eileenslifer's

Posts

Answering the Call

(cross posted from my studio newsletter, dated yesterday December 1) At 10:21 pm on Thanksgiving evening, as I was laying in bed (early for me) exhausted by so much, I heard my cell phone ringing. I looked at it, and was surprised to see that it was a very elderly woman–a repeat customer over many years–ringing my phone. “This is so odd,” I thought to myself. The woman, who is 93 years old, lives in another state. I had not...

Shock Value and Judges 19

I recently was listening through the book of Judges and a story I had not previously taken particular note of (imagine that, as you read on…) caught my attention for the first time. And a little further reading embedded some new facts into my mind for biblical stories and history. I think a valuable part of truly learning and remembering something is getting to retell it in your own words. I’m going to do that, knowing I may get a...

The Realm of Possibilities…

Out of curiosity, on my drive back from a caricature gig in Hershey tonight I decided to take a slight detour to explore the realm of possibilities… It was getting late–nearly 11:30 pm–and the big part of me wondered if this would be some wild goose chase taking me 15 minutes out of my way for absolutely no good reason. But…in my mind…I kept contemplating the realm of possibilities… What if…could it possibly be…I pondered…as I made a right turn...

The Path of Least Resistance

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about difficulties and opposition, thwarting and wearing one down of a human in their strength to resist various courses of easy, forward movement. What does God’s Word have to tell us about following easy pathways?Off the top of my head, the following scriptures are coming to mind: I am increasingly weary and tired in a number of ways at times (in between experiencing God’s strength or His carrying of my weights for a time)...

Somewhere Between Manna and Maslow

Awhile back I was in conversation with a close friend over various things and stresses in my life and how it was making me feel. I recall at one point she indicated that my feelings were understandable because of “Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs”–she said something like, “Your basic needs are still not being consistently met.” I do remember learning Maslow’s theory in college. If I were to sum it up (as I understand it) beyond the quick visual below, it...

The Neural Pathways of Suffering

Private Ryan: Tell me about your wife and the rose bushes? The Captain: No. No, that one I save just for me. ~Saving Private Ryan teaching scene There are a number of deeply thought-provoking scenes in the film Saving Private Ryan. In one of them, the Captain and Private Ryan are together in intimate conversation which the young soldier initiates. He asks the Captain, “Are you alright sir?” And when the Captain gives him a protective lie that he’s fine,...