Author Archives: dinahoverlien

Follow Me

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follow meJesus said, “Follow me” 20 times in the gospels.

He says it to me every day.

He has to, because I need constant reminding who is the leader and who is the follower.

Some days, I attack my to-do lists and productivity goals with gusto.  I catch a few waking moments to let Jesus know what we’re going to be doing in the coming daylight hours.  I picture Him barely keeping up with me, breathless, but proud of all my many accomplishments.

Other days, I shuffle out of sleep and dawdle through the early morning.  I approach the day with sighs and groans and no particular plan.  I picture Jesus with a bored look on His face, kicking at rocks as He plods along behind me.

Of course, I’m wrong on both counts.  Whether I’m energized or empty, His place is always out in front, never bringing up the rear.  He leads, I follow.

So why aren’t we taught how to be good followers? Type in “leadership” in a search engine and up pops hundreds of leadership courses, leadership training programs and leadership development books.  A quick search for “followership” offers a shorter list.  Interestingly enough, Harvard offers a course entitled “Followership” with sections on Hitler and Jonestown, but not one mention of Jesus Christ.  Can’t say I’m surprised, even though Jesus was the only one who came right out and said, “Follow me” and then millions did for thousands of years.  Still do.

During this season of Lent, I’m going to dig into the word “follow”.  To whom did Jesus say those words?  How did they respond?  Why did some say yes and others say no?  What does following Jesus include?  What does being a follower cost?  What does it look like to be follower?

Care to follow?

Jokers

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Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.  Proverbs 17:22

PB is a champion storyteller.  He has a whole arsenal of jokes and strange-but-true stories in his memory bank. I’ve always admired his ability to spin a captivating yarn.  The thing is, I’ve heard them all.  After 35 years of marriage I can tell when he’s getting ready to share a joke….and which joke he’s going to tell.  In my head I can relate every story right along with him, word for word.

I, on the other hand, am not a good jokester.  In an effort to be efficient and not waste people’s time, I leave out the embellishments, forego the details, and rush to the punchline.  My timing is off.  I don’t have that mischievous twinkle in my eye that endears listeners.  My anecdotes seem to lack PB’s pizzazz.

The winds of change are blowing as our children and grandchildren settle into their own homes.  PB and I are finding ourselves at a table for two more often.  Our conversation tends to center on work and church — serious stuff.  Sensing that we need to laugh together more, I challenged my man to 30 days of jokes.  New jokes.  Just to keep things fresh around here.  Besides, I found a website with enough one-liners to get me through the month.  I was ready.

It started slow.  The first morning, over our oatmeal, I said, “What did the zero say to the eight?”  PB put down the newspaper, confused.  I could see he was struggling with how to respond so I whispered, “I’m telling a joke.”  Still perplexed by his wife’s unusual question, I prompted him.  “I don’t know.  What did the zero say to the eight?”  He started to catch on.  PB: “I don’t know.  What did the zero say to the eight?”  Me: “Nice belt.”  I figured if I set the bar pretty low, things could only get better.  We shared a laugh.  He tried to pull out an old one on me, but I was firm.  30 days of new jokes.

The second week went better.  PB must have found a website, too, because he started greeting me with funny questions every morning.

“How much did the pirate pay for corn?”  

“I don’t know, how much did the pirate pay for corn?”  

“A buccaneer.”

“What did the three-legged dog say when he walked into the bar?”

“I don’t know.  What?”

“I’m looking for the man who shot my paw.”

I’ll spare you the rest…

 Sharing a laugh every morning has been good for us.

PB is learning some new jokes and I’m working on getting that twinkle in my eye.

A merry heart is good medicine.

laugh

Ta Da!

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Wait!  Don’t leave!  It’s the same old me.  Just with a different look.  I thought it was about time for something new.  Four years is long enough wearing the same blue outfit, don’t you think?  Sometimes a person just has to move the furniture around, or paint the walls, or hang a curtain.  Suddenly everything looks new and fresh, which is exactly what I need this time of year.

I hope you like the remodel here at “small drop”.  It was easier than moving couches.

