness to God for each other, but for also thankfulness for other people. We met some AMAZING staff and co-volunteers. They love Jesus, love and care for each other deeply, and truly live the love and joy of the Lord! I feel so enriched just by knowing them.

Hey, Rob, do you want to sign up again for next summer?? I can almost hear the phone ringing…. 🙂

I am almost finished with the book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson. I have eight pages left. I find myself reading slower and slower. I do not want it to end. I even read the Every Moment Holy liturgy today entitled, Lament upon the Finishing of a Beloved Book.” It captured my thoughts exactly. There is an ache, a longing, a yearning for something more. Something better. Something future. Another world.

It brings to mind the C.S. Lewis quote from Mere Christianity: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

Psalm 63 expresses this deep yearning for God: “My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places is divided into three sections: creation, history, and community. Its title doesn’t always roll off the tongue easily. Nor do other Peterson titles, such as, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. But I find myself understanding it better as I go along. It’s from a line of poem entitled “When Kingfishers Catch Fire” (another title of a Peterson book): “for Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his, to the Father through the features of men’s faces.”

This book makes me want to love better and forgive more. It makes me want to fear God, serve man, and relish in God’s goodness. It makes me want to Sabbath. To wonder. To worship. To work. To remember. To cultivate the Fear of the Lord. To be part of a community. To understand community better. To show hospitality. To listen. And to really hear.

I still have eight pages to go, but I highly recommend this book.

My husband has been a fan of Jonathan Edwards since 1994. Over the years, I’ve become a Jonathan Edwards fan too. Here’s why:

1. Jonathan Edwards is a spiritual mentor to my husband. He points him to Christ. He keeps him spiritually rooted, balanced, and growing in his relationship to Jesus. He keeps him theologically grounded. He has fire and truth, heat and light. JE exudes evangelistic fervor but also a deep belief in the sovereignty of God.
2. I teach about Jonathan Edwards and the First Great Awakening in my Fifth Grade class. Part of our history curriculum encompasses Colonial America, which includes Edwards. I’ve read about the revivals and his family. Students have portrayed Jonathan, his wife Sarah, and even one of his daughters, Esther, in our Living History Museum. It has become one of my favorite time periods to study in American History.
3. Edwards caught my deeper interest. As a teacher, I love all things school related. I love being a teacher, and I love school. So, I began reading more about Edwards, especially biographies. I found him to be fascinating: from his boyhood to his conversion to his preaching to his vast interest in books. I also became curious of Edwards as a teacher, as well as preacher, theologian, and pastor. I loved learning about his use of images to communicate, his use of questions with his own children and parishioners, and his desire for holiness as seen in his Personal Narrative. Then, I began actually reading Edwards instead of just reading about him, his The Images of Divine Things being a favorite.
4. His sermons speak to me too. I have enjoyed the Edwards sermons that I’ve read too, however few that may be. My favorite is The Excellency of Christ which I try to reread every Easter. It is a powerful picture of how the “diverse excellencies” of the majestic Lion of Judah and the meek Lamb of God (and other seeming paradoxes) are wonderfully met in Jesus. Jesus is both the Lion and the Lamb!
5. Reading Edwards has become a devotional practice for me. After reading some sermons, the Religious Affections treatise, several biographies, and a few other areas of study, I recently decided to read Edwards as a devotional practice. Let me tell you how that happened.

During some research and reading, I came across a quote by Wilson Kimnach which compared Edwards’ famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God to another famous sermon entitled Heaven is a World of Love. Kimnach states (WJE 8:61), “Though the much-discussed Sinners remains Edwards’ virtuoso piece, there are few other sermons in which the handling of imagery is comparably inspired. One sermon worthy of comparison with Sinners, and complementary to it in theme, is the concluding sermon of [the charity] series . . . a sermon of Dantean simplicity, scope, and grandeur . . . Perhaps for the same reasons that many who have read Dante’s ‘Inferno’ have not read his ‘Paradiso,’ this sermon has not received the attention given Sinners, and yet I feel that its vision of heaven is perhaps the supreme example of Edwards’ systematic massing of images about a theme.”

