Michelle DeRusha's Blog, page 29

Wood Shavings, Baked Bread, Birch Bark

I stand quietly behind a carver, hypnotized by the gentle glide of the draw knife as she pulls it down the length of the rough wood. The single shaving curls under the two-handled blade like a sliver of Gruyere, smooth and unblemished, before fluttering silently to the floor. Each discarded shaving at her feet seems like a work of art itself – one wrapped tight like a Chinese yo-yo, another loose like a delicate tendril of hair, yet another spiraled into a perfect corkscrew.

Above my head, w...

How to Remember As If

A friend of mine is going through a hard time. Suffice to say, without getting into the details, she’s hit rock-bottom, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. And I have let her down. I haven’t been the kind of friend she has so desperately needed.

I can list a whole bunch of excuses to explain my lack of presence; reasons that make sense and are, in many ways, the truth: I’m busy; my kids have me running in circles; I have deadlines to meet; we’ve been traveling; I meant to call...

Weekend One Word: Glorious

Notice the word choice, friends. Not “good.” Not “good enough.” Not “pretty okay.”

Glorious!

The Lord has made YOU glorious!

It’s hard to believe sometimes, I’m with you on that, I really am. But repeat it to yourself as many times as you need to, because this is the truth:

The Lord God has made YOUglorious!

Peace.

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Autumn Is on Its Way

I feel it in the early morning air. Onthe back patio this morning I said to Brad, “There’s a hint of autumn today.” He shook his head no. But I felt it, a wisp, suspended like gossamer threads beneath the river birch tree. Autumn…on its way.

The kids go back to school next Wednesday – Noah starts eighth grade, Rowan fifth.Don’t faint dead on the floor when I say this, but I’m not ready; I’m not ready for summer to end. I know. Unprecedented. Usually I’m in full-out count-down mode by now. Ma...

Why Building Bridges Doesn’t Happen Overnight

I’ve been running a new route these days, not because I want to, but because my typical trail is closed due to construction. The bridge that spans the trail I usually run has beendemolished and is being reconstructed.

I don’t like my new route. For starters, it’s longer. And it also includes the addition of two hills, whereas the trail I usually run is completely flat. Plus I’m forced to run along the road now, jumping on and off curbs, navigating a sidewalk that’s full of potholes, cracks a...

Weekend One Word: Hand

Reflecting on these words from Isaiah today – I think a lot of us feel this way sometimes:

“But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing, and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.”

Can I get an Amen?

Peace for your weekend, friends.

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That Time I Dreamed about the Pope {or, How I Desire to be Known}

We’re just back from my favorite place in the world: the North Shore of Lake Superior, where we have a cabin on the edge of the lake that looks like an ocean. I’ve loved this place ever since my very first trip there with Brad more than 20 years ago.

Up on the North Shore, you can walk througha birch grove and hear nothing but the sound of the wind through the leaves, the call of a chickadee, the crunch of pebbles beneath your hiking boots.

You can underhand toss a smooth-as-butterrock into...

Why It’s Time to Step Across the Divide {and how I recently failed to do that myself}

A couple of months ago I attended a fundraising luncheon here in town. My friend Jess and I found three open spots at a table in the middle of the packed room (we saved a seat for our friend, Meg, who was arriving late), and as we sat down, I said hello to our tablemates. The three young women, all of whom were wearing hijab, the head covering typically worn by traditional Muslim women, politely returned my greeting. I then turned my attention to the menu and to my friend, and the three wome...

What Are We Building?

Kimberly Coyle has been here as a guest poster before, but I just can’t help myself: she’s such a beautiful and talented writer, I had to ask her again. Please welcome Kimberly here today, and be sure to visit her blog for more of her wise insights and gentle, lyrical writing.

After fourteen years out of the workforce, I started a new job a few weeks ago. I haven’t written about it because the change is so new, I wanted to be sure I stuck with it. I habitually quit things—historically, much...

A Change of Clothes

I’ve “met” Katie Andraski (online, but perhaps someday in person?) only in the last few months, but already her wisdom and insights into life, the world around us and the Kingdom that is to come have impacted me deeply. She’s a teacher (newly retired), an author and a woman with a beautiful heart for God, and she also likes to wrestle with spiritual questions, something I appreciate about her. Please welcome Katie to the blog today, and be sure to stop by her place to say hello there, too.

I...