Touch of heaven in unplanned family get together....

 

We had planned a trip to visit two of our family members whose health is declining, hoping to see them before things grew worse. At the same time, three cousins planned a trip for the very same reason. Then, to our surprise and delight, our son and grandson decided to come secretly. That surprise alone was enough to make my heart full.

All of that resulted in the picture I posted — a table full of people gathered to eat, laugh, cry, tell stories, eat some more, and laugh again. For a little while, we were able to set aside the heaviness of what’s ahead and simply love on each other. It was a gift, a weekend none of us will forget.  A little touch of heaven.  

I waited until we were on our way home to post the picture on Facebook. I had no idea it would offend anyone. Some felt hurt that they weren’t invited. I tried to explain that it wasn’t a planned event — it just unfolded — but the more I explained, the worse it seemed to get. I’ll be honest: I’m not very good with people who get offended easily. Part of me wants to say, “Please, grow up… or at least ask kindly how it came about.”

But this situation made me stop and do a little heart‑searching of my own.

Is it wrong to have a small gathering without inviting the whole family? I don’t believe so. The family who hosted had every right to keep it small. And the two dear ones with health issues likely won’t remember who was or wasn’t there. The gathering was really for those closest to them — the ones who needed that time together.

I tried to explain the dynamics, the why, the who, the situation… but the offended became even more offended. So I finally decided to let it rest. No more explanations. No more trying to fix what can’t be fixed.

What I do know is this: love was shared, memories were made, and for a few precious hours, we were all held together by something far stronger than hurt feelings.

 

A few good quotes on being offended...

1. People who wish to be offended will always find some occasion for taking offense." - David A. Bednar 
2. "Being offended has replaced baseball as our greatest national pastime." - Kim Hunt Harris 
3. "The feeling of being 'offended' is a warning indicator that is showing you where to look within yourself for unresolved issues." - Bryant H. McGill 
4. "Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it." - Anonymous 

“This weekend reminded me that moments of grace are worth more than explanations.”

“I’m choosing to hold on to the laughter, the tears, and the love — not the misunderstandings.”

 

 A Touch of Heaven even with snow....

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and our church will begin the morning with breakfast — cooked by the men, which always brings a smile to my face. Everyone looks forward to it. I even bought a new dress just for this Sunday. I honestly can’t remember the last time I bought a dress; pants and a top have been my usual for years. So yes, I was hoping for a warm, sunny day to enjoy wearing my new dress. 

But northern Minnesota weather had other plans.

Yesterday a snowstorm swept through and dropped six or seven inches of fresh white snow, and more is coming on Easter morning. I posted a picture of it on my Facebook story and wrote that I’m glad I don’t trust Easter eggs — or the weather — for my salvation. With this much snow, you’d have a hard time finding those eggs no matter how bright the colors.

Our church breakfast is a long‑standing tradition, and the Easter egg hunt has been around even longer. Parents who want to keep the tradition alive will just hide the eggs inside, so the little ones won’t be disappointed.

But it does make me think:

How do we handle it when the traditions can’t happen?

Do we need Easter eggs and baskets to believe in Jesus?

According to the Word of God, there were no chocolate bunnies or brightly colored eggs at Calvary. There was only Jesus — willingly giving His life for us.

I’m still looking forward to that breakfast the men will cook. It will feel like a little slice of heaven, especially since they do the dishes too. But as grateful as I am for their hard work, not one of them died on the cross for me.

So while I feel a little sad for the kids in northern Minnesota who won’t get an outdoor egg hunt this year, I’m overwhelmingly thankful for the truth of Easter — a truth no weather can touch.

Happy Easter to each of you.

May God help you see past the breakfast, the baskets, the eggs, and even the snow…

and straight into the heart of His love for you.

A Touch of Heaven in my mind..

 

This is something I wrote today on a Facebook site where they ask for two word I would like to say to President Trump.  Being an extrovert woman of God, my words flowed over the two into the paragraph below. Truthfully, if I ever had a chance to speak my mind to Mr. Trump this is what I would say.  

I am trusting you Mr. President to run our country for the good of the people who want a strong country.  But deeper is my trust in the Lord for He

 sits the Kings up and takes them down. He has

 the power to move what happens in this world as we know it for His will. He has a plan that has been in place since the beginning of time, and He promised to bring that plan to frutition and what He promised He will do no matter who is president. I do pray for you, first for you salvation because the wisdom from the Lord only comes from trusting Him for it. I don't just pray for our country but for the whole world to hear the pure gospel. This is more than two words that you ask for but I write what I believe is encouragement.  I so believe you want the best for our country so please do not leave God out of the picture.   His heart is for the hearts of people to worship Him.  