Okay, so the ‘Heaven’ sermon, that’s where I’ll head next! I took the correct Edwards’ volume of the 26-volume set, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, off the bookshelf and located the sermon. Much to my chagrin, it was then that I realized that the sermon was the FIFTEENTH sermon in the Charity and its Fruits sermon series (based on I Corinthians 13, the love chapter). Fifteen sermons?!?! What a load! Yet I felt that it would be like cheating to “jump to the end” and read only the last one, the icing on the cake, the piece de resistance! You can’t cheat with Edwards. I’ll admit, I was slightly tempted to go ahead and flip to the end, but as I was placing the book on my reading table, I noticed that the sermon was located in volume 8 of WJE (Ethical Writings), so I decided, nope, definitely not!

With a bit of trepidation, I opened the book to check out how many pages it would be before arriving at sermon fifteen. To my dismay, the Charity and its Fruits notes and sermons spanned over 350 pages. Knowing the density of these writings, it felt like a kick in the gut and not the happy sermon reading time I was hoping for. This was feeling more like an uphill trudge.

So, I began. It was super slow going. I felt discouraged at my snail’s pace. But, I finally decided to “cut myself some slack” and not worry about my slow-grinding pace, but to truly treat it as a devotional and read a bit every time I read my Bible. Then slowly but surely after a few months, something happened. I started loving it, rather than dreading it. Sometimes I only read a paragraph a day, but I always gleaned a deep truth and felt challenged, encouraged, convicted, and challenged yet again. It was changing me.

As I write this, I’m on page 249 and only concluding the sixth sermon in the series entitled, A Christian Spirit is a Humble Spirit. I chuckle as I type this because when I started sermon six, I had “rolled my eyes” about the title. A sermon on pride? I’m not prideful. I don’t go around bragging and loudly “tooting my own horn” and shouting “I’m awesome!” from the rooftops. (Spoiler alert: be careful when you think these things because you are headed for an eye opener!) Truth be told, this has been the most convicting sermon of all the ones so far. Each page, nay, each paragraph, has revealed a point of pride/contrary to a humble spirit way down deep in my marrow.

“Humility disposes a person to be be distrustful of himself, and depending only on God.” (8:239)

“It tends to prevent an ostentatious behavior.” Ok good, I’ve got this one! I don’t exude “ostentatious” behavior! Wait. Keep reading to the end . . . “If anything be done in sincerity, he is content that he, who sees in secret, beholds it.” Like every single time? Or just most times? Yikes!

“Humility will tend to prevent a willful behavior among men.” Uh oh, I feel my stubborn heart start to rise up and raise its hackles. I see the words “stiff and inflexible” approaching. Aahhh! This can’t be good. “. . . but things must go according to what they happened first to propose and manifest a stiffness or . . .” Here comes the kicker “. . . An humble man is inflexible in nothing, but in the cause of his Lord and Master and the cause of virtue. In these he should be inflexible. But in other things of less weight, or in things which only concern his own temporal interest, he is apt to yield to others.” OUCH!

But I like my plans! (Did you hear that? “My” plans!)

The next paragraph was on feelings of superiority and inferiority. Then the next on self-justifying. Ah, but then the next one brought me to tears . . .

When speaking of a spirit of divine love, what must accompany this is a humble love. A love that not only knows and acknowledges God for His greatness, by also, for his loveliness:

“A sense or discovery of God’s greatness without his loveliness will not do it. But it is a discovery of his loveliness that is the very discovery that affects the thing and makes the soul humble.” (WJE 8:244)

Oh, the loveliness of God; He IS altogether lovely!

So, what’s up next in the series?

Sermons seven and eight are on a selfish spirit and an angry spirit, respectively.

As I am preparing to receive a needed, welcomed rebuke for my selfish spirit (I’m already feeling this one — “me time”) . . .

I now realize that Jonathan Edwards isn’t just a spiritual mentor to my husband; he’s a spiritual mentor to me, too.