Gaining a heart of wisdom
Bread dough the color of molasses yielded to the pressure of my working fist. Fold, press, turn, repeat, and soon I lost count of how many times I had kneaded the fragrant lump. With the recipe calling for three hundred repetitions, I began to wonder— Three hundred? Really? But switching to the heel of my… Continue reading Creating the Conditions for Spiritual Growth
Sunday Scripture After a long night of empty-net fishing, seven discouraged disciples turned their boat toward shore. The surprise of an early morning Jesus-sighting and the gift of an unexpected and bountiful catch turned their day upside down, and their shore-side picnic with Jesus is one of my favorite New Testament images. What's not to… Continue reading Breakfast for Your Body and the Bread of Life for Your Soul
A great gift that accompanies every invitation to speak at women's events is the opportunity to observe and to learn from leaders in a variety of contexts: What's working for them? How often do they meet? How does their leadership team function? I love working with the women at the church I call home. We've… Continue reading Innovative Solutions for Women’s Ministry Leaders
Sunday Scripture I crave wisdom even more than a single-digit jeans size. All the time, I come face to face with the realization that intelligence, talent, cleverness, or stellar SAT scores pale in comparison to the house-building wisdom of Proverbs 14:1. The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one… Continue reading Making a Commitment to the Wise Building Life
When the clock ticks down to midnight and the calendar hangs fresh and unsullied, we resolve to do great things. We'll drop ten pounds, eat our veggies, and work out. We'll crack open a new journal and read through the Old Testament by June. With iron in our soul, we'll begin a new year, a… Continue reading Staying on Course: Happy New Year from Ninevah
Because of his size, our St. Bernard can't be trusted with just any bone or chew toy. Large and practically indestructible, his favorite toy stays in the family room where it can keep him occupied on family movie nights. Sometimes we have to adjust the volume on the t.v. to accommodate the sound of Tucker's… Continue reading Chew on the Truth–and Transform Your Life
Sunday Scripture But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so… Continue reading All You Have to Be Is Desperate
Portrait #1 My friend Lori does not fit the profile for a church treasurer. With gifts that lend themselves more to giving hugs than to writing checks, and with a ready smile that makes her a favorite with all the kids in the school cafeteria where she works every day, she has persevered in faithfulness… Continue reading Portraits of Endurance to Jumpstart Your New Year
Sunday Scripture Double digit temperatures and wintry sunshine called me outdoors. The dog and I headed for the wooded trails where the ground was frozen solid with no mud and very little ice to speak of. We did speak of it, though, because it was glorious to be walking between rows of bare trees on… Continue reading Today’s Walk is Today’s Blessing
As a true fan of certainty, I am filled with longing whenever I read Old Testament stories in which God shows up in unmistakable clarity. He speaks from a bush on fire, gives audible instructions for travel, and issues a rebuke from between the squared off teeth of a donkey. Even when Samuel, young and… Continue reading How Do You Know if You Are Called to Be a Writer?