Wise Hearted

Little piece of heaven in Ezekiel

 

Rebellion is the major subject in the book of Ezekiel.  In fact, it gets so repetitive that after a few reads you just want to say, STOP.  Reading about rebellion is easier then actually seeing the same rebellion in ourselves.      

God gave them warning after warning, time and time again to put aside their worshipping others instead of Him.  Obedience is an act of love, respect and belief that the one who sets the standard is right in what they ask.  There was and is only two sets of rules to follow, God's or man.   

We ladies have made it to chapters 29-31 in a book I hesitated to study because of it's content.  To study Ezekiel and other Old Testament books is to invite confusion.  My heart as a teacher is to get something out of a study that we can use for today.  Right from chapter 1 God reveals the why for the visions He gave to Ezekiel.  It certainly was not a man-made vision but then God is not man-made God. 

I must confess it gets kind of frustrating to know the end results of rebellion when you do not see repentance.  It's also convicting on a personal level.  Past prophecy that has been fulfilled can result in a stronger view of who God is and how important it is to obey Him.  I am thankful I was not born before Jesus life, death and resurrection from the grave.  Because He was the perfect lamb of God my sins have been atoned for.  I do not have to bring my own lamb to church to be burnt on an alter for my sins.  Yet the call from God to repent is just as strong today as it was in Ezekiel day.  Truthfully, the sins of our generation is the same as they were in Ezekiel.  Nothing new under the sun.  

It has been said that from 28 to chapter 48 can be quite the challenge.   There is a ton of details in this book and one can lose sight of what God wants us to understand, so I do covet your prayers for clarity as we continue to seek God's glory in all the details.  

A Touch of Heaven in a Bible Study

 

Every Thursday at 1 pm I meet with several ladies for a Bible Study at my house.  The first 15-25 minutes is our catching up time, then we open the blessed book praying to understand God a little better. 

Just like the picture of an old bible and old hands we ladies are all older, starting at the 60's all the way up to the middle 80's.  

These ladies are a touch of heaven in my life.  They bring wisdom and years of studying the Word of God.  We all have seen sin destroy family and friends and try its way with us. There is enough disappointment contained in us ladies to bring us all down but those old hands that open an old Bible are trusting the God they have walked with for many years to teach them a deeper walked with Him as they deal with life in their "golden years". 

Our latest study is in the book of Ezekiel. I must admit I was not a 100 percent for it, I wanted to do a shorter book, like Habakkuk . I am so glad I went with the ladies wishes, complex did not scare them. 

The pastor of our church said it was a bold action to tackle Ezekiel and I do agree.  But there is something to be said for standing in fear and trembling humbling asking God to bring light into our human minds.  Light is His specialty.  

Just a few things we learned right away.  God did not exile the Israelites primarily to punish them. God never has been nor is He now interested in punishment for punishment’s sake. Rather, He intended the punishment or judgment in Ezekiel’s day as a means to an end—to bring His people to a state of repentance and humility before the one true God. They had lived for so long in sin and rebellion, confident in their own strength and that of the neighboring nations, that they needed God to remind them of His holy nature and their humble identity in a most dramatic way. After centuries of warnings, prophetic messages, and invasions, God decided that more significant action was required—He had to remove the people from their promised land. Ezekiel 1-17

This action begins to show how prideful they were as they claimed to be victims of their ancestry rebellion before them.  That old blame game is still around today, nothing new under the sun is there?  Up to chapter 18 God has been dealing with sins of a nation, of race of people that should have been worshipping the one true God, starting at chapter 18 God begins to deal with personal accountability, a one on one. Also, God reminds them through Ezekiel that He will not break the covenant He made with them.  Hope in the middle of despair and rebellion, oh how He loves you and me.  Ezekiel 18

This Thursday we finish Ezekiel 18-21, then the week after next set of chapters. Our pastor keeps saying, just wait till you get to the chapters in the 30's and 40's.  Here is a touch of heaven when studying the bible with strong long-time faith such the ladies have.  A young believer might say, I hope God waits for a long time before the tribulation and rapture, I still have a lot of living to do.  The Ladies that come to the Bible Study want Him to come now, don't wait, we are ready.   

 I think the only thing that scares the ladies is having a lost friend or family member.  Here is another touch of heaven, many are talking about the evil all over the world so every week one or two of the ladies will tell of being able to witness to someone.  It just feels like something big is gonna happen is heard in conversations.  

We ladies love that song, Come Jesus Come...today, Lord.  The time is near and we ladies can feel it in our spiritual bones, can you?      Wise Hearted

 

 

A Touch of Heaven in Trusting Memories

 

The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence.

The past is a place of learning, not a place of living.

