This is it! Post your last memory verses for 2012! You have hidden God’s word in your hearts all year. What treasure!
Long Time, No Hear
Some of my friendly blog buddies have been wondering if I am just now “coming to” after the twin news. I admit, the announcement did leave me speechless for a while. But actually, the silence here at Small Drop has been a bit of an experiment. What happens when I stop writing…or posting….or speaking? Do people stop reading….or logging on….or listening? How long are we willing to wait to hear from someone?
How about 400 years? Malachi wrote the last word of the Old Testament sometime around 430 B.C. Then came four centuries of silence. No prophets spoke, no predictions were proclaimed, no judgements were called down on the wicked, no blessings were promised to the faithful. Nothing. Silence.
Four hundred years ago it was 1512. Martin Luther was in seminary and Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel. What if we had not heard from God since 1512? It’s remarkable that the story even survived. It’s astounding that God’s people continued to wait and hope and pray. Somehow, each generation kept handing down the directive: Wait. God will speak again.
Then He did. His first word after all those long years was, “Waaaahhhhh.” He cried. The priests weren’t expecting a baby’s wail. They were sure it would sound more like a thundering voice coming out of smoke and fire, “Thus saith the Lord.” So they missed it.
That’s what I love about God — He keeps me on my toes. Just when I think I figure Him out, He does something wild and unexpected.
My experiment with silence on the blog confirmed my suspicions, as each day fewer and fewer people stopped by. And then something wild and unexpected happened. Yesterday, after all those days of no posts, hundreds visited Small Drop for my biggest day ever. Figuring things out is highly overrated. Being surprised is much more fun.
Lord, I welcome Your surprises. Go ahead and say or do what I’m not expecting. Just don’t let me miss it.
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. Hebrews 1:1
Dubble Bubble
Moving On
It’s been a big week. I celebrated another birthday and the election is finally over. There are lots of things I could say about both events, but, you know what? I’m moving on.
Instead of bemoaning the fact that I’m now 53 and whining over the aging process, today I’m going to revel in the realization that I’m alive and healthy and in my right mind (most of the time).
Instead of being dismayed that it was a whopping thirty years ago that I first became a mother, today I will delight in my adult children and rejoice that they still return my phone calls.
Instead of debating about which candidate had all the answers to the weak job market and the struggling economy, today I’m going to go to my office, do my job, and then stop at the store on my way home and buy a few groceries.
Instead of wringing my hands over the decline in moral values and Biblical standards in our society, today I’m going to live with a high level of integrity and pray for my neighbors.
Instead of watching Wall Street and sweating over the Dow Jones Average, today I’m going to invest in each person I meet by depositing a kind word and a smile.
Sometimes the best thing to do is move on.
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today. Heb. 3:13
November Scripture Memory Verses
I’m so thankful for my scripture memory buddies! Let’s see it through to the end of the year everyone!
Invisible Fence
A house near us has a sign in the front yard: “This property is lined with an invisible fence”. One day, I witnessed the power of the invisible fence. Bo, our dog, and I were strolling down the street when a big dog came bounding across a yard, heading right for us. The hair on Bo’s back stood straight up and she positioned herself for battle. I desperately held on to the leash, trying to avoid a dog fight that Bo was certain to lose.
Then, much to our surprise, the other dog stopped short, let out a yelp and sat down on the edge of the lawn. We hustled past, both Bo and I, with hearts racing. I thought, “I need to get myself one of those things.” But I didn’t have my dog in mind. I was thinking it might come in handy for me.
Sometimes I wish I had an invisible fence……. for my mouth — some kind of system that would give me a little jolt when I am about to say something insensitive. I could really use a sharp jab when sarcasm is preparing to spew or when a negative comment is threatening to erupt. I would gladly accept momentary discomfort if I knew it would keep me from uttering regrettable words.
