Posts by Merrill
How Close is Too Close?
Sunday at church our Pastor, Dr. Bob gave a wonderful message on Hail to the King. He spoke of the triumphal entry Jesus and his disciples made into Jerusalem. “Hosanna’s!” were shouted as Jesus came into town riding upon donkey. Jesus knew that the rest of his ministry would be confined to this city, this place called Jerusalem. With him on this journey were 12 men. Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas; James son of Alphaeus and Simon, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot…..All ordinary, just like us. Jesus knew their faults and flaws long before he chose them. None of them had any exceptional talents or training as...
Read MoreThe Second Sentence
The other day I was trying to explain to Grace about why her brother Jackson was doing something, she replied…” I know, he was just made that way.” Unconditional love, grace and acceptance out of the mouth of a little sister! Rare, I give you that. Shouldn’t we all practice the art of Extending Grace? But it can be so hard. Why do we look at others imperfections and see “A Piece of Work” instead of a “Work of Art”? We all have our quirks, likes, styles and personalities! It’s what makes us unique and individually who we were created to be. Then I had a wonderful session with a 20 year old young man and he commented...
Read MoreRest Stop PLEASE!
Today I am letting my soul catch up with my body! What a crazy week last week. You know those times when you are so busy that nothing or no one gets the best of you. Even YOU! We beat ourselves up, knowing we need to slow down but have to ride it out the best we can until we come to an exit. It’s like needing a “Potty” stop on a long deserted highway! Are we there YET? We all have weeks like that where we are anxiously looking for the next rest stop! Well today I found it. Exit 3/22/2010. I am getting out, stretching my soul, breathing deep, slowing down and allowing God’s Holy Spirit to fill me up! “Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord. Come...
Read MoreBuckle Up!
One of the girls in my weekly girls group shared a story about how she was in a very difficult place the other day. My friend was emotionally spent and said the only way to describe how she was feeling was that it felt like she was in a car going too fast without a seat-belt to keep her safe. Well, we all know how that would feel. Out of control, scary and nerve racking to say the least. She went on to explain that she was sitting in her car at a light in tears as she desperately called out to God….“Help! What do I do?” Just as she cried out a truck passed in front of her with a license plate with big letters that spelled out PRAY. She smiled through...
Read MoreA man after my own heart…..Henri
“Somehow original sin, that inner anguish and brokenness that is beyond our own doing, becomes the place where we touch our original blessing. Somehow our broken fathers, our limited mothers, our neurotic brothers, our confused sisters, and our own inner struggles work to create in us a hunger to move beyond our pain. “My soul is restless,” as Augustine says, “until it rest in you, O Lord.” Once we approach intimacy with God dwelling within, and once we accept others and ourselves as we are, we may begin to speak about “happy guilt” or “happy brokenness.” (Sweetly Broken) The inner struggle is no longer such a...
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Merrill Is a mother of 5 who has found her calling in sharing her experiences from life with others. She can help you break out of your routine to live life to its fullest potential.