Gaining a heart of wisdom
People have a tendency to view the population of the world on a continuum. Everyone whose ideas and opinions are to the left of mine is, by definition, "a liberal," and is to be most conscientiously converted to my way of thinking. Everyone whose ideas and opinions place them to the right of me on this imaginary… Continue reading Lonely on the Pinnacle of Truth
Character development is my favorite part of reading a book, whether it's a work of fiction, a biography, or an historical account. The individual's motivation, inner dialogue, sense of humor, use of language, and interaction with other characters is fascinating to observe. In Empire's End, Jerry Jenkins has taken on the challenge of melding a… Continue reading Rounding Out the Narrative
My faith unraveled at a Christian college. I know that’s not the way it’s supposed to happen, and I can remember wishing that a hostile, atheistic professor had bludgeoned me into my doubts with brilliantly irrefutable arguments. It would make for a much better story. Instead, the truth is I just got numb. The constant… Continue reading Finding the Way Forward
I wasn't born yesterday, so I could see it coming. The family lawn mowing business has been getting bigger every year, giving rise to spin-offs where, one after the other, the boys have bought their own equipment, found their own customers, and moved on, leaving . . . yup. She who used to just make… Continue reading I Love You Mow-er Every Year!
In Becoming Myself, Stasi Eldredge endeared herself to me in the first two pages with her sword-through-the-heart story about one-size-fits-all bathrobes at the spa she didn't want to go to in the first place. As a call to freedom and wholeness, the book is inspiring for cover-to-cover reading, but I see a greater role for it as part… Continue reading He Sings Over You with Love
Seventy years ago, on April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for his role in the German resistance movement against the Hitler regime. At age 39, he left behind a fiancée, his parents, and several siblings, but even more significant are his legacy of courage and his sound theological reasoning which live on. … Continue reading Bonhoeffer Remembered
The unhappy truth is that most of us doubt our significance. We measure our importance on the wrong scale, compare ourselves to make-believe beauties, and gaze longingly at the well-behaved children, spit-polished kitchen floors, and scintillating careers of all the "successful" women. We do the calculations -- a right muddled math -- and come away feeling less-than. Our… Continue reading Because You Are Worth It
In Ephesians 3, Paul bends over backwards and strains his amazing mental thesaurus to communicate to his readers that God is the very essence of abundance. Given this, what do we do when our hearts need truth in the moment? When all that our eyes can see feels like "not enough"? In days of abundance,… Continue reading Preserved
There is nothing more satisfying to a list-maker than a series of neat, orderly check marks. Every day, I live by “the list,” and this practice has served me well, rescuing me from missed appointments, ensuring that my children show up when and where they are expected, and reminding me of phone calls, ministry responsibilities… Continue reading Thy List Be Done
Archaeologists have unearthed a tale to delight the heart of every conservative in America, and to answer the question posed by Warren Cole Smith and John Stonestreet in Restoring All Things. How can the church act in ways that are restorative and life-giving without being reactionary? The story is set in Ephesus, seat of Artemis… Continue reading Fire Bearers
Living Our Days 