Gaining a heart of wisdom
"God spends the day elsewhere, but He sleeps in Rwanda." This may be a popular saying in that East African country, but my view of Rwanda has been shaped by 1990's era news reports of violence, genocide, and war. Jonathan David Golden has spent a few nights in Rwanda himself, and the result of that… Continue reading Created to Make a Difference
I've heard it many times and from the most unexpected sources: "I try to read the Bible, but . . . it doesn't seem to say anything to me. I don't understand what I'm reading. It doesn't help me, so I end up quitting . . " Set this response beside David's from Psalm 119:… Continue reading Knowable, Necessary, and Enough
Peeling potatoes for dinner, I was listening to music -- a lovely arrangement around a poem by Robert Frost. Of course, I couldn't help but sing along until . . . "BONG!" The clock in the living room began chiming the hour. The sudden dissonance stopped my singing, but not my enjoyment, because I love that clock,… Continue reading The Temporary Dissonance
"Look at all that beauty!" I thought to myself as I drove by the fallow winter field. Tall, gangly sunflowers, slightly stooped, and in all likelihood stripped bare by hungrily harvesting chipmunks, stood in a huddled threesome at each corner of a fenced-off garden spot. I love sunflowers in all their seasons, but it would… Continue reading Your Gift Is a Platform for God’s Glory
In matters of relationship, a teaspoonful of doing is worth more than a bushel- basket full of knowing. We've all read Dobson and Chapman and Eggerichs until we've become so accountable before God with all our knowledge that we are clearly without excuse. So, while it's become a tired cliché, it is no less true: … Continue reading 10 Words to Consider Before Becoming a Husband
We had just moved into the area, bought a house, welcomed our first baby, and settled into a new church. The house was definitely a fixer-upper, but we were determined to start practicing hospitality, so we had a steady stream of company, including a dear lady who sat next to me in the alto section of… Continue reading Diligent Use of the Word of God
Ash Wednesday is following hard on the heels of Groundhog's Day this year, and while retailers are throwing heart and soul into Valentine's Day, I find that my heart is more prepared to celebrate Easter if I spend some time during the Lenten season reading about the two historical events that are central to Christianity: the cross and… Continue reading One Weekend in Jerusalem
From time to time, I experiment with timelessness by taking off my watch. That naked wrist feels as daring and vulnerable as a bathing suit in a January blizzard, while every glance to check the time quickens my pulse to the rhythm of the question that my heart needs to hear: What’s your hurry? Contriving… Continue reading What’s Your Hurry?
Author Marilynne Robinson offers a stunning and succinct summary of the Old Testament in one sentence: "Stop doing this to yourselves!" The endless downward spiral of a nation is difficult to read. The voice of God comes to the people and they disobey. He forgives and rescues them from their mess -- and they rebel… Continue reading An Urgent Rest
Getting older seems to level the relational playing field -- at least that's what I'm finding. The past ten years have been enriched by relationships with women of all ages who have come to my Sunday school class or have attended our women's group. I'm always surprised to find common ground with younger women with whom, if it had been possible… Continue reading The Gentle Art of Discipling Women
Living Our Days 