 

Anniversary

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photo

My mom was so pretty.

My dad was so handsome.

On February 23, 1946 at the farm on Highway 38,

she came down the staircase in her silk and organza,

he stood tall in his Navy dress blues.

She took his arm before the fireplace.

Elmer and Ada, Frank and Jeannette, and 35 others

heard them promise to love and to cherish.

Before the bride knew there would be four kids

and a house in the cottonwood trees….

before the groom knew there would be seed corn

and cattle and cancer….

he wrote her letters from the USS Fanshaw Bay

filled with hopes and dreams of life together on the farm,

planting seeds and harvesting a good crop.

And so, for 27 years, they did.

Elinor (1922-1973) and Roger (1923-2011)

3/1000ths

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Henry David Thoreau said, “If thou art a writer, write as if thy time is short, for it is indeed short at the longest.”

You could put anything in that sentence and it would still ring true.

If thou art a builder, build as if thy time is short….

If thou art a teacher….

If thou art a baker…

If thou art a speed skater.

stopwatch

Last night, an Olympic athlete won a gold medal by 3/1000ths of a second.  How do you split a second into one thousand little pieces?  To someone flying around a track made out of ice at a ridiculous speed, I suppose that’s a plausible concept.  In order for my mind to grasp what that minuscule moment is like, I need to zoom out.

If I live to be 80 years old, I will have a total of 29,200 days to race around this planet.

3/1000ths of 29,200 is 87.6.  In other words, 87 days is my 3/1000ths.

If I live to be 80 years old, I have about 9,490 days left.

3/1000ths of 9,490 is 28.

Life is indeed short, even at the longest.

Psalm 90 carries the subtitle “A prayer of Moses the man of God.”

He wrote, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

I just numbered my days.

Now for a heart of wisdom.

Book End

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Sad day.

books2The Pew Research Center reported last week that “nearly a quarter of American adults had not read a single book in the past year.  As in, they hadn’t cracked a paperback, fired up a Kindle, or even hit play on an audiobook while in the car.  The number of non-book-readers has nearly tripled since 1978.”

I can’t imagine life without books.  Some of my best childhood memories involve books.  The red Child Craft books full of poems and stories, Nancy Drew mysteries, the Little House series.  I kept it up as an adult and now I usually read around 20 books each year, although in 2012 I burned through 41.  Last year, however, I read a measly 12 books.  What happened?  Am I about to become a “non-book-reader” statistic?  Never!  I know exactly what happened.

First, our church had a “read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year” program in which I took part.  (So I guess you could say I read 66 books.)  Keeping up with that demanding reading plan did take a chunk of time, but it was so worth it.

Second, I bought an iPhone.  I’m embarrassed to admit how much time that cool little gadget sucked up.  Shudder.   Facebook, Pinterest, Words with Friends.  I am back in control now.  Pretty sure.

Third, I subscribed to Gospel Ebooks.  Every day these nice people send me a list of books that are dirt cheap or even free.  Every day.  FREE.  Books.  So my Kindle got loaded up and I’d read a few chapters out of a new book, but then would get distracted by the next day’s free offer.  And so it went.  I’m working on this gluttonous addiction.

I plan to pick up the pace this year.  And I better.  My current “Books to Read” list has 170 titles on it.  Plus, there are 26 unread books on my Kindle,  a pile of 8 books by my bed, and 13 must-reads on my bookshelf.  At the rate of 20 books a year, I’ll be almost 65 years old by the time I finish.  Then I will retire….and finally have time to do some serious reading.

“I still find each day too short for all the books I want to read….”  John Burroughs

Still The Reason Why

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ink-drop2I had to go back and read the page titled “Reason Why” that I wrote four years ago.  When I started this blog, I had no idea what I was doing.  And that was a good thing.  No expectations, no goals, no grandiose visions of glory.  Just a small drop of ink to make a few, perhaps, think.

So, after four years of trial and error, I thought I’d get serious and try to learn a little something about blogging from the pros.  Maybe take an online class from a blogging expert or tune in to a webinar promising tips and tricks.  Turns out, I’ve been doing it all wrong.

