Posts by Merrill

Walks, Singing, Sweaty Feet and Sundays…Bless the Lord Oh My Messy Soul!

Posted by on Jul 18, 2011 | 0 comments

Yesterday, I woke up and took Sunshine (the dog) for a walk…for some reason the song “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul….” was ringing in my head, so I sang it. The whole walk I just sang and sang.  It was a beautiful morning, breezy and cool, rare for July in Florida. “Bless the Lord, Oh my messy soul, and ALL that is within me, bless His Holy name….” you see I felt a bit messy this morning, but there is something wonderful about the fact that even though we are such beautiful, complicated messes, He loves us anyway, ALL of us, every part of us… and that deserves my praise, in the form of singing today of course. Then we headed...

Read More

Cat’s got your tongue?

Posted by on Jul 13, 2011 | 1 comment

Meow, has it been a long time since I blogged. It’s not a cat, no it’s more like a good old summer storm! Summer hit….Kid’s home, Mission Trips, Break-ups, Wedding Prep, Work….Mixed in with showers of re-entry effect due to the mission trip (travel-jet lag, lessons learned and brought back, God stirring the ole pot of my heart…..) and possibly the start of the climb up the “menopausal mountain” (Dear God, do I have to make this climb?) Yes, the perfect summer storm. A few of the thoughts that have been swirling …. I was blessed with 3 big boys close together (2 littles too)….and yes, there are always moments of...

Read More

One Body (Written while in Kenya, June 2011)

Posted by on Jun 22, 2011 | 0 comments

Since landing on Naivasha soil I have felt God’s powerful presence. He was here before us, He will be with us on our visit and He will be here after we are long gone. We didn’t bring Him with us, He was always here, we just came to do what He called us to do, and he prepared the way. What an amazing, loving, BIG God we have. Why do we make Him so small in our daily lives? All the faces I see, the hands I hold, shake, high five…. all the hugs, smiles, songs, conversations and laughs we share remind me that in Christ we are one person…. one body, all hungry and in need, just of different things. While worshiping with the Pastors here for a Leadership...

Read More

Back roads, short cuts, wrong turns… I always think I know the way.

Posted by on May 24, 2011 | 0 comments

As I wrote yesterday about endings and beginnings, I started to ponder where we put God’s will in the midst of all the swirling changes that occur within our lives. This morning I read something about how we too often “baptize” our will and call it God’s. I have had my PhD in that at times. Doing what I want and praying for God to bless it! The funny thing about that is, he is not fooled. He knows our thoughts, motivations and the intentions of our hearts. Why is it then, when we are seeking God’s will, we really are more “self-focused” than “God-focused”? Sure we are human, selfish and want our way. But, in the end...

Read More

To Begin there must be an End….

Posted by on May 22, 2011 | 0 comments

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.” Seneca Oh how we can fight the beginnings and ends within our lives. The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are. Easier said than done, that first step. We have to let go of the old, to embrace the new. Allow something to die, in order to create space for new life to grow. Walk away from what is familiar and comfortable, into the unfamiliar and uncomfortable,  you know what I mean. This week I had friends move from a well loved place, filled with loads of memories into a new home that they are not familiar with yet.  Jackson, Grace and I...

Read More