by Sharon O | Oct 8, 2026 | Uncategorized
Change happens to all of us.
At some point in time, we will move, we will change jobs, we will find new friends, not to take the place of our old friends but to fill our ‘desire’ for a close friend, now time.
I have had friends move away and we still talk and share and keep in touch but it’s not the same as an everyday friend close by that can be available for coffee or tea and a long heart to heart talk.
It is something that takes effort on my part to find and encourage a new friendship and it is possible, but I need to make it a priority.
I have had friends who eventually wore me out with their personality that was not at all like mine. At first the friendship was nice, but I am not an in-your-face type of person. I will encourage or challenge, but I am not out there in your face. It was exhausting.
So that friendship moved on, and my best friend moved three hours away, it was partly my fault, but she is married now and happy.
Another good friend moved three hours away and that has to be an overnight visit. We enjoy it when we can make it happen.
As we age we don’t need friends like we did in high school we just need someone who is consistent and caring.
A few weekends ago, we met with a couple who we met in the hospital when we were having our son. They had a son too. Both boys are men now over 50 and my goodness we have aged too.
We are in our 70’s they are in their 80’s.
We are good friends even though we see each other a few times a year.
Change happens to all of us.
Time moves forward and we move with it or we stay stuck in hard places of bitterness and anger and or unforgiveness.
We must let the days move forward.
It will all work out in the end and even though change is hard and happens to all of us, we are left with a choice to live in peace or not.
Change happens to all of us and we decide how we will accept it.
by Sharon O | Oct 2, 2026 | Uncategorized
The idea of branding is something that came up in the blog world years ago. If you write you want YOUR style, your name, YOUR words to be unique and in such a way that if someone read your writings, they would know it was you.
My business card and my logo are very similar.
My style of writing is I guess off the cuff with a lot of thinking around it. sometimes an idea comes and I run with it; other times it is a struggle to find words.
My mind right now is focused on the upcoming knee surgery on the
20th. I ask for prayer, and peace and calm.
I desire to come out of it with a better knee and the ability to walk for a distance,
I will continue my writing perhaps journal each day as I heal. I knew there will be much to share and much to go through.
My branding is also Christian focused because without the LORD what would we do?
I cannot share if I am not sharing the love and faithfulness of God,
The other reason my words have been less is a new computer which is a challenge to me.
IT will be OK. I can learn how to use it so I can share matters of MY heart to you all soon, today we are taking a beach break.
it is peace to my soul.
The idea of branding is not a new idea it is just something I have to continually learn and try to do as I can.
photo from our favorite beach in Oregon
by Sharon O | Sep 4, 2026 | Uncategorized
Friendship means to love within many ways and many circumstances.
Part of the series of the upper room shows the meaning of friendship.
Those who were in the room with Jesus were his followers, his friends, his trainees, if you will allow a bit of responsibility put upon them.
He was mentoring them to continue in his footsteps and healings and follow what he had begun in ministry.
Our Pastor said;
It is ACCESS
Meaning to be with Jesus they had to have access to his teachings, his life lessons, his concerns and ministry.
They had to believe in what he was doing.
It is PARTICIPATION
They shared in his day-to-day ministry and followed him
It is shared JOY
They shared in his joy when someone was healed not only were they surprised but they were joyful with him
It is shared SUFFERING
They shared in the suffering he felt when Lazarus died and other instances where suffering often came before a deep healing took place.
It is sitting, not just SOLVING
They learned to sit with him, not try to solve the issue but just sit.
It is Listening while LAMENTING
They learned to listen while they lamented with him (dictionary.com said it is to express sorrow, mourning or regret) with another.
It is ACCOUNTABILITY
They learned accountability when walking with him while he did his ministry. They knew what he was capable of doing and they kept that knowledge close to their hearts.
The ministry and friendship of Jesus was very easy to see when watching the show THE CHOSEN.
You see him in a very real and different way and it is good. It is real and believable. That was the intention of the show.
I think when we have a good friend we tend to move through each of these areas depending on the depth and maturity of the frienship.
To be available and accountable. To have access. To listen and not try to solve the issue but JUST listen. That is a good friend.
I think it is really important to share in the suffering.
To remember matters of Their hearts and to honor where they are in the process and to keep confidential until it’s time or allowed to share.
Friendship means to love someone without any kind of other intention other than to be a friend to them.
by Sharon O | Aug 31, 2026 | Uncategorized
The upper room is a place and has been the topic of our Pastors teaching lately.
It has challenged us to think about the relationships Jesus had with those who followed him and those who listened to his teachings.
You can listen too, if you log into our church website:
Grace Chapel (You tube) Wilsonville Oregon.
The series is well worth your time to find it.
