Trusting… But Difficult

Occasionally I preach. This is one of those messages that gives permission for lament and the mingling of fear and trust. Check it out at FPC Message 9/2017. 

So…what was i thinking? Guatemala week 2-3

So, what was I thinking?! What part of immersion Spanish study in Guatemala for 7 weeks was fun?  I was thinking adventure and exploration- the excitement of a brand new culture! Visions of climbing volcanoes, viewing mountain ranges and browsing colorful markets filled my mind... To some extent this is what what Guatemala has been, …

Sabbatical Misconceptions

So I started Sabbatical. Yippee! There was a misconception in my mind that I was not aware of... that once I entered into Sabbatical I would immediately fall into a state of blissful relaxation, a paradise of calm and centeredness. *Inner peace is a lifestyle, it is cultivated and takes time and practice. I also …

Paz in Prison Part I

There was a time in my life when I didn’t know a single person who had been in prison or jail (and I didn’t know the difference between prison or jail either)! I thought prison was simply a place where bad guys went who broke the law. I thought that the American legal system was …

26 months overdue

I stopped blogging sometime back in 2013. No need to list the dry whirlwind of excuses...I simply stopped writing.  Life experiences piled up like bulky telephone books in a dusty corner. But starting in just 2 weeks I embark on a 6 month Sabbatical.  6 months of unhurried time and space. Time to remember those stories, …

The Feast of the Fast

It is arguably the most pivotal moment in the Christian faith. Thick, rough wood planted in the infamous soil of Golgatha. The cross and Christ crucified. Each droplet of blood that fell was prophetic. For in this act, the cross was stuck in human history making a statement to sin, to death, to all things …

Word Made Light

In the beginning, He knew. It was a mirror of what was to be. In the cold, in the pitch black, as water mingled with air, heavy, damp, dark No up, no down, no way out Suffocating stillness, eerie void of nothing - yet it held everything There was no order, it was chaos, it …

Our Foxy Box

No God-fearing Christian would ever purposely claim to put God in a box with the definitive statements that sums up God’s action in a precise word. I never thought that I would be that person, only to find out that this is exactly what I’ve done – put God in a box. The Provision-This-Way Box. …

Tribute to my Parents: Steve & Margie Eckloff

Dear Mom and Dad, This is a duel birthday and Mothers/Fathers Day letter. A few weekends ago I was pondering the way you raised us (4) girls. A few situations had arisen, and yes I was more or less comparing, not good I know - but I felt incredibly grateful. I don't want to take …