Such a fence has potential, not just for what comes out of my mouth, but also for what goes in. For instance, a slight buzz when I’m standing in the kitchen gazing at the almond poundcake might be enough to make me grab a carrot instead. The Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars might lose their allure if I know a zap is coming with the first bite.
Perhaps the Psalmist was wishing for an invisible fence when he wrote,
“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3
Hud Bud and the Quilt
There are two things I love about this picture.
1. Hudson is reading a book. He is only 8 months old and is already discovering one of life’s greatest pleasures. This is promising — my grandson and I are going to read lots of books together. Plus, I like his little shirt and blue jeans…..and the way his little hands are holding the pages…..and the way he’s unaware of the camera because he’s so interested in the pictures….and the way his little eyelashes catch the sunlight….
2. The other thing I love about this photo is in the background. Hud Bud is sitting on a quilt I made for my daughter when she was in high school. As I stitched away on those pieces of fabric years ago, I had no idea where my girl and her quilt would go. Back then I didn’t know that someday a little boy would be sitting on that quilt reading a book.
Sometimes the past and the present collide right in front of you.
Buried Treasure
One night last week, PB and I drove out to Devil’s Lake State Park. After a busy day, we like to go to the lake to soak up the natural beauty and unwind. Sometimes we walk around the lake or climb the bluffs, but occasionally we do my personal favorite: sit on a picnic table and look at the water.
That evening, a young family happened to stroll by and PB struck up a friendly conversation. We talked about their dog, a retired racing greyhound. While we chatted, their little girl ran up and down the path and their young son dug in the dirt with a stick. Before they moved on, the mom asked her boy if he was writing his name in the dirt. He replied that he was marking the spot with an X because there was treasure buried there. She smiled at her little guy and then explained to us that he had been leaving X’s all over the park.
The family began to walk toward the parking lot when PB leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Watch this.” Then my hubby took two quarters out of his pocket, placed them on the X and kicked a little dirt over them. “Excuse me!” he called out. “There’s something here!” The boy stopped in his tracks, raced over to the spot and bent down to see if it was true. A look of wonder came over his face as he picked up the coins. He began to jump up and down, shouting, “Treasure! I got treasure!”
I looked over at PB and thought, “I got some treasure, too.”
“He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25
Mt. Sinai Mystery
I can’t stand it any more. I just have to ask.
Back in January of 2011, I published a blog post called, “Up and Down Mt. Sinai” (See January 27, 2011). Since then, thousands of people have read that little essay. That’s saying a lot, since I have many posts that have been read only once or twice. Week after week for almost two years, “Up and Down” has been my Top Post by a landslide. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why. It’s a mystery.
Do lots of people type “Mt. Sinai” into a search engine and stumble onto my blog? Or is someone checking into my blog one hundred times a day just to get my heart racing? Or is there a religious school somewhere that has marked my post as required reading? I’m at a loss. I’d like your help. Tell me why you are here. I’m dying to know. Thanks!
Leave a comment or email me at dinah.overlien@gmail.com
The Home Farm
A few days ago I took a family history road trip with my sister and my cousin. We went to see the home farm where my grandparents raised three children: my two uncles and my mother. How I wish I could have put on a pair of magic glasses that would have allowed me to see that household in 1931: my mom as a 9 year old playing in the front yard, my uncles as teenagers working in the barn, my grandmother baking bread in the kitchen, my grandfather hitching up the horses….
If these walls could talk…..
would they say…
Your grandpa opened this barn door every morning….
Your mother brought sugar cubes to the horses in this stall….
These hinges would squeak when your uncle opened the stable door….
Bonnie and Bessie nickered at your grandpa when he walked in the barn….
Your mother skipped up these steps to play in the hay mow….
Your Grandpa’s strong hands pulled the door closed and latched the hook….
Your grandmother walked to the milk house with kittens on her heels….
The three kids ran in and out of the house, slamming the “Christian” doors —
the panels created a cross and the bottom represented an open Bible….
Your mother came down this staircase on her wedding day….
That’s what I heard the walls say….
a small drop of ink 