Now back to the teachings.
Jesus prepared those who followed him for his last day of meeting with them. HE KNEW the breaking of the bread, the sharing the cup, the lessons spoken. HE KNEW those would be the last few words he would share with them.
Then he washed their feet which was a huge thing to do back in those days where everyone wore sandals and the feet were dirty.
It was symbolic of what was to come.
IT was challenged by those who he ministered to.
Jesus knew what he was doing and as he moved into the last moments, he let them know. “Someone will betray me tonight. And he is in this room.”
Can you imagine the tension and questions among them?
Who would it be? How would he do it? Why?
I know it would feel very uncomfortable and Jesus challenged that.
What would it look like for us to have a last night with those we cared for? I know I would not wash feet. I am positive I would not be challenging I think and hope I could say good things, words of affirmation to those around me. But we never know how would our last night look like?
Jesus broke bread, and told them, “This is my body, he shared the cup.”
He prepared them, even though they did not understand or try to comprehend what he was saying.
The time has come and they had heard that over and over, yet even at that point, they did not get it.
I think Jesus knew the denial of their hearts would come soon and even though some said to him, “I will never leave you.” when it comes to truth and safety one can change the course pretty fast.
The upper room is a place of soft feelings in the middle of words that are heard from the savior’s heart.
by Sharon O | Aug 20, 2026 | Uncategorized
It’s called cowboy church and it is actually set up at a rodeo arena and grandstands. Our Pastor was invited along with the worship team and other speakers to set up a cowboy church.
The first one they did was at the St Paul Rodeo grounds in St Paul Oregon, one of the most well-known rodeos and highly talked about event in Oregon.
They set the first one up and got it all planned not really knowing how many might attend. After it was over they figured it was about 400 people and with great enthusiasm for more opportunity to share with the rodeo family all around.
The next one will be this Saturday at the Clackamas County fair and rodeo in Canby at 8:00 am.
It is a worship time, a time of being thankful, a time to listen to the messages given by a few key people and of course it is always fun to see our Pastor in jeans and a cowboy hat.
It is actually at the fairgrounds where the bulls and horses and the rodeo families all stay till the evening work begins. We have gone to the rodeo many years. There is something about the traditional rodeo and
events surrounding it.
The next cowboy church will be at the Pendleton roundup which is another very well-known rodeo.
Those who choose to watch the rodeo sit on older grandstands,
they allow those who watch in comfort. And of course, the main part of the rodeo is always the clown, his role is to distract the animals away from the cowboy. Whatever he does is very important in order to keep the cowboy safe and then himself.
The clown also shares jokes and other small events that distract and also borrow time till the big events begin.
I don’t mind the horses and even the bucking broncos, but it is still a dangerous event when one is riding a huge bull with very large horns.
If you have never been to a rodeo some year, go and treat yourself. It is a culture ‘we’ are not accustomed to, but it is pretty cool to watch.
It’s called cowboy church and it is a pretty fun way to worship the Lord.
by Sharon O | Jul 28, 2026 | Uncategorized
The waiting room is an interesting place.
I had three doctor issues yesterday and each one required a time of sitting in a waiting room as I waited for my name to be called.
It is a place that is awkward in the sense that you don’t really talk or carry on a conversation. As if it is known, it is a place of quiet.
Most people sat with their phones and browsed to pass the time away. There are no more magazines since covid, and staring at the walls is not a very exciting choice.
In this place there are a variety of people.
Some were young 20’s and some in their 80’s.
The lady across from me as I waited for an ultrasound was well into her 80’s. Sitting alone. Frail. I wondered what she was doing there alone and why no family was with her. I also wondered what was wrong with her.
There were always the ‘ones’ waiting for labs and or X-rays.
Each has a story and each had a reason to be there.
Each event I had to wait at least 45 minutes or more until they called my name. We ended the time with a meeting with my surgeon about my knee and how he would do my surgery which is now scheduled in October.
This year has been full of recovery and patience and pain and frustration. Slow moving and healing.
This knee is not working like it should and he has to redo it with a replacement knee. What a scary thought.
I will try not to think on the topic of my knee being removed.
He is a great surgeon, and he has done this many times with no problems.
I trust him totally.
Then I have to go through recovery and physical therapy again, and try to sleep without a lot of pain, one more time.
By nature, I have a high pain tolerance, so it is easy to not take pain pills or use other things to help manage it. In January when he did my first surgery, I lived in my chair, and I had used ice a lot.
Never did take pain pills but I am sure this time around I will.
We finally got home after 5 hours in the hospital. I took a hot shower and put my pj’s on to relax.
The waiting room is an interesting place and each time I go there I am often in praise for those who work in the medical field.
It is definitely not something I would want to do.