It seems a real blogger is supposed to seek out advertisers and sponsors.  A true blog has a goal — make money by selling something or by working toward a lucrative book deal.  I am supposed to create a platform, gather a tribe, build my subscriber list, and develop my brand.  I should have been on Twitter by now.  I should have ditched my free template a long time ago and designed a one-of-a-kind look with some real wow factors.  I should have a stack of business cards ready to hand out to everyone I meet. (I actually did print out 10 business cards four years ago, but they are somewhere on the bottom of my purse — I never got up the nerve to give one to anybody.)

After giving this serious thought, I have come to some conclusions:

1.  I don’t want to do all that.

2.  I hate self-promotion.

3.  I’m doing this for fun.  I hope my family gets a kick out of it, and if anybody else wants to read along, well then, fine.

4.  I am going to change a few things.  It might be time for a new look.  I’d like bigger print so it’s easier on my eyes and I’m getting tired of blue.  So, don’t be surprised if one day the view is different.  It won’t be fancy.  It will be free.

5.  My reason why hasn’t changed….and I’m at peace with doing it all wrong.

Too Cold to Poop

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brrr-17 degrees, -29 wind chill.  It’s too cold to poop.  Our dog, Bo, can’t stand it.  She can’t keep all four paws on the frozen ground at once.  Can’t stop dancing long enough to squat.  Can’t think about anything but getting out of the frigid air and back into the house.  Tug, tug, tug on the leash.  No poop.  Too cold.

I love how extreme weather conditions shut down activity.  We all think we’re in charge, with our to-do lists and responsibilities.  But really, we have no control over this world.  It’s good to be reminded of that from time to time.  I prefer extreme days — they make us slow down.  Those other days when it’s cold but not too cold, snowy but not too snowy, icy but not too icy — those days you have to carry on despite the elements.  But a blizzard or an ice storm or an arctic blast, they make you put up your hands and surrender.  “Ok! I’ll leave my pjs on all day!  Uncle!  I’ll sit by the fire and read all afternoon!  I give!”

Sometimes it’s nice to be told what to do.  Usually I like to be the boss, plan my day, decide what’s next.  But sometimes I like to be told, “No”.  And just give in.

I Need Help

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So, I was on my way to Walmart yesterday to get dog food.

And I was going over my memory verses.

I’m working on 1 John 3:16-17 right now.

 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a man standing there with a sign —

NEED HELP, TRYING TO GET HOME.

I went into Walmart, picked up the dog food, and then, while standing in line at the checkout, over the loudspeaker in the store I heard, “Dinah!  Is the love of God in you?”

Well, maybe it was whispered in my heart.  Loud.

I paid $17.99 for the dog food and put it in the car.

I stopped at KFC to pick up a gift card, but by the time I drove out, he was gone.

I don’t know.  Maybe it was a scam.  Maybe the guy was making a good living standing on the corner.  Maybe he would have traded the free chicken dinner for a bottle of Scotch.  Maybe.

But I do know there are lots of times I need help.

And I’m just trying to get home, too.

And the only way I know if the love of God is really in me…

the only way I know if all those scripture memory verses I can spout off have made it from my head to my heart…

is if I lay down a little bit of my time, my money, my life.

This is how we know what love is.

A Balmy -13

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below 0What’s the difference between -10 and -20 degrees?  I mean, really, isn’t there a point when cold getting colder becomes irrelevant?  This is the third straight morning of below zero temperatures.  In my experience -9 and -29 feel about the same.  When things are bad, how can you tell when they get worse?

I suppose it works the other way, too.  When things are good, how can you tell when they get better?  Goodness heaped upon goodness stacks up, but eventually it stops registering, doesn’t it?

Maybe that’s why ups and downs are better than constant downs or even constant ups.  The give and take between highs and lows is what keeps me from becoming numb to either one.  So I should rejoice in the downs because it means I’ve had a contrasting up recently.  And the present difficulty will serve to enhance the next upward swing….which is due to arrive in April.

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”  Genesis 8:22