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St. Paul Lutheran Church, 114 N 8th Street, Herington, KS (2026)

05/25/2026

Not everyone is given as many years as I have been blessed with.

That truth does not make me proud. It makes me grateful. It makes me aware. It makes me want to live more faithfully, love more freely, pray more deeply, and waste less of the time God has entrusted to me.

Lord, thank You for each and every day. Thank You for the days I understood and the days I survived by faith alone. Thank You for the people who walked with me, the ones who are still here, and the ones now resting in Your care. Thank You for carrying me through what I could not carry alone. Teach me to number my days with wisdom, to cherish what still remains, and to meet each morning as a gift from Your hand.

The years are not proof that life has been easy; they are proof that God has been faithful, and every day still given is another chance to love Him, trust Him, and live with a grateful heart.

Lord, thank You for the gift of my years and for the mercy of this day. Steady my heart when I look back with sorrow, fill my mind with gratitude for what Your hand has carried me through, and teach me to use the time that remains with wisdom and love. Protect my family, guide my steps, soften what has grown weary in me, heal what still needs Your touch, and help me live each day as a blessing received from You. Amen.

(copied and pasted) but soooo good!

Have a meaningful and happy Memorial Day!

05/20/2026

We made it through all the graduations for this year. It seems like our family was spaced out to hit us with these all at once. A great grandson from preschool, a grandson from eighth grade, a granddaughter from high school and a bonus granddaughter receiving a nurse practitioner degree and a nephew from high school. Celebrating them all was meaningful, fun and tiring.! as with all things in life, there were pros and cons.

My thoughts ran to how having children changes us. They stretch our patience , deepen our prayers, expose our weaknesses and give life a richness we could never have had otherwise. Their lives now are not ours to own, but they are ours to cherish. Their stories are ours to cover in prayer and their futures are ours to trust to God.

And then the thoughts turned to grandchildren and the same thoughts persist.

So we thank God with very full hearts for their laughter, their growth the questions they ask, their very presence and even for the lessons they have learned and the ways they have enriched our lives. We thank Him for allowing us to love them, bless them and learn from them and we thank that very same God who holds us through all the unknowns of life is holding them now.

All of these graduates and all of our children are on loan to us from God. We will love them with open hands and open hearts, pray for their faith and trust the Lord to do what only he can do. The love of a parent or grandparent is powerful, but love that we place in God‘s hands becomes prayer that keeps living long after the words are spoken.

Our most fervent prayer for them is they will have a relationship with Jesus and let that love and trust be their guide in their lives. Their futures are unknown, but secure if they put that trust.Him.

05/14/2026

I’m sitting on the patio having a cup of coffee and doing my devotions this morning and looking around at how pretty everything looks. We have planted flowers, put fresh cushions on the patio chairs and laid some fake grass down. Our birdfeeders have attracted a variety of little feathered friends, and the squirrels are so entertaining as they jump from limb to limb in the heavy foliage of the trees and scurry to the squirrel feeder.
It is really quite pleasant to sit here and observe
One of the new things we’re trying this year is a little tiny garden patch with green beans and tomatoes planted in it. We have one big round pot with onions in it. It’s kind of a struggle to keep critters away from the tomatoes and beans, but we’re working at it – the onions are looking pretty good so far. We have had no luck at all with potatoes coming up..
And while I am sitting here, I imagine our lives as a garden. What do our lives look like? What have we planted and have we kept it weeded? What do we have in our lives that needs thinned out, pruned, or plucked ? Are there “critters”that show up we need to avoid or “weeds” that need pulled? Is there something new we should be adding to this garden of life? Is there beauty in us that others can see and appreciate?
I am asking Gods spirit to direct my thoughts and show me the kind of garden he envisions for our lives.
I’m asking for His help in planning and plotting the garden according to his directions. and then looking forward to see how my garden called life grows.

Lord, I am the vine, you are the branches. Help me to be rooted and grounded in you and make my life a garden that will bring you glory. Amen.

05/13/2026

We cannot go through life without struggling about some decisions we need to make.
We have little decisions to make every day, all day long, like what to wear, what to have for dinner, when should we plant our beans or corn, shall we make this or that purchase, should we attend this or that event, how to spend our time, etc. etc. One might say we are in a constant decision-making process.

