Gaining a heart of wisdom
“Wait,” He said and locked His gaze with eleven pairs of eyes brimming with question marks. “Wait. I have been your constant companion for three years, walking long deserted roads, sharing our meager meals, and sleeping under the stars. I have answered your questions and rebuked your faithlessness, and now it is time for me to… Continue reading Pentecost Sunday: Life in the Interim Time and Waiting Fulfilled
Sometimes afternoon lands heavy and hard. The morning caffeine has long expired, the daily to-do list looms unfinished, and it’s clear I’m going to run out of energy before I run out of day. That’s when the brownies in the pantry start crooning my name. The open carton of mint chocolate chip in the freezer… Continue reading Celebrate the Glorious Partnership of Willpower and God’s Power
When grown-up sons fly the nest, sometimes the parents take wing as well. Circling the breathtaking terrain and then landing in full view of the Colorado Rockies feels a bit like landing on the moon for eyes accustomed to the gently sloping ranges of Mid-Coast Maine. Look out the window, and there’s Pike’s Peak on… Continue reading Can You Perceive the Glory of God in Your Ordinary Surroundings?
If I learned anything at all from twenty-one years of homeschooling it is this: the daunting, two-inch-thick school book is managed in daily assignments, one lesson at a time over the course of an entire school year. If we persevere, we will be able to say in June, “We did it!” Thirty summers and thirty… Continue reading What Story Do You Want to Be Able to Tell?
When I was in college, my mother would mail small packages filled with improbable gifts. Her favorite was soap. Apparently, she believed there was none available in northeast Georgia, so she would, from her meager income, purchase soap and then pay for the postage to ship it to me. Invariably, she would also send cookies… Continue reading Three Gifts We Can Give to Our Adult Children this Mother’s Day
Four hundred years ago, Shakespeare penned a speech for Macbeth, a character who needed a moment on stage to lament the meaningless, pointless nature of his own life: Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,To the last syllable of recorded time;And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to… Continue reading Are You Looking for a Good Reason to Keep on Being?
Do people still sing congregational hymns at weddings? I can't recall the last time I was invited to stand, grab a hymnal or read from the program in order to sing a few verses of a hymn at a wedding. However, I do remember singing "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" at my own wedding.… Continue reading Why Your Marriage Just Might Need the Help of a Shepherd
As parents, we want what’s best for our children because we love them. Our perception of what's "best," therefore, shapes our prayers for our kids. We suffer over their failures and rejoice with them when success comes. Sadly, our hearts forget that God’s love for our kids is even deeper than our own. We forget… Continue reading When Your Kids Make Poor Choices, Do You Feel Like a Parenting Failure?
My grandchildren are on their way to becoming good skaters. Confident and eager, they know the ropes, so I was just barely present in the semi-circle of parents and grandparents as we listened to the coach's instructions before the kids hit the ice. I could easily have missed his words: "If you feel like you're… Continue reading Staying on Your Feet is Really All About Grace
Long ago and far away there were six men, wise indeed, but, alas, they were all without sight. An opinionated lot, every single one, in the course of their wanderings, they happened to meet an elephant standing squarely in the center of their path. Feeling duty-bound to report on his discovery, the first wise man… Continue reading A Fable About Beginning to Overcome Our Need to Be Right
Living Our Days 