Gaining a heart of wisdom
Not in the curl of smoke from cozy fire; Not in the fir trees, cloaked in snowy white; Nor chickadees in formal dark attire; Not in the wintry stars' pinpricks of light; Neither in the window candles, spilling Their golden rays across the powdered ground; Nor in the crimson berries' vivid contrast To holly's green… Continue reading Christmas Eve on the Hill
In the every day of my walking-around life, heart and mind collaborate. Putting a note in my patient husband's lunch communicates love, but, in my case, it is likely to be motivated by knowledge: he's having a rough week; he did something terrific that I want to thank him for; the day ahead holds special… Continue reading The Apostles’ Creed for the 21st Century
Words are important. Just ask my grandson. He'll tell you all about "boots," and "socks." "Balls" and "buttons." And he'll point these items out to you in the most unlikely places -- where you would never have noticed them yourself. He is in the process of finding words for all the most important things in… Continue reading Words Matter
What if every little person could grow up knowing that she is lovely because God loves her? What if everything in the sky and under the sky were suddenly revealed as mirrors, reflecting God's huge "I LOVE YOU." What if the Bible could be understood NOT as a book of rules or as a dusty collection… Continue reading Every Story Whispers His Name
My sixteen-year old and I are laboring over chemistry together these days, and his textbook has decreed that we are not to move on to Chapter 5 until he is confident in balancing equations. We're not going anywhere right away, so . . . We have spent this week with a printed worksheet of fifty chemical equations,… Continue reading Hard-wired for Awe
Even in the mid-90’s, no one was still listening to records anymore, but, for me, there is still some Christmas music that must be heard against the crackling of needle on vinyl. Classical guitar, organ and chimes, brass quintets – all instrumental arrangements of ancient carols whose lyrics, inscribed in memory like grooves on the… Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid – Just Believe
Pastor and author Kyle Idleman did an informal survey via social media with just one question. "Finish this sentence: Jesus became real when . . ." The hundreds of responses he received, some general ("I had no one else to turn to.") and some specific ("My husband was killed in a car accident."), could be… Continue reading Filling Empty Things
There is something so motivational (and yet ominous) about the truth that we become like what we behold. In the routine of life, I may go through days half asleep. Or worse yet, I may come to the startling realization that I’m paying attention to all the wrong things. This is why I am thankful every Christmas that the… Continue reading Behold Christmas — What Do You See?
For many, the Christmas story stands alone, lifted with huge parentheses out of the New Testament -- maybe delivered in Linus's hushed boy soprano, and then tucked away with the durable resin nativity set and the white twinkly lights until next year. It's a great story, so it's easy to see why authors of every creed… Continue reading Words About THE WORD: Recommended Reads for Christmas
Out loud and together. That's how my patient husband and I are reading through the Bible this year, and, believe it or not, we're just about on schedule! Right now we are taking in the book of Acts in great gulps, two or three chapters at a time interspersed with the corresponding epistles. That breathless pace… Continue reading To the End of the Earth
Living Our Days 