You are God's Beautiful Creation!

One of my favorite trees is the redbud, which grows wild in the east Texas piney woods near my hometown. When we bought our house, a nice large one centered the back of our yard. Its early spring beauty overwhelmed us, particularly as we viewed it through our second story windows as an umbrella of gorgeous violet blooms. Sadly, it began to die branch by branch over the past year, and we were forced to cut it down. All we have left is a crater where it was anchored in the ground by its roots.

This past week we shopped for a new tree. Although we considered several options, the springtime beauty of the redbud was such a strong attraction that we chose to replace the one we had with another of the same variety. We hope to get it in the ground before it buds to be once again overcome by the splendor of God’s great creative power.

As people, we are the crowning achievement of God’s amazingly diverse creation. He designed each of us as a unique and original work of art. God wants us to reveal his great glory by becoming beautiful women, not on the outside but on the inside.

The Lure of the Idol of Beauty

Last night our television was on, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it. I did note my husband flipping through a report featuring an aging television star who has clearly gone through a number of facelifts—common among celebrities and the wealthy. Beauty is a very popular idol.

I have to admit that I hate looking in the mirror. Yet I know the beauty culture is the antithesis of God’s view of me. I would never have surgery simply to improve my appearance, but I still wish I could look better! The pull of beauty is so pervasive that it’s almost impossible for any of us to feel good about ourselves. I have to watch my thoughts to be sure I am not falling prey to the idol.

The culture defines us by our bodies rather than by God’s assessment, the truth of scripture. In bowing to the beauty idol,

The Downside of Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day has grown into a major event over the past few decades. I enjoy observing it with my husband each year, just like thousands of other couples do. Love is a wonderful thing to enjoy and to celebrate. So what is the downside of this day?

A Picture of Trust at Cirque du Soleil

Last night my husband and I went to Cirque du Soleil, the OVO show. It was our first time to attend one of these creative and spectacular performances. My husband asked me if I knew what to expect, and I answered “amazement!” Almost every performance had roots in the circus of old, but it was enhanced and ramped up to a new high. Wow—it truly was incredible!

One outstanding act involved a man and woman hanging together on a rope, similar to the women who twisted on ropes around the tents of circuses that I attended as a child. However, this couple was more daring than any of those rope swingers (not sure what you call these performers).

Unexpected Road Problems

We are experiencing quite a winter here in North Texas! Today is day four of a deep freeze that we rarely see. An inch of ice fell four nights ago, and last night five inches of snow covered it. Although the scenery is beautiful, it’s a transportation nightmare. This morning my husband encountered an unexpected closure on the tollway and then found the side roads so slick from snow-covered ice that he turned back home.

Sometimes the road where God leads us isn’t easy,