A Year and a Day Ago

Hello, friends.

A year and a day ago, I moved to Enid, Oklahoma. So much has changed, but one thing has not:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

Even as I grow in my career and my personal life, even as I am DCE Mary during the day and Mom when school gets out, even as I learn who "Mary" really is, I know that my God is the same as He was when I lived in Urbandale, and Mequon, and Tallahassee. My location has changed, my position has changed, my relationships have changed, but my God has not.

What else is there to say?

Uncomfortable

Hello, friends! You may have caught on to the fact that last week was a rather uncomfortable one for me. I'd rank it in my Top 5 of the worst weeks of my life. The blows just kept coming. I was searching for something to put my week into perspective when I came across this on my computer. It's the last devotion I wrote as a Lutheran Campus Initiative missionary. It applies so well to my situation that I know it has to be a God thing. I hope it can bring some inspiration to your life as well.

Have you ever been caught out in a storm? It’s rather uncomfortable, isn’t it? It’s dark, the rain is coming down so hard that you can’t see a thing, the water is pooling up around your ankles, you’re cold and wet and starting to feel the sniffles coming on before you even get inside. Now, picture that happening on a small boat in the middle of a lake, and you’re picturing the situation the disciples were in in Mark 4. “A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling” (verse 37).

We have all felt that way in life, too. Whether we’ve lost our job, we’re overwhelmed in our current job, we’ve taken on too many responsibilities, whatever it might be, we have felt drenched and about to be flooded and overturned. God tends to put us in uncomfortable situations. He always has a purpose, but in the midst of the situations, we’re calling out, “God, please rescue us!” And although God never fails to rescue us, he does even that in uncomfortable ways.

For example, in Mark 4:38-40, Jesus is in the boat that’s flooding… and he’s asleep. “They woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’”

Now, I don't know about you, but when I'm overwhelmed by something - be it professional or personal - I'm not terribly interested in hearing about my faith. I'm interested in riding out the storm and getting safely to shore. But Jesus doesn't think like that. He is focused on what's important, and in the end, that is our faith. He rescues us in uncomfortable ways to force us to focus on what's important, and after we are rescued, he thrusts us into a new uncomfortable situation with our newfound faith. It's a never-ending cycle, and that's okay. That's the way God intends it. We are not meant to be comfortable, but we are meant to have faith in the uncomfortable.

Foster Parenting

Hello, friends.

A short post for you tonight.

Foster parenting is hard. It's messy. It's exhausting. It's frustrating. If it's not one thing, it's another, and there's never rest for the weary.

Foster parenting is good. It's rewarding. It's heartwarming. It's life-changing. It's new every morning and there's always a reason to smile.


I don't like lice.
I don't like allergic reactions.
I don't like phone calls from the school nurse.
I don't like uncertainty.
I don't like panic attacks.

I love my daughter.
I love her laughter.
I love her unique way of looking at the world.
I love her positive attitude.
I love my God who takes care of both of us.

Would I do it again, after all I've gone through these past two days? Without a doubt I would.

My Hard Day

Hello, friends.

Today was a hard day.

As you know, unless you haven't seen any of my social media posts for a month, we've been struggling with lice in my house. I've tried everything: bagging up stuffed animals and pillows, doing laundry constantly, spraying the furniture, vacuuming daily, putting slip covers on the mattresses, and, of course, using lice cream and shampoos and nit combs. I've managed to get it out of my hair, but not my daughter's. It's certainly not for lack of trying.

In the past couple of days, my daughter has developed a rash. I didn't think too much of it, especially since I was planning to take her to the doctor on Wednesday. The school nurse, however, thought it was a bigger deal and insisted that my daughter be sent home from school and go to the doctor today. She also called my case worker because she was concerned that I wasn't doing enough for my daughter's health.

It turns out that my daughter is allergic to the very ingredient that is most effective in getting rid of lice. Go figure, right? So she has to take medicine to get rid of the rash, and they had to order a special, completely different lice cream that won't come in until tomorrow, which means my daughter won't be able to go to school again until Thursday or Friday, since the school nurse is so concerned. I also had the great pleasure of cleaning every bit of furniture in our house that has ever come in contact with that ingredient.

I'm frustrated with the nurse - unfairly, I know, because she's just doing her job, but it's irritating to have her go above my head like that when I've been working so hard to combat the lice. I'm frustrated with myself, because I should have gone to the doctor weeks ago, but I've been putting it off because of how my daughter typically reacts to doctors (not well). I'm frustrated because my daughter has been doing well in school and now she can't go for at least another day. I'm frustrated with the whole situation, and I just wish I wasn't dealing with this alone.

Earlier, after I picked my daughter up from school and went back to work, I let my frustration get the better of me. I was stomping around the church, trying to do everything at once, not really accomplishing anything, in a very bad mood and not afraid to show it. When I realized that my attitude was making things worse, I made myself take a break. I went to the sanctuary, sat in a pew, and picked up a hymnal. I sang Morning Prayer by myself in the light from the windows. I read Psalm 46. I sang "Be Still, My Soul." I prayed.

Sometimes, I feel like it's me against the world. Me against lice, me against the school nurse, me against the messy house and unwashed dishes and endless laundry. My mantra is often "If I don't do it, no one will." But I'm not alone.

"Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; your best, your heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end."

I'm not alone. I have my God, who has given me my caring pastor and congregation, my family, my friends, and yes, my caseworkers and the school nurse and especially my daughter. Despite my hard day, and the hard days I know are in my future, I know that the Lord is on my side, and He will lead me to a joyful end. Without Him, today would just be awful. But with Him, I have a different perspective.