Admittedly, Facebook offers a few benefits. One was highlighted to me the other day. I am still grasping the craziness of it all.

I was watching television with my husband when I received a bing on my phone indicating a Facebook message had come in. I don’t receive very many, so I opened it immediately. It read:

Hi Carole, I’m looking for my big sister from Lafayette College when I was a young girl. I’m not sure but I think you may be her. I am volunteering and in the board of directors for big brothers and big sisters and it made me think of you. I just wanted to say hello and thank you for your time when I was younger. I hope you are living a wonderful and fulfilled life. You made an impact on my life and I am going well. I hope you are the right Carole Orzio.

When I first came to a believing knowledge of Jesus Christ I was concerned with my newfound purpose. I had come to understand that God created all men and women to worship Him, to know Him, and to reflect His Glory to the world. But why two genders?  Was I, were women somehow “less than” men?

Last fall, I shared in my blog a story about my dad. As I was reading through the Psalms this past week, I felt led to expand on that story. Specifically, I was reading my dad’s favorite Psalm, and it hits me in the heart every time.

Some time ago I was researching “root canals” on Google, I came across this cartoon:

“Read my Bible, I would rather have a root canal!”

Well, clearly the writer of this cartoon had never had a root canal. The reason I was doing this research was because I was in excruciating pain after the second of my two root canals. I can testify that I would much rather read my Bible!

My friend and mentor, Holly Leachman, is known for her nuggets of wisdom. One of my favorites is, “It’s never too late to do the right thing.” In fact, I repeated this so often to my children as they were growing up that they attributed it to me rather than to her. But more recently I have applied this truth to combat these lies that I often hear— “I can’t make a difference,” or “there is nothing significant I can do for God’s Kingdom.” Scripture affirms the truth that it is never too late to do something for God’s Kingdom, and certainly nothing we do for Him is too small. A perfect example of these truths comes alive in the life of a little-known woman described in the Gospel of Luke.

Recently, I spoke at a gathering, themed: “Our lies, God’s Truth.” As I prepared my talks, I studied, aiming to find women in the Bible who believed the same lies that individuals still struggle with today. Certainly, Eve did, as I discussed in last week’s blog. She believed that God's Word was not Truth. But Eve believed another lie as well. Consider Satan’s additional statement: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The essence of this lie was that God was withholding something from her—something good. And if God could withhold something good from her, is He indeed really good?

This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking at a women’s gathering at a local church. The title of the event was: “Our Lies, God’s Truth.” The presumption was that women, all women, struggle with believing lies that hold them captive. We cannot lead a life of freedom in Christ, if we hold onto false ideas about who God is and who we are.

Some time ago, I was preparing a talk on the Resurrection based on the Gospel account in the Book of John. I began to wonder how Peter, Jesus’ disciple, may have felt as he learned of Jesus' death on the cross, and then witnessed His resurrection. What would I have felt had I been him? The following were my speculations which I wrote as a first person narrative. I tried to stay true to the Gospels, specifically John 19-21, but clearly I took license with regard to what Peter may have been feeling. I encourage you to read the passages in John on your own, and perhaps answer the question—how would you have reacted if you had been there?

This was such a violent and bloody death, Why? At Golgotha, most wondered why, if He is King He couldn't save Himself? Through reading the Bible, we see God carried out His plan perfectly, including allowing for many illegal tribunals, the conviction of Jesus, and HIs death. Jesus had gone into Jerusalem knowing exactly what would happen to Him. He knew He was sent to die He could have saved Himself, but then the plan wouldn't have been carried out. But again, why the cross? why such a blood death?

I have a friend who likes to hide her jewelry before she goes away. Several years ago she hid her watch before leaving for a vacation. She hid it well. So well, in fact, that when she returned, she herself couldn’t find it. She spent hours that morphed into days looking throughout her house. Finally, she surrendered, and gave up the search. Then, one day, years later, totally by accident, she found her watch, in that “safest” of places.

My family and friends have, at times, considered me to be a bit crazy, no question! Among other reasons, they view me as habitually speaking, in what my psychologist friend calls, “circular speech.” In other words, I have a hard time staying on topic, and I often circumvent the point I am trying to make with other unnecessary details.  In an effort to remind me to focus, my husband often gently prompts me to “land that plane, Carole.” In addition, I have over 50,000 unread emails on my phone, and currently forty unread text messages. I truly don’t understand why my phone often becomes the topic of conversation and concern.  Do these idiosyncrasies make me crazy?

