the country life

After I spent 24 hours at the Image of the Maker retreat, enjoying woods filled with tall trees, southern hospitality, new friends and so much grace, I was sad to see it end and say good-bye to some amazing women, but God was not finished giving me His gifts.

I drove north past medians filled with orange day lilies, then down winding country roads, past vegetable gardens and horse farms, abandoned barns and fresh mown fields, to the lovely country home of a longtime friend, Sharon and her husband Charles. I so enjoyed their little piece of heaven… seventeen acres with chickens, gardens, flowers, LOTS of hummingbirds (like dozens), strawberry cobbler and rocking chairs on the porch. We picked blueberries, took a drive around the mountain, but mostly we sat and talked and listened and caught up on the last 20 years. Such a gift!

The perfect solution to keeping squirrels from robbing the bird feeders… hub caps. Ingenious!

Even if I didn’t like blueberries, I think the bush is beautiful. Mom, we need to plant some!

I LOVE this arbor Charles and Sharon made from two old doors!

Do you see the tiny hummingbird sitting on top of this vine on the right? It’s a male and he had a little red around his neck. They were so fast I had a difficult time getting any good photos, but I love this one.

Thank you Charles and Sharon for your love and warm hospitality!

Counting my gifts!

Image of the Maker

I have returned from a weekend I pray I never forget.

But sitting here staring at the screen, I wonder how to express, how to put into words so that you can see a glimpse of what God gave us… the 75 women who gathered in the woods of North Carolina.

It was just twenty-four hours, but oh how sweet to spend those 1,440 minutes with Nicole Witt, Crista Wells and Ann Voskamp!

Maybe because it has been many years since I have participated in a retreat. Or maybe it was because it was so needed that God orchestrated and gave me such a gift. He met us there, there in that room,

there by the lake,

around dining tables,

in rocking chairs on porches, in voices offered up in worship. He talked to us through the words of a woman after His own heart.

He broke down our walls, using the music of two gifted singer songwriters.

He ministered healing through the acceptance and safety of others. He took our brokeness and made us whole and showed us the strength he gives as we unite our brokeness.

He showed up through hugs, tears and laughter.

He gave us the gift of new friends, who will become lifelong ones.

So I will ponder, process, reflect on the things I have been given, the lessons taught, the wisdom shared, the grace. And I will come back and share with you.

As a beautiful and gifted new friend so perfectly said…

In the meantime I am longing to live the giftedness for the glory of the Giver.

one thousand gifts

Who knew that a simple brown box sitting on my doorstep would bring such joy. I rushed to open it and there it was…

I set it in a spot where I could catch glimpses of it throughout my day… anticipating the moment I would be able to sit and visit awhile, to cease the craziness and breath in. Finally I sat in the quiet, on my porch swing and opened its pages. What a breath of fresh air… what a gift… this book filled with Ann’s words… “a dare to live fully right where we are… but God asks us not to read or write words, but become them… the words that matter most are the ones we live… and what ranks the highest is how we write our lives.”

And so begins my one thousand gifts of His grace.

#1|1000 Thank you God for the gift of your grace expressed through Ann’s words, for blessing her with the gift of writing so beautifully and sharing it so freely with us.

Would love to have company. Go here to get your copy. It is already a bestseller! Then if you’d like to read it with others, come join us over here.