my highway to zion

If you look at the Smeddle calendar hanging on the wall in the kitchen, you will see lots of abbreviations.  "LG" could stand for "life group" or "living grace".  "Jubs" is short for our church Jubilee.  "PM" will be miss Penny Marco's engagements, and for 11 weeks twice a year, our Tuesday nights will say "RG". RG is short for Redemption Groups.  One of the many ministries of our beloved Jubilee, RG is a small group support model developed by a man named Mark Wilkerson, the aim of which is to get people into community where they can journey to a place of healing in various areas of their life.  AND YOU THOUGHT MY LORD OF THE RINGS POST WAS RANDOM! Well, you were wrong, cause each Tuesday, Simon and I get to be the Sam to a room full of Frodo's.  We get to walk with men and women out of the pain of carrying a sinful burden, into the freedom that comes as they shed the weight and receive the shalom peace of God. F...

I know there are many people in this world who would say that reading is a luxury.  In a busy day and age where success, parenting, and just the humdrum of daily life responsibilities can clog up our free space, there are definitely certain things we must forsake for seasons of our life.  Even things we love--for me, reading would be at the top of that list, along with sewing, baking, and trail running--sometimes get lost in the realities of life, choices, and results. For some reason, I write this entry with a dash of guilt sprinkled in…i think of all my young mom friends who comment on how life has changed for them.  I feel like maybe i should enjoy reading for their sake, instead I should also find reasons to not have the luxuries they have temporarily lost.  But let's just be honest:  I am not a young mother and I don't foresee myself becoming one in the next short while, so "Read on" I say! And eat that 7th cinnamon roll of the weekend while you are at...