Recently we had a phone conversation with a young couple planting a church in northern Kentucky. They often call to talk through a struggle they’re facing. Their confidence that we will speak truth is a reminder to keep seeking truth daily ourselves.

We have walked a few miles on Calvary’s road, and at 79 we can almost see the end of this earthly journey. God wants to use everything He has taught us along the way. 

He wastes nothing—not even our memories.

Hindsight always brings insight. As we walk with Jesus through danger and toil, and through seasons of safety and joy, He teaches us lessons that often become clear only when we look back.

From the moment we trust in the redeeming power of Jesus as our Savior, we step onto Calvary’s road and begin a lifelong trust journey. Every step carries a test: Will I obey myself, or will I obey the Lord? It is a daily walk of less of me and more of Him. And when I failed to trust Him, I slipped back into old habits, old thinking, old feelings, and old ways of handling life.

As we listened to this young couple share their struggles, memories of our own trust battles came flooding back. When our memories take us to the Lord and to the lessons He has taught us, we see that while the circumstances may differ, the heart of the struggle is the same. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun. What Adam and Eve wrestled with in the garden is what we wrestle with today. Scripture uses people from every era, every place, and every circumstance to teach us about trust.

Looking back to God in our past brings a touch of heaven. He has been faithful when we were not. His promises stand no matter what the world or people say. He delights in using us to proclaim His name and His ways. That hindsight gives us courage to trust Him again and again, no matter what comes. And the more we trust Him instead of ourselves, the more our trust grows.

May we keep walking forward with our eyes on Jesus, trusting Him more with every step.

Touches of Heaven in my Happy Place

When life gets stressful where does your mind go? 

 Do you have a happy place you can think about that will bring calm and order?

I have learned in the last five years to allow my mind to go to my happy place.  It took a little effort to find my happy place which is the Garden Tomb in Isreal.  I tried other beautiful place we have been, but I had a hard time keeping my mind on them.  In searching for a happy place, I learned a lesson God wants me to walk in daily.  

The truth was that a mind focused on me or others would not bring me the peace I needed.  It's only when my mind is focus on Him.

 Below are some scriptures which backs up this truth. 

• Isaiah 26:3: "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you." 

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• Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

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• Psalm 23:4: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." 

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• John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." 

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• Philippians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 
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•   There is a bus depot just outside the Garden Tomb, but you do not hear the buses coming and going while you are in the garden.   For hours my husband and I had walked all around the old city walls then inside the city walls we walked even more, saw where every religion said Jesus was buried here and here and here.  All those places were filled with noise and did not bring peace to our hearts.  They did not align with scripture either.   
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• But the Garden Tomb was a little touch of heaven in a loud busy world.  As I sit wishing I could sit forever on the ledge I knew in my heart that was not what God wanted us to do.  My husband and I were needed to be that touch of heaven wherever God places us.    We needed to live the gospel outside the Garden Tomb.  
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• That Happy Place lives in my heart and soul and I can visit that place any time.  
• Peace resides in me because of what is written on the door of the tomb. 
•                     He is not here, He is risen.  
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A Touch of Heaven at Christmas

 

A Little Touch of Heaven

Christmas shopping has lost some of its sparkle for me in recent years, mostly because of health challenges. My daughter and I spent nearly six hours out this past weekend finishing up our Christmas errands. We only made two stops — plus a lunch break — but each one took its toll. The wind cut through us with below‑zero temperatures, and we hurried from car to door just to escape it. By the time we were done, I needed a nitro for angina.

So where, in all of that, is the “little touch of heaven”?

It was right there in the simplest gift of all — time with my daughter. Six uninterrupted hours with this woman I love so dearly. Not only are we family by blood, but we are sisters in the family of God. Watching her pass on truth to her children, support her husband, and walk faithfully with the Lord brings a joy to my heart that no wrapped gift could ever match.

And though we don’t live close to our son, just hearing his voice when he calls warms us from the inside out. This past year has stretched him and his family, yet it has also shaped him into a stronger husband and father. I love listening when he calls his dad for advice or simply to talk through a struggle. There is something sacred about adult children who still reach out to their parents — a quiet touch of heaven in an ordinary phone call.

Just as we long to give meaningful gifts to our children and grandchildren, God longs to give us glimpses of heaven here on earth. He delights in those moments when His Spirit nudges our hearts to celebrate Christmas not just once a year, but every day.

Those caves around A Bethlehem — humble, rough, and turned into a stable — became the birthplace of our Savior. He came for one purpose: to seek and save the lost. That tiny baby, wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger, would one day open the way for us to know God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

My prayer is that your Christmas holds its own little touch of heaven — in a conversation, a memory, a moment of quiet, or a reminder of God’s love breaking into your ordinary day.

