Picket Fences

The song, “I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas,” has real meaning in the Pacific Northwest. If a lawn has a snowman adorning it, it was bought at a store. Rarely does snow show up for the PNW’er unless they go up to the mountains. Except this year, the mountain doesn’t have snow like it usually does. Not even the tourist town of Leavenworth is covered with snow. Snow rarely shows up. Quite a few years ago my family faced the unexpected death of my Uncle. After his death, a group from church made their way to my Aunt’s house, and spent the day helping her with yard work. I remember her explaining that it touched her, because they “showed up.” A few thousand years ago, on a starry night, that is what God did. He “showed up.” “Immanuel” – God with us, appeared on the earth, in the form of a baby, named Jesus, God’s son. The birth of a baby is such a wonderful thing. What makes Jesus birth even more exciting, is this is not where His life started. The Bible sa...

One day, I got my daughter out of school earlier than her usual time. "I was worried you weren't coming," she said as she got in the car. "Why? I've never missed picking you up from anything, and I'm here at the time I told you I would be." "Because, I had told you that I wanted to get out earlier than this." She answered. I smiled and told her this was definitely a blog moment. How many times do I pray and wonder why God doesn't show up when and how I want Him to? I've had my moments where I've been pretty good at acting like the "God director" when I pray. I've also had my moments of frustration, while I wait for Him to answer them, when and how I wanted the prayers answered. I know I'm not the only one to do this. Over the last few years we've been praying for a prisoner in the mid-east to be freed and returned to America to be with his family. There are updates on him on the...