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BOILING THE FROG

I’m a country girl. I’ve cooked a few frogs in my time. Fried them, actually. Frog legs taste a bit like chicken with a little fish flavor thrown in. Not something I enjoy eating, but my boys find catching and cooking a bullfrog right up there with a sushi outing. An exotic treat, really about the experience of the thing rather than the nourishment of the matter. Recently, I was thinking about how the world cooks Christians. It’s like boiling a frog. The frog isn’t thrown into bubbling water, he is placed in a pot and the heat is slowly […]

By Paula June 17, 2010

SCARS

Today while mowing the lawn in the sun, I found myself trying to pull my short shirt sleeves down to cover my upper arms. All my life I’ve avoided sunburning this part of my body. Today it hit me: why do I need to protect my upper arms and not the rest of the skin on my arms?Out of the blue, the three inch scar on my mom’s upper arm came to mind. She has a huge chunk of flesh missing just below her shoulder because she had a melanoma when I was little. I was so young, in fact, […]

By Paula June 10, 2010

THE HEART OF CHRISTIANITY

For Memorial Day our church did a service honoring those who died for what they believed in. Video clips were shown. American soldiers sacrificing for their country in our current wars ran across the screen, followed by a film of how each disciple lost his life for Christ. What struck me most in these films was a photo of a Marine with a tear running down his face. He looked so big and strong holding his weapon in full battle gear, but that tear was so very tender upon his dusty cheek. This soldier grieved the loss of a friend. […]

By Paula June 1, 2010

A SWEET LAND

The writer Jack London called California “a sweet land.” London was an adventurer who’d seen the world. He chose to settle in California’s Sonoma Valley, one of my favorite spots. Last month we drove through Sonoma on our way to the ocean for Cami’s birthday. We stopped and strolled the shady Sonoma town square, eating ice cream before pressing on for San Francisco. It was in Sonoma where California’s state flag was born. The Bear Flag rebellion took place here in 1846, ushering California under America’s wings. In the city by the bay, we walked over the Golden Gate bridge. […]

By Paula May 27, 2010

STAND BY ME

The song Stand by Me, originally released in 1961, made a comeback when I was in college. Scott and I were dating at the time and that became our song. We were young, but I was ready to get married. Scott, on the other hand, was set on joining the Army for a life of adventure. Tired of dating, I told him that I wanted a station wagon and babies. Back then the only SUVs were the big Chevy Suburbans, which few families drove. People with lots of kids owned station wagons. “If you don’t see a station wagon and […]

By Paula May 20, 2010

THE WEARY KIND

There is a new song out called The Weary Kind. It is the theme tune from Crazy Heart, the movie with Jeff Bridges that won him best actor this year. I really like this song, The Weary Kind. It hits home in this sin-filled world. Life is full of weary souls. And some of these worn out people are Christians. The Christ-filled life shouldn’t be this way.Why is there so much weariness both in and outside of the church?I believe the answer is sin, but if you are the weary kind of Christian, before you take this to heart, let […]

By Paula May 13, 2010

A MOTHER’S SOUP

A few days ago, I stepped out the back door to find John, our seven-year-old, and Joey, five-years-old, working away at my flower pots. These pots are old wine barrels cut in half. We have two right outside the kitchen door. The dogs have taken over the barrels, sleeping there, so I no longer bother to keep flowers in them.“What are you boys up to?” I asked red-haired John, and blond, curly-haired Joey, watching them take dirt from one pot to add to the other pot.“We’re making you soup,” the boys said in union, grins on their dirty, little faces.“Soup, […]

By Paula May 7, 2010