• The rustling of wings

    Are those wings I hear? Yes, they are. I’m taking wings and flying toward a new horizon. I’m trusting others are also moving toward new possibilities in this new year. We need to click the dimmer button on last year’s rearview mirror. We saw things we wish we hadn’t. The opposition is getting stronger. Pilots like to fly against strong winds. The adverse winds will lift the plane and give it speed. Not sure how that works, but when things get tough, it seems we get tougher. I commented to our wr…

  • The flame of good news

    During the Christmas season, we pull out our Christmas tree lights. We light candles and place them in the window. We participate in family traditions and bring the good news into our homes. For several years, we set out brown bags along the sidewalk, poured sand in the bottom, and placed lit candles in the sand. Luminarias are a Southwestern tradition from Mexico and celebrated in New Mexico, California and Arizona as a way to light the pathway for the Christ child. The truth be told, it’s not …

  • Emergency alerts and turning off the motor

    Readers ask me, “How’s Whiskey, Sweet Al’s hunting dog? Is she still alive?” And I say, “Only by my good graces.” One morning recently I walked around like a zombie, red eyes, bad hair, bad mood. No sleep because of Whiskey. The thunderstorm drove her to our bed. She climbed up over my head and laid down on my pillow. I called out to my Sweet Al. “Help me; Whiskey’s on my pillow.” Not a word. Not a movement. Totally in another world of sleep, I couldn’t jar him. I got out of bed, pulled at his h…

  • No quit in the game

    In a recent interview, Deion Sanders said, “The boys are getting better. There is no quit in the game.” This was before the Washington State game, when the sportscaster talked about the Colorado University (CU) Buffaloes’ losses and Washington State’s wins. After another loss, 56-14, USA Today wrote, “Deion Sanders is saddened after latest Colorado loss. His son, Shedeu, has had 52 sacks, the most of any quarterback in the country.” We all questioned his son’s injuries during the game. We could …

  • When no one hears

    I challenged the writers in my Monday morning writers’ group to write no matter who reads their words. I have written for 20 years, not sure who has read mine. But if I heard from the Lord what he’s asked me to write, then those words I wrote would be divine revelation words. There is a reason and necessity for why I wrote them. Wow. Could I be so bold to say that? God said to Isaiah, “Go tell Israel what I’m telling you. But they won’t hear.” Those words were fulfilled by Jesus 700 years later …

  • Once you know the rules, you can break them

    Red and Greens Dancing in the Sunlight Mixed medium 300# paper (15X30) This red and green floral reminds me of the festive season we are in. Every painting I’ve painted, there was a story, or I-had-to-paint-it-for-its-existence-kind of reason. I painted this floral in 2008 when impressionistic was on my mind. The Word says, “The preparation of the heart belongs to the Lord." He prepares our hearts as artists to see differently as we are changing daily as life around us is changing. Maybe that …