Gaining a heart of wisdom
The Romantic Rationalist -- edited by John Piper and David Mathis: A Book Review Even though he died over fifty years ago; Even though he was an atheist during his early adult life; Even though, as a confirmed Anglican churchman, he never jumped onto the evangelical bandwagon, C.S. Lewis's popularity as an author is greater… Continue reading The Head and Heart Behind Narnia
Keep It Shut by Karen Ehman: A Book Review Whether you enter every room mouth-first or just struggle with an angry outburst from time to time; Whether you habitually turn the prayer chain into a gossip group or just lapse occasionally into insecurity-fed flattery; Wherever you fall on the sliding continuum of the blab-o-meter, you've… Continue reading Zip It!
Mothering from Scratch by Melinda Means and Kathy Helgemo: A Book Review When my four boys were all very small, there were days when I could have argued that I was too strict, and then heaped guilt upon myself for being too lenient -- all within one hour's time. When my mind and heart were in… Continue reading Throw Out the Cookie Cutters
"They laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. "* Not exactly the stuff of which a "life verse" or a New Year's Resolution is made, But five times in Nehemiah's counter-clockwise tour of the wall we are confronted: What's the point of a walled city if the gates are not… Continue reading Just One Thing: Gates
The Financially Confident Woman by Mary Hunt: A Book Review "Don't you have to have lots of money if you're going to 'manage' it?" "I don't/can't do financial stuff." This mindset might keep you from reading the new edition of Mary Hunt's book, but you wouldn't expect to find that the author of a half dozen books… Continue reading Take Charge of Your Money and Your Life
Maybe the abundance of "picture perfect" lives on social media has made me cynical. Maybe I've been tenderized by the fact that my family has grown to a point where everyone offers (brutally) honest feedback on just what it was like to grow up Morin. Whatever the reason, when I read Nehemiah 3, and its eighteen occurrences of "next to… Continue reading Just One Thing: Camaraderie
Fierce Convictions by Karen Swallow Prior: A Book Review In order for Hannah More to be truly Hannah More, she had to challenge nearly every aspect of her cultural context. Fierce Convictions is richly historical and rooted deeply in the period straddling the 18th and 19th centuries, because it is impossible to appreciate the impact of… Continue reading An Exuberant Life
Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled by Martin Lloyd Jones: A Book Review Sometimes we get it all wrong when we read Scripture. We translate sentences through a syrupy grid of sentimentality ("Oh, that's so comforting . . ."), when what we are looking at is a command. Do this. Thus begins sermon number one of… Continue reading Do You Want a Quiet Heart?
The way in which a person responds to opposition reveals the stuff he's made of. Nehemiah had barely unpacked his toothbrush in the ruined city of Jerusalem when his enemies started sharpening their swords -- and their tongues. Commentator Derek Kidner writes, "Sanballat and Tobiah throw a long shadow over the story." The truth is that without… Continue reading Just One Thing: Opposition
Light Upon Light Compiled by Sarah Arthur: A Book Review The problem with reviewing a book like Light Upon Light is that Sarah Arthur has done such a fine job explaining her purpose in the introduction that anything I say feels superfluous. As a guide to prayer during the season of Advent, she has compiled a rich assortment of… Continue reading Slow Christmas
Living Our Days 