My husband gave me an Apple watch for Christmas. I have not yet figured out all the features, nor have I figured out how to remove some of the features or app notifications I have apparently downloaded. Thus, at the present time I receive notifications for just about everything. My wrist is constantly vibrating. On any given day I am notified to wake up, exercise (I really need to delete that one), take my medication, and attend different appointments. In addition, if I am sitting too long at the computer or in front of the television, it reminds me to stand. But probably my favorite reminder—which I receive several times throughout the day—is to breathe. Apparently, Apple believes I am incapable of staying alive without its reminders. How did I ever manage without it?

Our house in Florida sits on a small pond. One of my favorite pastimes is to gaze at the wildlife—all kinds of birds, turtles, and the occasional alligator and river otter. This past week I witnessed a certain spectacle for the first time: flight school for herons! Lining the pond were countless white herons and their young. As I watched, I noticed that next to each larger bird were several younger birds. It appeared that each bird had to wait its turn to leave the shore and venture out over the water, and rarely did a baby bird make it completely over the pond. They would fly a mere ten to twenty feet and then return to its parent. It was a beautiful scene.

The other day I went to Crate and Barrel to pick up a gift for a wedding shower. As I waited to have the gift boxed, I busied myself scanning the nearby aisles. A salesperson was helping a young woman select wine glasses. Out of the blue, the young woman looked at me and asked which of two glasses I preferred. I am not sure why she asked me—I actually think the salesperson was a bit offended, but I was happy to lend my help.

“Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”  John 9:25

I have always loved the simple logic presented by this man. Jesus had healed him of his blindness on the Sabbath, which was verboten according to the religious leaders at the time. Trying to find a reason to accuse Jesus as guilty of violating the Law, they confronted this once blind man. Filled with prejudice, malice, ignorance and all kinds of theological weapons, they attempted to intimidate him into stating that Jesus committed a sin—violating the Sabbath. His answer was simple, direct, and non-argumentative. “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” One thing—one thing that no one could dispute or otherwise explain away—he could see.

When my oldest son, Ben, was a toddler, he had a book of nursery rhymes and songs. The pictures were beautiful and he became so fascinated with them that he insisted on hearing a string of them before he went to sleep at night. I could not believe how many I had to avoid or alter the wording for because of their dark themes. Who thought reading this to a small child was a good idea?

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children, she didn't know what to do;

She gave them some broth without any bread;

Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

I recently came across an article from the Harvard Business Review on the art of asking questions. It identified the benefits of obtaining information for proper decision-making. After all, asking the right questions can help us solve problems and reach better conclusions.

But other reasons abound on the benefits of asking good questions. A good mentor or teacher knows how to ask questions in a way that will help their students discover for themselves some important reality. Over the past months I have explored many of Jesus’ questions. He was the Master of this art. He asked questions in a way that the listeners could reach their own conclusions about who He was, and why they needed Him.

I have become a salt snob. I am no longer satisfied with mere table salt. Several years ago I was introduced to different kinds of salt: Himalayan pink, Himalayan black, Fleur de Sel, Sea salt, Kosher, and Celtic to name a few. While all salt is made up of two elements, sodium and chlorine, by doing a little research, I have come to learn that impurities, including trace minerals can shape the color, taste, and texture of salt. But regardless of these differences, essentially all salt is still salt.

If you have ever talked with me over the phone, you have likely experienced some frustration. You may have heard dishes clanging in the background, my phone drop as I attempt to carry it and a laundry basket, or perhaps heavy breathing as I exercise and talk with you. I have been asked, “how can I be truly listening, if I am doing other things?” But I have become aware that I actually listen better when I am engaged in a physical activity at the same time. I have a very difficult time simply to sit and converse when on the phone. Just yesterday I had my phone on speaker mode, listening to a dear friend while also standing on the kitchen counter changing a light bulb. But I could tell you every last word she said.

I have been posting my blog weekly since last June. Last week was the first I have missed since then. I acknowledge that missing my commitment is not the best way to start the New Year. Excuse? I have tons: a broken furnace, frozen pipes in my kitchen and laundry room, a blown electrical fuse which cut off my internet, to name a few. Last week was a revolving door of service technicians! But this is a new week. So I decided before I finally take down the Christmas tree (don’t judge), I will dig into God’s Word.