By Joan Kelley “The discovery of God lies in the daily and the ordinary, not in the spectacular and the heroic. If we cannot find God in the routines of home and shop, then we will not find Him at all.”  Richard Foster I just got home from a vacation in the lush forests, mountains […]

By Joan Kelley “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.”  Proverbs 4:23 NCV If I stopped you in your tracks, mid-stream in your day and asked you, “What’s running your life?”  What would be your initial answer? Would you say - your schedule, your work, your finances, or your relationships? If […]

By Joan Kelley This picture is a tree in my neighborhood.  It appears the owner of this property is trying to save some money by taking the dead tree down piece by piece in a rather creative way.  It looks like they tried the first ladder, then decided maybe a taller ladder would help. Since […]

By Joan Kelley I have spent a fair share of my life in waiting rooms – waiting for grades, test results, job interviews.  To be honest I’m not very fond of them. Probably because I don’t usually like the answer at the end of the wait and also because I’m simply not good at waiting. […]

By Joan Kelley I sat with a friend recently who was frustrated with a relative. I listened and then said, “It sounds like their extreme reaction to you is stealing your joy.” My friend teared up immediately. My comment had opened a place of vulnerability, of sadness, of a desire for something more, and a […]

By Joan Kelley “People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the circular motions of the stars and they pass by themselves with out wondering.” Augustine What have you wondered at lately in God’s creation — a hawk sailing through […]

By Joan Kelley “If you do not transform your wounds you will transmit them.” Richard Rohr The other night at dinner we each shared about a childhood injury and resulting scar – a literal one still present on our bodies. It was interesting to note we all had one and an interesting story to go […]

By Joan Kelley “The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only […]

By Joan Kelley “Listen to My Life is like your personal third base coach.”. –Sibyl Towner The third-base coach stands in foul ground, just behind the third-base bag, and helps relay signals from the dugout to both batters and base runners. Additionally, the third-base coach is responsible for advising base runners on whether to stop at the second and third base or to continue running […]

By Sharon Swing Feeling restless? Maybe unsettled or bored? Have you considered that restlessness has a purpose? Maybe it could be a prompt from God to pay attention. What underlies the restlessness? What might God be moving you toward or away from? Consider that it may be prompt from the God who is FOR you. […]