Heart Hope by Olga

Last Saturday, I put total trust in 2 men I had never met along with a cable, and two large metal clips, a cloth harness, a plastic helmet and a funny little sliding metal piece. Not much to it, but I flung myself off of a cliff trusting that the men knew what they were doing and that the negligible equipment would hold me high above the plunging valley 200 feet beneath me. I went zip lining thr ough Wolcott’s beautiful Alkali Creek Canyon on one of the top 10 rated courses in the world. I started off with the backwards trust fall, rode tandem with a buddy and ended the sixth phase by gliding over 1000 feet through the air at approximately 30 miles an hour. From the first moment to the last it was a fun filled afternoon with a great group of women, each pushing ourselves to new limits, trying things that took us out of our comfort zones and coming away feeling empowered. The question of the day for me was how can I trust complete strangers and just a few pieces of equ...

The lone tree sits perched on the side of the mountain. Forests of trees are above it and beside it, but one tree stands alone on the slope side. How and why are my two questions regarding the tree. How did a seed find the perfect spot on the rocky terrain to plant itself and grow into an evergreen? Why aren’t other trees growing on the landscape with the beautiful view? Did the tree allow the wind to carry its seed far away from its original home? Was it persistent in trying to find a crack in the rocks that would permit it to grow into the mature tree? Did it long to be different and extraordinary?   Did it want to have more the mundane lifestyle of the forest? Did it desire greatness and individuality? As you know that tree probably had no decision making ability in where and how it grew, but we as free-will humans do have a choice. We can choose to be a part of the group; we can choose to be connected with the norm; we can choose if we want the safe zone. Or ...

Cora is one of my favorite children at church. With her big eyes and blonde hair, she’s simply irresistible. As I passed her in the Fellowship Hall a couple of Sundays ago, she stopped me to find out which large pot had the hot water, because she wanted to make herself some tea. As I suspected, the urn was empty; what Cora really wanted was for me to solve the problem of an 8 year old. I had been in a hurry to exit the building, but I couldn’t resist the smile, the pleading eyes and the cup complete with teabag and all. So we filled the paper cup with water, nuked it for 2 minutes and voila tea was made and a little girl was happy. The whole encounter was less than 5 minutes, but what better way could those few minutes have been spent? How often do I rush around and miss similar opportunities just because I am in a hurry? All she did was ask and all I did was respond to her simple request. If she hadn’t asked I wouldn’t have known that she was in need and we would have bot...

Six year old Jamison sauntered up to my desk clutching a plastic carton of fillable Easter eggs. As she proudly placed them on my desk, I realized what they were--resurrection eggs. Her teacher at school had provided them with instructions and materials so that each child would be able to take the set home and tell others the story. She carefully opened each egg, recounting the story of Palm Sunday and Good Friday by telling me that the palm frond was what people laid on the ground when they shouted Hosanna; the thorns from the rose bush represented the crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head; the gauze represented the cloths that Jesus was wrapped in for burial and so on.  When she got to the egg numbered 12 she opened it with anticipation, almost throwing it open and announced that it was empty as if she was surprised. But Jamison excitedly proclaimed that it represented the empty tomb...that Jesus wasn't there. To Christians around the world that simple stat...

Mother recently reminded me of the incident that happened when I was an adolescent. Even though I didn’t recall it happening, it is profound even for today. My grandmother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer at a time when there was not much that they could do other than a total mastectomy and radiation. Often times it was like a death sentence. Surrounded by loved ones she was asked a poignant question by my mother - was she upset. The answer that followed tells a lot about the woman, her faith and her relationship with her Lord. “I will be fine after I go to Gethsemane,” she responded. It might seem an odd response, but what she meant was that she needed to get alone with her Father and pray about her dire situation. And once she had told Him her desires she could then repeat the words that Jesus had spoken, “If you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Grandmother had a difficult situation to face, but we all have some ...