What about the real big ones though ? What about decisions like relocating, treatment for illness, giving up a job or changing jobs, getting married or divorced , investing our money, or detaching ourselves from a long time friend? What about the decisions that once we make them and carry through with them, results cannot be changed?
What about the decisions that affect us on a permanent basis? How do we know if we are making the right decision?
Of course we can pray about it. Prayer and discernment are the mother load of how to make a good decision, aren’t they? We have been taught that our whole lives. But what about when you have to make a decision and it seems like you’re not getting any answers to those prayers?
What about when you’re making those decisions and it doesn’t seem you’re getting any direction or help. What about when you don’t know if that little voice in your head is the Holy Spirit trying to tell you something or if it’s just your own mind voicing its opinion?

Then what do we do?

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say prayer is still the answer. Keep praying – keep asking God for help to do the right thing and make the right decision. Even if you don’t think you’re getting an answer. Even if the time comes that your decision absolutely has to be made and you don’t have the answer -even if you don’t think God responded.

And then you TRUST!
You trust that God led you to make the right decision - no matter what it may be. Even if you think the results of your decision were not good or right,TRUST that God can turn things around into something really good for you. TRUST that He is leading you - maybe on a different path than you expected -many times not on an easy path, - but always in the right direction. His time is the perfect timing – not ours.
So make that decision the best you can after praying about it and then TRUST that you made the best decision you could with God‘s help and that it is the right decision.

Trust and obey, because there’s no other way!

05/12/2026

It’s a beautiful morning to have a beautiful morning!! Peace be with you.

Mother’s Day for this year has come and gone, but I am still reflecting on some of the “feels” that went with it. Mine started with a early text from a bonus granddaughter, wishing me a happy Mother’s Day and other beautiful words. I heard from all the kids, participated in a beautiful worship service at Church and planted flowers and had a visit from my oldest daughter in the afternoon. My husband cooked me a fantastic breakfast and bought me a beautiful plant – also helped with planting flowers and enjoying the patio in the afternoon. Then he grilled dinner.
It was a beautiful sunny day, so what else could anyone ask for?

Although I felt very loved and appreciated, I could not help but feel I am missing something in life - I wish I still had my mama here. We did not always see eye to eye but I could always call her and she was always on my side if anyone else was against me. She loved me unconditionally.

It is a part of life to grow up and lose your parents- we all know and even expect that. Doesn’t mean it makes it easier. It doesn’t mean that as you grow older, and no matter how long she’s been gone you still don’t want to call her, laugh with her, share your ideas and thoughts with her. Maybe you don’t even think that she was the best mother- but she was YOURS.
Educators see all the time that kids want and love their mother – even if to the outside world she is not good.
No one can replace your mom- many times we do not realize that until she is gone.

My father died when I was a teenager and when my mother died someone
said to me “ when you have lost both parents, you feel like an orphan.” and I thought that was the perfect description of how I was feeling.-I have even used that term with others many times. And I have always thought in a sense that I am an orphan now

BUT, as usual, something in scripture made me realize I am thinking about this all wrong. When Pastor was reading the gospel lesson on Sunday morning, there was some words that stuck in my head.
“ I will not leave you orphaned.; I am coming to you.” John 14:18
He said it’s the only time in the Bible that the word orphan is even used.

I have thought on those words quite a bit since Sunday morning. I will probably not remember the chapter or the verse, but I know I will not forget those words.
And I am reminded of a different perspective- and it’s very comforting to me.
We are not orphans– we are children of God ! And we will never be orphaned. Thanks be to God .

05/11/2026

it was a wonderful Sunday morning at Saint Paul. Pastor had a meaningful blessing for all the mothers and we recognized our graduating seniors. May God bless them all as they continue on their journey in life.

“ For I know the plans I have for you,”declares the Lord, “ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

05/09/2026

🎶Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black-and-white, they are precious in his sight-
Jesus loves the little children of the world .

That went over and over in my mind yesterday as I attended “ Ma Spa” in my daughter’s kindergarten classroom. All the mothers were invited in to be pampered and performed for. They could have an eye treatment with cucumber slices on their eyes, have their child paint their nails, or rub lotion on them. They sat on their mom‘s laps and listened to a story about moving on from this class to another , read by their teacher. Each student had written a paper about their mom,(or moms) made her a crown and shared their journals with them. They obviously loved having their mothers come to their classroom and all the mothers seem to really love the whole activity also.

