Wanda's Wacky Wonderful World

The Garden was quiet.   Daylight was fading. The sun was slowly sliding towards the horizon.  Resplendent beauty radiated from every corner of the Garden. However, the Creator was oblivious to the grandeur around Him. He stood alone in this plot of paradise for the first time since He had created Man. No one greeted Him that day as He entered. No outstretched hands welcomed Him. No glittering eyes waited eagerly to share the events of the day.  The curse of sin had fallen,  like a guillotine;  severing the innocent,  loving relationship  between Man and Maker.  It was a sad day. Communion was shattered. The Garden would never be the same. Gone were the brilliant mornings, filled with wonder. Gone were the timeless evenings of fellowship. Adam and Eve were banished and could never return. In fact the Garden stood empty for years. The Garden was quiet.   Daylight was fading. The sun was slowly sliding towards the horizon...

I'll admit - as I age - I have become directionally challenged.  I used to be a great map reader - and trip-route planner. But then - technology came along and made my life simpler.  I no longer have to remember how to get anywhere - I just push a couple of buttons - and my car navigation system takes over.  "In 6.8 miles  use the left lane to merge onto  SC-9 South  toward  North Myrtle Beach." (ahhh... I love the beach!) Consistent reminders keep me on track even when my mind wanders off - as I'm chattering to a passenger - or listening to an audiobook or podcast. I always panic a bit when I hear - "In 700 feet turn right onto Main Street." 700 feet? How far is that? Is this the street?  No - it says I have 400 more feet to go! And this is the important turn! If you miss this one - you may have to go miles to turn around!  (Thank God for my Apple watch that actually vibrates on my arm at the exact moment I'm supposed to turn - s...

I found my place on the sand; away from everyone at the retreat. Just needing some space - a chance to breathe. The October sun was warm but the wind held a chill, so I burrowed into my beach blanket. I had arrived at our annual prayer retreat in a mental fog. Exhausted on every level. I secretly felt sorry for the 30 women there with me - pretty sure I was not going to be very good company. I loved each of them dearly, but felt like only a fragment of who I was had arrived this year. I slipped away for some alone time… hoping no one had followed or noticed.  This was my place. The ocean is my therapy. The momentum and rhythm of the waves is like medicine to my soul. I can imagine with every wave - the stress and tension leaving my body.  The seagull edged closer to me, keeping a close eye. I could tell he was waiting for a crumb or morsel of food. I had nothing with me. I felt irritation in the pit of my stomach… Seriously? Is there no place I can go without feeling like s...

I found this note in my Face Book Notes from 2011 - and decided to share it here on my Blog:  Jesus cares about whatever is pestering us - or scaring us - or annoying us! He proved this to me today. I had a 1:30 doctor's appointment - so I headed out at around 1:00 in my Honda Odyssey. I had barely got on the highway and this enormous horsefly buzzed by my head and landed on my jacket. Screaming - and trying to pay attention to traffic - I pulled into the turning lane... stopped and tried to shew him out the window. No such luck. He flew to the back of the van. I was right by our church - so I pulled in - opened up all the windows and doors and tried to find this ginormous fly. I couldn't see him - so I was hoping he had flown away. I had to keep my appointment - so I got back in the van. Less than a mile up the road - he dive bombed my head again and I could hear him buzzing behind my seat. I am freaking out by now... and pull off as soon as I can - safely... I opened up ...

Lamentations 3:21-23 has always been in my Top Ten Favorite scripture passages.  When I read this chapter yesterday in my Daily reading... I heard Jeremiah speaking to me directly! For the first time, I realized just how amazing these three verses are, when you understand the full setting of the entire passage.  Jeremiah laments for 20 verses about his present situation. He is experiencing horrid affliction; he is in a very dark place at this point in his life spiritually and physically.  He believes that God's hand has turned against him; he has multiple broken bones; he's been walled in by bitterness, pain and sorrow as well as literal stone walls; he feels like everyone has ganged up on him - including God; he's bound with heavy chains and shackles; God has obviously shut out his cries and prayers - literally locked him up and thrown away the key; he feels like he's been tracked down and attacked- by God! Like a bear or a lion - he's been mauled and rip...

Two is an interesting number. Its the only Even Prime number. (Remember prime numbers?  A number that can only be divided by itself and 1).   Its so cool how God gave us two of a bunch of things. Two arms to hug with. Two legs to walk in the right direction. Two  eyes so we can see the beauty and love around us - t wo  ears so we can hear whats going on from any direction.  Oh yes, one is the loneliest number,  but TWO! Well -  Its sort of romantic! Just think of all the idioms about "two"... Two peas in a pod Bicycle built for Two  It takes Two to tango Two heads are better than one (Well… actually - anything  with  two heads is kind of weird) Okay, so I have to admit -  "Two" isn’t always so romantic! There’s the terrible Twos There’s my Two cents Two left feet And Two way streets Two sides to every story You know - Two can play the same game You can take someone down a peg or Two There’s Two-t...

The following was an outline of the Keynote message I gave at NC District Ladies Conference 2016. Our theme was "Branded by Love" - and so it went... Branding has been going on for centuries. I want to run a couple spiritual parallels - and then get to my thought.  Branding - whether by heat, ice, ear tags, or tattoos, is a method still used to identify ownership of animals.  Note:  Who do you belong to? Who owns you? In Western states, out on the vast ranges, cattle can easily wonder or get mixed with other herds. They may graze for weeks along with another herd - but when “round-up” time comes - and the owners brand is spotted - all the cows come home. Note:  You may have a son or a daughter who has wandered off… don’t worry - that brand is clear to the owner. He'll round them up. They’ll come home - you just keep praying! Believe it or not, there are still modern-day cattle rustlers to keep an eye out for. They tamper with the bra...