Scatter the flowers

  The Screwtape Letters cover, C.S. Lewis "Tortured fear and stupid confidence are both desirable states of mind." ~Wormwood, the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis ⛨ Fear.  Did you know today we fear the same things as the people in the New Testament did?  The #1 fear in America in 2023  is  corrupt government officials , according to a study from Chapman University , .   In the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (one of my favorite books), he uses Wormwood, an assistant to the devil, to convey effective methods his boss likes to utilize on humans to keep them from God.  He doesn't just use fear, but "tortured fear".  David fled for years  from King Saul, who was trying to kill him for no reason.  Peter denied knowing His Savior three times and John Mark fled naked in the garden when they arrested Jesus - both of them out of fear of the corrupt Jewish authorities.   ⛨   Living under fear the Romans would kill Christians was real.  Living under fear that relationship

  The Wind of the Holy Spirit by Cheri Dawson-Givens "Like the wind, the Holy Spirit comes in suddenly and from seemingly nowhere-He whirls about the atmosphere and changes everything." ~David Hernandez Ministries   Gone With the Wind.  Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.  The Wizard of Oz. Dust in the Wind.  Ride Like the Wind.  Against the Wind.   Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day OK, I'll stop.  But if you live in or around Denver this past weekend it was not "Wind in the Willows" (I had to get one more in).  70-100 mph winds? I thought we were known for our snowstorms- not the Hurricane Alley of the West.  Trees were toppled into power lines all over our city, and our power just came on after 3 days!     Not all wind causes damage.  Think of the sweet cool breeze on a scalding summer day that just provides such relief...or the dog that hangs its' head out the car window for the sheer thrill.  If you've been fortunate enough to sit on a beach and

  "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." ~Jim Elliott, martyred missionary 🃏 Imagine getting off a plane in Los Angeles on April 1st and being greeted by signs saying "Welcome to Chicago" . Or hearing from the BBC that Big Ben was going digital.  A radio DJ announced that the Titanic had resurfaced off the coast of Sussex, causing crowds of people to flock to the site.  Or panic in Seattle caused by people hearing the Space Needle had fallen down. 🃏  Krispy Kreme  announced it was going to build a theme park, but later said it was just a dream. So. Not. Funny. 🃏 What do all these have in common?  They are April Fool's pranks.   Most of these pranks are harmless, while some have caused inconveniences or even in some cases extreme reactions.  No one wants to be thought of as a fool.  I'm  sure we would have never fallen for any of those.   This world calls a lot of things foolish through the "bravery" of social

  Google image "I stopped understanding math when the alphabet started getting involved." ~ anonymous ∞ Who remembers what Pythagorean Theorem is?   Either you are right now beaming with pride because you can picture a right triangle in your head and the equation or your stomach is churning.   Or how to find the equation of a line? M aybe your 8th grade math teacher's voice haunts you until you cough up y=mx + b.  (And hopefully you remember the song and the dance that accompanies it.)  Aaahhh, to reminisce about the beautiful things in life.   ∞ I know for about half of the world algebra equations cause extreme anxiety, but the beauty of math is, if you understand when, where & why those equations fit in, you just need to apply them and bada bing - problem solved.   You know I'm about to link algebra with the real world now, right?  25 years of teaching math and there are so many!  Here it is: How easy would life be if we just needed to find the right equation, a

  Irish friendship ring symbol "There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are  friendships and may they always be." ~ traditional Irish toast ☘ "Ní neart go cur le chéile" - there is no strength without unity.  I'm not Irish (except for on St. Patrick's Day-haha), but they seem to have their sayings right.  I mean, who would doubt the inventors of Irish coffee, corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread , Irish shortbread , &  black pudding (just kidding - that one sounds gross).  ☘ We love the land that brought us songs  from the likes of the Celtic women , U2 ,  the Irish Tenors ,   Chasing Abbey  singing "Oh My Johnny" (my new favorite song) -they have contributed so much to our joy 🎶 .   All this month as we honor women in history, I have tried not to ignore the aspect of friendship that is so integral to our lives, and the unity we share in so many facets of our daily being. ☘ Women are leaders, li