My daughter has a diverse bunch of kids in her class and it definitely is a wonderful experience to be involved with them. It is good to have the reminder that Jesus loves all the children – and all those children are going to grow into adults – and Jesus will continue to love them all.

And to love you always- from the day you were born until the day you leave this earth and beyond.
Thanks be to God!

05/08/2026

I love Winnie the Pooh and what he represents. He is soft and cuddly, fiercely loyal to his friends, a little slow witted and kind. He has a gentle innocence and simple outlook on life.

There is a devotion out there on the internet with a picture showing Winnie the Pooh leading his friends in green pastures and a breakdown of the 23rd Psalm, one of my favorites and the first scripture I ever memorized and can still recite. I really liked it and thought I would share it.

“He Is My Shepherd and I Shall Not Want”
I didn’t always understand
what it meant to be a sheep.

Fragile. Wandering.

Prone to losing the path in broad daylight.

Prone to walking straight into danger
with no idea it was coming.

But He knew.

He always knew exactly what I was —
and He chose to be my Shepherd
anyway.

The Lord is my shepherd.

Not a distant overseer.

Not a God who points the way
and leaves you to find it alone.

A shepherd.

One who walks the same ground.
One who knows each one by name.

One who leaves the ninety-nine
without a second thought
to find the one —

and that one has been me
more times than I can count.

I have wandered.
Oh, how I have wandered.
Into fields that looked like freedom
but were full of thorns.
Into paths that promised everything
and left me lost and torn.

Into valleys so dark and so deep
I forgot there was ever
such a thing as light —
and every single time, I heard it.

A voice. His voice. Not angry.
Not tired of finding me again.
Just calling. Just steady.

Just relentless in its love —come back.
I’m here. I’ve got you.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

There are seasons in this life
when everything in me is exhausted —
when I have run so hard
and carried so much
and given everything I had
until I had nothing left to give —

and He doesn’t hand me a list
of everything I still need to do.

He makes me lie down.
Right there in the green. In the quiet.
In the rest I didn’t know
I was allowed to have.
He says —be still. Let Me be enough
for just this moment.

He leads me beside still waters.
Not raging. Not rushing. Still.
Because He knows
I am afraid of the raging water.

He knows how loud life gets.
He knows the noise that never stops —
the worry, the grief,
the questions with no answers,
the night that goes on too long.

And so He leads me somewhere quiet.
Somewhere I can hear Him again.
Somewhere my soul remembers
it was made for peace and not for panic.

He restores my soul.
This is the line that undoes me
every single time.
He restores. Not replaces.
Not gives up on.
Not starts over with someone
more worthy, less broken,
less likely to wander again.
He restores. The same soul.
My soul.With all its cracks
and wandering history —
He takes it gently
and He breathes life back in.

Over and over and over again.
As many times as it takes.

Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death —
and I have walked that valley.
Some of you reading this
are walking it right now.
The valley where the grief
has no bottom.
The valley where the sickness
has no easy answer.
The valley where you buried someone
you were not ready to let go.
The valley where you lost yourself
and couldn’t find the way back.

I will fear no evil.
Not because the valley isn’t dark.
Not because the shadow isn’t real.

But because —You are with me.
You are with me. Right here.
In the darkest part of the road.
Not waiting at the end of it.
Not watching from a safe distance.
With me.

Your rod and Your staff —
the protection and the guidance,
the correction and the comfort —
they hold me
when I cannot hold myself.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
Even here.
Even when the battle is still raging.

Even when the enemy is close
and the outcome feels uncertain —
You set a table. You say —sit down.
Let Me serve you.
Let Me show the darkness
who you belong to.

You anoint my head with oil.
You mark me as Your own.
You say to everything
that tries to claim me —
this one is Mine.

Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life.
Not someday. All the days.

The hard ones. The confusing ones.
The ones I wanted to skip.
The ones I didn’t think I’d survive.

Goodness was there.Mercy was there.
Following me like a faithful shadow.
Closer than I knew.
More present than I felt.

And at the end of every road,
at the end of every valley,
at the end of this life and everything it held —

I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever.

