Salty Zebra

  For the one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from uttering deceit. And he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the Lord's face is against those who do evil.   1 Peter 3: 10-12 What does it mean to come face to face with God? Mouth (tongue and lips) - we must keep our tongue from evil and our lips from uttering deceit. We must turn away from evil and do good. What kinds of evil could one commit with their tongue? Think slander, blasphemy, boastfulness, gossip, lies. These are things that are so difficult to avoid we have made them common. We tell white lies and think of it as a kindness. People gossip as a matter of course in their friendship. But ultimately, these things are inherently evil and they do not honor God. Instead of these evil things, we need to use our tongues and our lips to bless people

How I look has changed a lot over the last year. Just under a year ago my head was shaved for brain surgery and over the last year my hair has been growing out. I’ve had to do a lot more resting and less exercise and activity so I’ve put on weight. I had arm surgery a couple of months ago which left me with a splint for most of that time and now an arm with 13 scars on it. I look so different. A big part of me has worried so much about how my husband sees me. Does he still find me attractive? You see, he’s not one to voice things like that. Words of affirmation were not used in his home growing up and they are not a part of his standard vocabulary. It’s funny though, as I read today’s verses I realized that he has, in fact, been telling me I’m pretty, just in a different way. Let your beauty not be external - the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes - but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in Go

  He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth. When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly.   1 Peter 2: 22-23 Over and over again as His time of suffering approached, Jesus warned those around Him. He told them what was coming, but no one seemed to understand. I wonder if Jesus spoke of deep things so often that the disciples were used to not understanding Him sometimes, because there is no mention of anyone even questioning Him about it. Jesus knew without a doubt what was ahead of Him. He knew how awful it would be and we can’t say He wasn’t disturbed by it because in the Garden of Gethsemane He sweat drops of blood over it and asked that it be taken away if it was God’s will. At so many other times in His life and ministry Jesus either had just the right words for people that were trying to trap Him with their questions or He managed to disappear into the crowd and walk

  Years ago we had the most amazing parakeet named Bella. She was so smart and so friendly. We would open her cage and let her fly about the house with us. She loved to hang out with us at the table, sampling the food on the edges of our plates and sipping from our coffee. Her favorite treat though was paper. Oh how she loved to chew the edges of a piece of paper! Many times my kids had to turn in their homework with a smirk and admit that their bird had eaten it. She also loved digital devices, and she quickly learned that the warmth of her nose would trigger things on the screen. I had her send more than a few strange texts and emails!   But her time out of the cage was limited. We couldn’t, for her safety, leave her out all the time. Every once in a while, the strangest thing would happen. We’d open her cage door for her to come out and, instead, she’d hang out on the bottom of the cage, with her poop. Just bopping around, hanging out, missing out on all the fun outside. I feel li

  We can stand on the street corner and preach the evils of the flesh or the value of heaven, but it will not win souls to Christ. People need to see changed lives and the fruit of the Spirit at work in us. The world is watching, what do they see in us? Thankfully, it is not up to us alone to be holy and fruitful, but it does take our cooperation. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” So we are responsible for remaining in Jesus, for abiding in Him. If we do this, then we will bear fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control (Gal 5:22-23). When non-Christians see these fruits in our lives, they are drawn to desire their giver, Jesus. We have the opportunity to point people to God and give Him glory. Sadly, as I said, this does take our cooperation. We can choose instead to live a worldly life and gratify the flesh ra

You might think that white is the absence of color and black is all the colors mashed together. Not so my friend! In fact, it’s the opposite. White is actually a combination of all the colors. If you take white light and refract it through a prism, out pops red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. All the colors of the rainbow! So it is with Christ’s marvelous light. When it shows up in us, we see bits and pieces of Christ’s beautiful character. In one person we might see abundant love. In another, joy could be flowing like a river! A third might evidence peace that passes understanding. Each of us has traits that point back to the light within us. But bring us all together in unity and we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of His own. When all those colors, all those bits of light come together you can see the incredible spectrum that is His marvelous light. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, s

  Most of us have a favorite shirt. Let’s say you’re wearing that favorite shirt as you’re packing for vacation. You’ve got your bags all packed and you throw a load of laundry in the morning before you leave, including your favorite shirt so you can wear it when you get back, but you forget to switch it to the dryer in your haste to get out the door to the airport. You have a fabulous time on vacation and you actually get to do quite a bit of shopping and purchase what could be future favorite shirts! But when you get home you are horrified to find that your favorite shirt is sitting in the washer, covered in mildew. Nothing you do can get it all out, but you get it much better and you think, “Surely it’ll be fine. It’s just a few spots that you can hardly see.” But that’s not how mildew works. You carefully fold your favorite shirt, along with all your new ones, into your drawers and go about your life. That mildew is insidious though. While you’re not looking, it is infecting AL

  My husband and I often discuss how we should invest our money for the best security and return. We want to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. But here’s the catch, in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter if we invest in stocks or CDs or gold or we stick it under the mattress, it’s all going to disappear. For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the grass; the grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.   1 Peter 1: 24-25 What will endure? Love and God’s Word. Our greatest investment, financially or otherwise, is in each other. It’s in sharing God’s love with our neighbors both close and far away. All of our material possessions, all of our physical attributes, our flesh, will wither and fade away like the grass of the field. No matter how hard we try to secure an empire it is doomed to fall. But the word of the Lord endures forever. When we were

