Senses.

I love how God has woven our senses together so beautifully – and how a photo or a fragrance can say things no vocabulary can begin to touch. Today, I am in a “no words can adequately describe” place – and I couldn’t be more thankful. Because today my heart is so very full of tender moments triggered by sight, sound, smell, touch.

Smelling these

Peanut butter miracles, being baked at CasaRock.

makes me remember this

Peanut butter miracles being served at Evita's house in Guatemala. The girls made them!

Seeing this

Special art on the jeans I'm wearing today to paint wooden Christmas trees at church.

reminds me of this

The school in Santiago that is making a difference in the lives of children - and the village. We painted classrooms there.

And listening to this

takes me here

Little Ana at the Orphan Hospital in St Petersburg. We danced. I didn't want to say "goodbye."

What treasures are in your heart, just waiting to be revealed and shared?

We’d love to know.

~Ronne

The Dance (James 1)

It's no secret how much I love to dance. The picture is from our last trip to Guatemala - my sweet friend Tricia and I were a blur on more than one occasion.

This morning, I read some of my favorite passages of scripture from James. JB Phillips paraphrase, which encourages us to embrace trials as if they are friends, has always resonated with me. This time, the Lord revealed another precious picture of the beauty of hard times. He's good that way - to paint His own words in beautiful ways, using whatever medium He chooses to point us to His timeless truth. Today, He paints with dance.

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Be sure to dance just a little when trials come to court you. They are there for good purpose, and they shouldn't be anything you fear. Your faith will breathe in new life when you take their hand and begin to move in unison.

There's a rhythm to be found in the awkward stumbling, and with a little patience you'll soon discover it.

The dance is precious and tender, like sixth graders at Cotillion or a little girl in red velvet and shiny shoes following every step her dad makes just a bit smaller while they move to the band at a fancy restaurant.

And if you have two left feet, you simply need to ask the Lord of of the Dance. He knows the steps and the music and even the trials that have asked for your hand in the first place. He will cause those feet to move in time. He will place His hand under your chin to keep your eyes set on Him rather than the dance floor. And he will place a smile on your face - like a crown.

The Margins.

I’m in grad school. Yes, I am the OLDEST student in my class this semester at St Edward’s University, a wonderful private institution that sits on the crest of a hill overlooking the stunning state capitol of Texas and the much-larger University of Texas. Returning to school to pursue a graduate degree has been a passion for years (or perhaps two decades, if one wants to be precise), and finding a program in Global Issues was an answer to prayer. Even if I don’t ever receive the pretty piece of paper at the end of the road, I know the steps I’ve walked have been focused and good.

The class this semester is entitled “Perspectives.” Our professor has defined that as “what it means to be human,” and has walked us down roads of social and political philosophy, psychology, art, and spirituality. I’ve written journals about seeing things from an eternal perspective (something I can’t NOT do) and the beauty of redemption. This journal is a bit different. Thankfully I have an instructor who allows us to speak using more than words. Yes, this video is my assignment. To be perfectly honest, I don’t really care about the grade – the beauty in the margins is far greater to me. God is Father to the fatherless. And He makes beautiful things.