Forever.
Not for a season.
Not until I fail Him one more time.
Forever.

This is my Shepherd.

This is the One who found me
when I was lost and carried me home
on His shoulders —
not with frustration,
but with joy.

The Lord is my Shepherd.

I shall not want.

I shall not want for love —
He has given it endlessly.

I shall not want for peace —
He leads me there gently.

I shall not want for purpose —
He goes before me faithfully.

I shall not want for presence —
He never leaves.

Not ever. Not once.

He is the Shepherd and I am His —

and that is more than enough
for every day I have left
to live.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
— Psalm 23:1
And He is yours. Follow Him.

05/07/2026

Today is another busy day – this month seems to be really full of them. Today is another blessing from the Lord and I am thankful for so very very much. It’s a day when I will be traveling to the city, going out for dinner, doing a little shopping, spending time with relatives. Today I will be rushing, making sure things are falling into place for the weekend and getting numerous little tasks accomplished.

But what about the ordinary days – the days when waking up does not feel like a blessing- the days when there are no plans or commitments needing our time and attention. Many people did not wake up with strength today, but opened their eyes to pain or grief or fear. Human life is tender – the body is strong until it is not.
What if waking up on those mornings is not ordinary at all, but a blessing handed to us by God? Can we really get up with gratitude in our hearts every day?

God gives us days, not merely to survive, but to fill them with his purpose. Every ordinary duty we do can becomes worship if it is done in love. Calling a loved one, speaking gently, choosing patience, praying for a child, helping a neighbor and even enduring pain with faith can almost become sacred if our hearts are turned toward the Lord. God is not only found in the grand moments, but often hidden in humble obedience.

And that is why an attitude of gratitude becomes our strength. A grateful heart will remember that God has been faithful to us before and the memory of His faithfulness gives us courage for today. We can remember when he has carried us through storms we thought would break us, has comforted us in sorrows that no one else understood, forgiven sins that once weigh us down and open doors, closed doors healed wounds, and given us our daily needs.
He has been near many times when we felt alone.

So as you go about your day today – whatever you may be doing – if it is just an ordinary day or a really special day- remember that today is not just another mark on your calendar. It is God saying to us. “ Walk with Me again. Trust Me again. Receive My mercy again. Give thanks, not because everything is easy but because I am good.”

Give thanks- always give thanks!

05/05/2026

My only granddaughter is graduating this year, and I have struggled with finding the right words to encourage her, make her feel loved, make her feel the importance of Jesus in her life, and give her advice without sounding too preachy. I want her to always remember what the really important things in life are – the things that will always be there no matter what . Her little brother was confirmed a couple weeks ago and had a lovely service at the huge church that they attend. He had more students in his confirmation class then we have in our whole high school. It must be hard to make it personal for them. I want him to remember those same things that I want his sister to remember.
So I turned to my Bible to try to find some scripture they might understand
and they could find the value in it.

The verse that stood out most in my mind for the confirmation is Ephesians.2:10. “ you were created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance..”
well that says something about God‘s purpose and planning, doesn’t it? The kids were reminded that they are the salt of the Earth (from Jesus’s sermon on the Mount )and to keep letting their little light shine.

I thought about writing Jeremiah 29: 11 in my granddaughter’s graduation card-and I still might. If she could just hang onto these words-“ for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Isn’t that a comforting verse- to be reminded that God has a plan for us that will assure us we have a good life if we just listen to him. Especially if you’re beginning a new chapter in life.

Or maybe “ whatever you do work at it with all your heart as if working for the Lord and not men.” Colossians 3:23
It doesn’t matter if you get a job, go to college or whatever your plan for life is, do it for the glory of God.

But my very favorite for the grandkids, and the nieces, the nephews, friends, and children of friends is
Proverbs 3: 5&6.
“ trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Just trust in HIM!!

And then I realized – these are all favorites of mine. I wonder why. Maybe because at some point I have leaned on these scriptures for Help. They have brought me comfort, made me feel loved and guided my path.

What more could we hope for for our grandchildren or any of the young people that are just beginning their new lives? Let’s pray that the young people will learn to read the scriptures and fall back on them when they need to. It may not be the most popular thing to do, but certainly it is the most beneficial.

St. Paul Lutheran Church

05/25/2026

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05/14/2026

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