"May" I Interest You?

May 2025 Newsletter: On hearing Jesus, authors, travel ideas, & more!

May 01, 2025

“Flower Trio” a Watercolor and Ink painting by Brooke Zoller

What I’ve Been Pondering Lately…

When I go on a walk with my grandchildren, my granddaughter is in a stroller and my grandson walks beside me holding my hand. I ask him, “Do you have your listening ears on?” He looks at me and nods his head yes. We walk a little further and in an even quieter voice, I ask him, “Do you still have your listening ears on?” He looks up at me, nods again and we continue on our walk.

Why am I asking him this?

To teach him my voice and to keep him safe.

I wonder if God asks the same thing of us?

Do you have your listening ears on?

Are you and I attuned to his soft, quiet voice?

Would we be able to hear him over the noise, sin, or distractions in our daily life?

Afterall, he’s just wanting to keep us safe.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” - John 10:28

a herd of sheep grazing on a lush green field — Photo by Rafael Hoyos Weht on Unsplash

Where is my bookmark?

My husband and I have been taking turns reading to each other George MaHood’s books and thoroughly enjoying these shared experiences! George’s books are highly entertaining, and we have laughed so hard on some of his experiences in such books as: Free Country, Not Tonight, Josephine and Travels with Rachel. I’m curious if you’ve read any of these? And if you need a lighter, often funny read, give one of these a try!

Author Spotlight: Ian Morgan Cron One of the best books I’ve read in my adult life has to be his Chasing Francis book. It is rare that I read a book a second time, but I have with this one. To me, it just really speaks to what a Christian should be about. As Cron says, “Jesus wants us to literally FOLLOW him, not just admire.” This book speaks to the authentic Christian life and has staying power. “True holiness is so often swaddled in the simple,” Cron adds, and one of my all-time favorite quotes from him,

“Everything we see in Creation is a reflection of the Creator.”

I’ve also enjoyed his enneagram book, The Story of You as well as his memoir, Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me.

Children’s Book Feature of the Month: Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle. My imagination used to run wild over this delightful story when I was a little girl. The book begins the adventurous happenings of a little mouse finding a toy motorcycle that was left behind by a little boy! Beverly Cleary said she wrote this book for reluctant readers. Do yourself and your child(ren) a favor and read this one out loud together this summer!

Special note: If you are a fan of children’s books and/or children’s authors, have I got a treat for you coming mid-May! Subscribe here:

The Pondering’s Playlist:

Have you ever listened to Cascade Hills Worship? I can’t wait to share them with you, here’s your chance!

Give Day by Day a listen, worship Jesus and be blessed!

Scottie Travels:

To travel is to live and grow!

This month let’s go to… Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

We had the best time exploring this city and think you might too! Milwaukee is located on the western shore of beautiful Lake Michigan! We stayed at an area bed and breakfast and enjoyed the home and the hosts. Do you like B&B’s, hotels, VRBO’s, or camping - Milwaukee has it all! We loved eating at Lazy Susan, Centraal and Lulu’s, and don’t forget the best ice cream at Leon’s Custard. Plan some hours to stroll about their wonderful airy and bright Art Museum downtown or how about taking an informative, narrated tour to learn all about the city? Bike, walk or run at Lake Michigan and soak up this spring’s sunshine with your spouse or with your family, it’s a great getaway! If you go or have been here, let me know!

Packing tip: Learn to pack less. Challenge yourself to carry-on luggage, it makes traveling so much easier. Let the kids pack and pull their own suitcases with supervision. Pack mix and match outfits with 1-2 pairs of shoes, 1 jacket (if needed) and travel size items. I heard a rumor on our last trip that TSA may be doing away with “packing liquids separately in a baggie” and I, for one, will be so glad! What’s your favorite packing tip, share with us in the comments so we all can learn!

cityscape during nighttime — Milwaukee Photo by Wei Zeng on Unsplash

As we wrap up this month…

Ponder This:

A wise friend once told me that it’s good to have a friend 10 years older and a friend 10 years younger than you are. What do you think the benefits of this are? Do you have this in your life currently?

The Pondering Scottie

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