  A lush garden with the call of tropical birds in the distance. A hand reaches for exotic, forbidden fruit. Two men stand on a hill dividing up the land before them. The younger chooses first and takes the lush plain with the exciting cities. In them he finds around every corner, forbidden fruit. A king stands looking out the window of his palace and sees a bathing beauty. He lusts after her, forbidden fruit. He’s followed the master along with the other 11 for three years, but more and more he finds himself disgruntled. Surely he’s justified in seeking the religious rulers who offer, forbidden fruit. I try, and I fail. I climb, and I fall. I can’t do it on my own. The call is just too strong for that, forbidden fruit. God knew we wouldn’t be able to resist it on our own. He knew that our eyes would be drawn to the shiny and irresistible. He knew that our mouth would water for the promised sweetness. He also knew that the sweetness would turn to sour and it would turn our st

  The last few years have been tough. After multiple serious connective tissue tears in my arm, hip, shoulder and wrist I was finally given a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the way your body produces collagen. This was both affirming and daunting as I looked ahead at what it meant for my future. This was followed by a diagnosis of skin cancer swiftly followed by being informed that I had a brain tumor that required immediate surgery. I share this because it would make sense for me to be overwhelmed, discouraged, or even depressed, and truly I felt all of these things at times, but when we encountered people – often healthcare workers – they frequently commented on how upbeat and positive we were, seemingly surprised by it with all that was going on. I am sad to say that in the moment I was just as surprised by their observation, and I missed the opportunity to share with them what I’m sharing with you now – it was the hope of Christ in me that th

I can’t discount the fact that I’ve come across the story of metal smithing multiple times lately leading up to studying this verse today. I did a little searching to refresh my memory and found this devotional that shares the basic information as I remember it ( https://www.touchinglives.org/devotionals/refiners-fire ). To paraphrase, a goldsmith must hold the gold in the hottest part of the fire to heat it to the point where the impurities are separated from the gold. But he cannot just leave it there, he must watch it carefully to be sure it does not get too hot. And how does he know when it is ready? When he can see his reflection in it! I’ve been going through a season of rather exceptional trial. You can read about some of it here ( https://saltyzebra.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-whole-story-part-one-call-that.html ). I almost feel like I can tell when I’m being held in the hottest part of the fire and when I’m backing out of it a little. I definitely still feel the heat though! I

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you,   [1Pe 1:3-4 NET]                 When I was a little girl, my great-grandmother gave me a special doll from Japan that she had purchased on one of her mission trips with my great-grandfather. Even as a child I recognized that this was a special thing that I didn’t want to get spoilt. My grandmother offered to let me keep it in her special doll cabinet, a glass cabinet where her special dolls were on display. Forty years later there it still sits, in reserve for me. Whenever I visit my grandmother, I enjoy seeing it sitting there amongst her precious things. I know thar it is safe and will be ready for me whenever I am ready for it.                I know it’s different, but this gave me a picture of how God has rese

     Quite a while ago, in what feels like a former life, I was very active in yoga. I trained as a Christian Yoga Instructor and I taught several times a week between my church and the local YMCA. I was even looking into opening our own studio with several instructor friends right as COVID came down, which nipped that dream in the bud. It turned out to be a good change of direction because my health began to take a downturn at the same time. It was around then, after several serious connective tissue tears, that I was diagnosed with EDS. I had to go through a season of relearning my body and it’s true limits, not the perceived ones that my hypermobility had taught me. Next, of course, came my brain tumor. All this to say, it was not a great time for me to be starting a business! I am happy to report though that, with the help and guidance of my physical therapist, I have been able to dip my toes back into a personal yoga practice. I’ve started with the gentlest form I know, Restorativ

  photo credit: Michael Eatherly                I'm so excited to share with you what's coming up next for the Salty Zebra Blog! It was great having the guiding influence of The Whole Story series for the last several weeks. While I still had to decide what I was going to write about, the topics were narrowed and things flowed a lot easier. So, I really wanted to have another series coming up that would keep me writing regularly.                For several years now I've been following along with the Bible studies from LoveGod Greatly . Their next study, Triumph Over Trials , begins next Monday, April 15th. After prayerful consideration, I decided I would really like to blog along with the study this time. I feel like I haven't gotten a lot out of the last few studies, but I am a firm believer that you get out of these things what you put into them. In the past, I have hosted other women in my home to do these studies together. I definitely learned more from those!

     June brought with it my much anticipated visit to the neuro ophthalmologist I discussed in this post as well as a new side effect to my surgery. I began developing abdominal pain, specifically lower abdominal pain. It was tricky. It wasn't always in the same spot. It didn't always have the same quality or conditions. It actually took a while for me to begin associating several different pains as being related. When I initially brought it to the attention of my neurosurgery team, they said it couldn't have anything to do with the surgery. That just didn't sit right though, and I kept doing my own research online. Anecdotally, it turns out that quite a few people have had abdominal issues with the catheters from VP shunts. You see, this long tube runs from my brain all the way down into my belly, and coils in the base of my pelvis. I have no uterus anymore, so it nestles right up against my bladder. You can imagine that the two are not good friends. I have since see

(A couple of gifts awaiting me at home. A zebra pillow pet from my husband and flowers from my Grandma)      In hindsight, I would say that I had a “soft discharge” from the hospital at the end of May. On Wednesday, the 24th, I got to go home. That Friday, the 26th, I met my in home IV nurse who came to visit every week to change my dressing and draw labs. She was a bright spot that I looked forward to every week as she was pretty much the only visitor I had apart from my mother. It can be very lonely and isolating healing at home.      The next day, Saturday the 27th, I woke very early in the morning around 1:00 AM with terrible nausea that led to intractable vomiting. When this did not get better by the time my husband woke for the day, we called and the doctor thought it would be best to come in to the ED. This worked out well for a number of reasons, one of which was that I was running very low on green bags. So low, in fact, that I had been rinsing and reusing them. My husband and