Susandoodles

Susandoodles

Love God, love life, love one another.

Susan is trained in journalism, teaching and ministry;
now retired, the blog provides a means to continue sharing thoughts.

  • I-70 Sports Link: KC Chiefs & KC Royals

                      Panic settled upon me after hearing how driven the state of Kansas has become in  its effort to lure, entice, kidnap the KC Chiefs across state lines. Wouldn’t that be a federal offense?                   The same sense of panic sat in when Jackson County failed to renew the tax for the KC Royals in April.                     Why panic?  I

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  • Two sides of greatest gift: Giving love, receiving love

    During the past few months, I have had the honor of officiating at two funerals, and yesterday I attended a third funeral.  There is one resounding principle that keeps ringing in my ears:  the greatest gift ever is love. Yesterday’s funeral was for a member of my church family of 28 years.  I came to this community to

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  • Jumbled thoughts . . .

    I finished reading C. S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity.  Maybe that is why I am struggling with jumbled thoughts.  I know it was a good thing to have read the book, but I am simply can’t seem to find the words to speak about it. Of course, I am continuing to read the Bible through that year-long plan

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  • Time to study and for life, too

    Making the commitment to read the entire Bible in the year was a goal I had long put off doing.  I have read and studied the Bible, but to follow a specific published reading plan and stick to it! Well, here fall is upon us and I am still on schedule.  I am nearing the end of

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  • Praying the Psalms VII + final: Throughout it all, praise the Lord

    The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and what echoes in my ears:      This is the day that the Lord has made;         let us rejoice and be glad in it. (NRSV) These words come from Psalm 118:24 and have been part of my life as long as I can remember, whether it was from

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  • Praying the Psalms VI: Remember those camp songs?

    Growing up I was in 4-H and UMYF.  In both of these groups, we learned camp songs.  Interestingly these songs were basically the same.   You may remember them:   John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, Tell Me Why Row, Row, Row Your Boat Kookaburra He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands Kumbaya And I know there are so many

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  • Praying the Psalms V: Pleas and Praise apply today

    Life just keeps us hopping, doesn’t it?  Even though we can establish a daily routine and settle into a comfortable pace, surprises develop. Certainly the wreck, now over four weeks ago, was a surprise and life suddenly forced a change to daily routines.  But, the days keep moving forward and new routines are established. In the midst

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  • Praying the Psalms IV: Or at least I had hoped . . .

    For two weeks I have failed to finish a blog posting and feel frustrated. Due to my husband’s truck wreck, I have found myself managing time differently.  And I have not been able to sit down in quiet and gather my thoughts. Yet, I have worked hard to keep up with my daily Bible study and the

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  • Praying the psalms III: . . . no such thing as a coincidence

    Mom said, “There is no such thing as a coincidence, it is a Godincidence.” Sadly today, I do not remember the exact circumstance when my mom told me this, but these words have echoed in my mind time and time again. These words have guided me in times that others would just toss off as a coincidence.

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  • Praying the psalms II: Looking at Ps 51 through 2019 eyes

    Personal note: Some weeks are crazier than others as we all know. Today’s post is a short thought with scripture passages added in. I trust that you understand how the ideas are wrapped in scripture. Last week I shared about the phrase, “Praying the psalms.”  Thinking about how to take ancient literature into a 21stcentury has

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  • “Praying the Psalms”: Heard about the phrase. Read, studied the psalms. Finally I understand why.

    Over the past decade, I have heard the phrase “praying the psalms, but it never seemed like something I needed to understand. Then I began the year of rest and renewal.   The first thing I did was start reading—not church related prep material, but fun reading.  Oddly enough I picked up the novel series of the Yada

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  • Words do hurt! Words mirror hearts.

    One week off from writing, and I struggle to focus on what words I should share.  Words are powerful tools and they can also be powerful weapons.  I pray that my words are tools for positive change in one’s life, not a weapon or hurtful to those who read/hear them. Not only am I working through a

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