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Smoke and haze
When we see people with strength and courage, are they generally the ones we want to hang out with? Yes. No. Maybe—or, it depends. Reading Holy Writ opens our eyes to the fact God has a plan for the lives of all humans, one that creates strength and courage along READ MORE
Does hindsight help with foresight?
A recent column was about getting back to “The Book” and trusting God has the whole world in His hands as the beloved song goes. More recently, while talking about the pandemic with one of my sons, he said, “Mom, I look at all the masks and wonder if God READ MORE
Contemplating the ageless sands
While sitting at the ocean’s edge many thoughts ran through my head. But mostly the question—what is the mystical message being said by the sea? Covering over one third the planet’s surface, the Pacific Ocean rocks and rolls in its bed. The Creator set up the seas, so beautiful—and in READ MORE
A lesson from the Master of Arts
Summer camp—is it just for kids? I don’t think so. The question is raised, here, to present what could be a desirable option in planning for your summer of 2021. One summer Gary drove me to the Christian Renewal Center near Silverton, Oregon, so I could attend a family camp. READ MORE
On taking a second look
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA While taking a trip with our sons, Gary and I used the cabin of generous friends overlooking Payette Lakes in Mc Call, Idaho. Each day found us enjoying this superbly beautiful lake that is surrounded with timber. Our friends left a boat for READ MORE
When you say, “I’ll pray for you . . .”
Have you ever said you would pray for someone, then promptly forgot all about it? Most of us have been guilty of this at least once. Great care needs to be taken, otherwise the phrase, “I’ll pray for you,” can become a subtle form of name dropping. A real one-upmanship. READ MORE
The power of compassion
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA Years ago my friend Marge’s teenage son was killed while skiing with friends and classmates at Bogus Basin Ski Resort. He ran into a tree and was killed instantly. That night after my friend received the news in her home I READ MORE
Birthdays — who needs them?
A birthday is coming! And, the numbers are getting larger! I have no shame, only gladness in having survived so long in such a dangerous place as planet earth! Friends are a wonderful part of life. I recall a birthday spent with a friend whose front door was about 25 READ MORE
Is it only “for the birds”?
The other day while at Rotary Park, my attention was drawn to a flock of birds. What must have been a hundred pair of beating wings flew toward me, then in a flick of a moment swept upward, did a switchback after a mid-air loop, dropping in for a gentle READ MORE
Wisdom . . . a gift of God
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA A young woman recently said, “I love God, but He doesn’t always love me.” Had it been a more appropriate time I would have said something about the error of projecting our own feelings onto God. Doing so robs us of peace which READ MORE
We gotta love that old car
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA After 13 years of use, the yellow/orange engine light shows up on the dashboard of our 2005 Highlander. We called it our travel car as it held oodles of luggage. Our beloved friend that has taken us so many places, far and wide, READ MORE
The Voice of Many Waters
It was time to get out. But the pleasure of the water is hard to resist, so I lie back and kick my way across the pool one last time. Now, with the pandemic rules in place, which have closed our gyms, I greatly miss those workouts. In times past READ MORE
Courage is the beginning of wisdom
Her eyes were a mixture of fear and sadness as my friend spoke, saying, “There is a tumor… the doctor has decided against a needle biopsy saying one in five of this type are cancerous.” “Eva” sought help at a hospital in California. (Fictitious names are used in this writing.) READ MORE
The milk of human kindness
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA A while back this column made mention of the “mother of pearl” that oysters create in response to wounds of varied kinds caused by tiny irritants that wedge their way into the oyster’s shell. It is a marvel how the oyster then can READ MORE
Are We Selling Ourselves Short?
The painting hung on the wall of her modest home for 15 years. Rosemary Cattrell, an Edinburgh art teacher, having no idea of its real value, decided to sell the painting for $50 to raise money for a deposit on a car. Not until then did she discover the treasure READ MORE
Does God enjoy us?
I will always remember Honeybee, shortened to “Bee” for practical purposes. This one-year-old beagle can only be described as a work of art. I simply enjoy looking at this pup. Then, of course, those multiple romps on the hillside bought absolute pleasure. But, most of the time she is on READ MORE
Don’t neglect having fun
Some years back, our adult son, Tim, stayed in our home. When we returned he said, “Mom, I loved being here. Everywhere I looked I saw you and Dad – your things, all that represents you is here.” He went on to say it made him think of how the READ MORE
Are We Selling Ourselves Short?
The painting hung on the wall of her modest home for 15 years. Rosemary Cattrell, an Edinburgh art teacher, having no idea of its real value, decided to sell the painting for $50 to raise money for a deposit on a car. Not until then did she discover the treasure READ MORE
Can we have peace?
By Joy Le Page Smith, MA Most of us have joked about the ostrich which allegedly sticks its head in the sand to hide from danger. Goggling reveals the truth: “As flightless birds, ostriches are unable to build nests in trees, so they lay their eggs in holes dug in READ MORE
Thinking of more flavor-filled times . . .
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA Everybody knows you can’t pick a handful of huckleberries in less than a second. Right? Wrong …. My husband, Gary, and I spent a lazy week in McCall, Idaho, one summer. There in that beautiful, restful setting I spent the one hint of READ MORE
Trusting the Father
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA We parent’s do have our memories, many of which are beyond the wealth of gold. They keep blessing us as we think of them. I recall today one of our three sons, at age four, asking if he could go READ MORE
Together you can . . .
By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA Imagine living alone for most of a century in some remote region of the earth, then having an occasion to visit one of today’s cities where modern life is seen for the first time. What kinds of thoughts and feelings would this present? READ MORE
What’s in your drawers
This has to be the only time in my history in which every drawer, cabinet and closet is clean—meaning in order. In fact, our whole house has received a “going through” as my mother would say. Even the door to the pantry can now be left open without shame or READ MORE
What’s to be gained?
Yesterday, I eyed Gary’s sharp-looking, “gym” jeans thinking maybe they would fit me. He watched as I was stepping into them, defying gravity with strategic maneuvers. Of course, I heard his words, “They aren’t going to fit!” Well, guess what, they didn’t. Even though the faded label on my jeans READ MORE
“Who needs God?
Recently, we needed help for a household repair. A plan was in place for a carpenter to do the work. When Monday came, no carpenter at 7 a.m., but rather a phone call. The man apologized saying, “I am sick.” Being concerned that he might have Cov-19, I said, “We READ MORE
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