Merry Christmas.

A Thank You is a little touch of Heaven

 

How easy it is to forget to say thank you to those who do for us on a daily basis.  It's easier to expect them to do because...put you own because there.  

This past Sunday the pastor had an open time for us to speak what we were thankful for, very few spoke which was a little discouraging.  

I had to speak up because I read this quote recently that said it all for me, "If you want to be grateful, check your pulse".  The older I get with all the ailments that come with old age the more grateful I am for life. 

Every Bible study I host makes me grateful for the ladies who come. There is nothing that warms my heart more than when one of the quiet ones speaks up and shares their heart or is able to speak on what God is teaching her through our study of the Word.  

Memories of holidays in hot sweaty Papua New Guinea come to mind. Learning to make the Thanksgiving meal special without some of our favorite things. Thanksgiving is so easy in the states, or any first world country.  I have been to the store three times to get ready for Thursday.  We are hosting Thanksgiving this year with our daughter and her family.  

  I am grateful for a place to express my thoughts and those who read them and comment.  I am most grateful for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit that teaches me how to live a Godly life, forgives me when I fail to do so.  Scriptures that tell of God's unending love always fills me with gratitude.   

I pray for your Thanksgiving Day; may it be a special time of thanking God for the gift of salvation.  

Slices of Heaven

 

We recently returned from a month-long journey that began in Northern Minnesota and carried us through landscapes of breathtaking beauty and into the hearts of people we love. But before the healing began, my mind was heavy with grief—still reeling from the image of Charlie Kirk being killed in front of thousands. Whether literal or symbolic, the loss felt enormous. It was a reminder that our faith cannot rest in earthly people, events, or even majestic places like Yellowstone. Grief comes from loss, and his death was a HUGE LOSS. Yet, the God Charlie and I worship—along with many others—is growing our faith through that grief.

Yellowstone was our first stop, and after two days surrounded by its grandeur, something shifted. The sorrow began to lift. The mountains, geysers, and wildlife whispered of a Creator far greater than any pain. It was a reminder that our hope is not in this world, but in the One who made it. Yellowstone was a little slice of heaven.

From there, we traveled to Idaho to visit our son and his family. We celebrated his birthday, and then he and Grace left for a wedding out east. For six days, we had the joy of caring for our three grandchildren—a huge slice of heaven. Their laughter, their hugs, their simple joy in being kids filled our hearts. I know they enjoyed having us, but I think we enjoyed it even more. When Jared and Grace returned, refreshed and grateful, it was easy to hand the parenting reins back over. Our hearts were full.

Next, we headed to Northern California to visit dear friends who welcomed us like we were their own grandchildren. For two days, we shared stories of how God has worked in our lives. Their hospitality and love refreshed our spirits and reminded us again of the beauty of fellowship. Another slice of heaven.

Southern California was our next stop, where we were invited to speak at the church we once attended—one that has faithfully supported our ministry as Member Care Representatives for missionaries on furlough. We chose to stay in a hotel to rest between visits, and it was a wise decision. Each gathering with old friends left us speechless at the love and respect poured out on us. Ace and I may have gained a few pounds thanks to all the meals shared, but our souls were nourished far more.

After saying goodbye, we drove a couple of hours to visit Ace’s brothers—another touch of heaven. We caught up, shared stories, and enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by his brother. Then we met with a friend we had served alongside in Bolivia. Though she is now a widow, her ministry to children continues. Our time together was rich with memories and encouragement. Bolivia itself had been a slice of heaven, and this reunion brought it all back.

Eventually, we made our way home to Northern Minnesota. After a couple of long driving days and one hotel night, we pulled into our driveway. Our daughter came out to greet us with a hug that said everything. We had missed her as much as she missed us. Her family is a huge slice of heaven to us.

Each state we traveled through had its own beauty, but nothing compares to the beauty of people who love God and testify to His love. Being with brothers and sisters in Christ brings the kind of joy Elizabeth felt when Mary, pregnant with the Son of God, visited her

:“As soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” —Luke 1:44

That joy—the kind that leaps within us—is what we experienced again and again. And yet, the biggest slice of heaven awaits us in eternity. Scripture tells us it will be more beautiful than any place we could visit here on earth. No sin, no sorrow—just the face of God, and life everlasting.

Throughout our travels, we heard stories of pain, suffering, and struggle. We were reminded that everyone needs to be listened to. Sin has taken a toll on this world, and the battle for believers' hearts is fierce. There is no place on earth untouched by it. But these little slices of heaven—these moments of beauty, fellowship, and grace—encourage us to keep our eyes on Him.