Gaining a heart of wisdom
Sunday Scripture God is the ocean, and we keep writing about a cup of water."Charlie Peacock, musician and producer One cannot be too careful about one's reading material, especially at thirty thousand feet where confined airplane space and a four hour flight leave plenty of room for pondering a powerful metaphor. "God is the ocean,… Continue reading Will You Play It Safe–or Will You Take on the Ocean?
During the week following the horrific death of George Floyd, I was traveling to meet my brand new grandson. Snatches of news and heartbreaking social media posts were my only connection to the "real world," and in the quiet hours of holding a newborn, this slow processor of current events had all the time I… Continue reading How to Live in a World of Difference
Sunday Scripture For me, Round One was not such that I would have predicted a mushy Father’s Day blog post in my future. (Who would have ever predicted blogs, anyway?) My experience with this Hallmark holiday was aptly described by author, Leslie Leyland Fields: Some will turn away from thirty minutes at the card rack empty-handed and sad.”… Continue reading Father’s Day: A New and Better Celebration
One day, I stopped apologizing for my boring salvation story. While it's true that "I once was lost but now am found," there was no dramatic Damascus Road turnaround for me, no potty mouth to disinfect or cigarettes to snuff out. The real miracle, though, was that God landed with grace in the unseen muck… Continue reading Hope for the Hearts of Saints and Scoundrels
Sunday Scripture Patriotic holidays seem to be slipping by me this year. The challenge of distinguishing one day from another only complicates my nose-to-the-grindstone manner of living during this season of recovery from pandemic. In years past, we created red, white, and blue T-shirts with copious globs of fabric paint every Memorial Day and then… Continue reading Working Hard at the Practice of Patriotism
First impressions are usually lasting, and that was certainly the case with my introduction to Frederick Buechner, which came through a Luci Shaw poem. She quoted these nourishing words in a season of seeking intimacy with God: "Beat a trail to God long enough, and he will come to you on the trail you have… Continue reading Frederick Buechner’s Beautiful and Terrible World
Sunday Scripture Spring is the season of hyperbole. Here in Maine, we live in the grip of winter's clutches long after the calendar makes its equinox announcement--picture a foot of snow the week before Mother's Day! Therefore, when yellow and green begin to show up in earnest, my eyes can't take it in fast enough.… Continue reading Get Used to the Idea of Abundance
My ten-thousand-steps-a-day routine is a lot easier to accomplish in June than in January, the month when we all set our intentions for the year. The green world beckons, the garden needs tending, and our mowing business is in full steam ahead mode. (On a recent six-lawn Wednesday, I passed the ten thousand step mark… Continue reading It’s Time to Conquer that Midyear Bible Reading Slump
Sunday Scripture I logged some fairly intense conversations with God the day the transmission blew in our faithful truck--the one that hauls all the equipment for our lawn mowing business. "Really?" "Now?" "God, are you unaware that grass is beginning to grow here in Mid-Coast Maine?" I'm well aware that God is sovereign even over… Continue reading Holy Indifference to the Loss of All Things
There's never been a time or a season quite like the one we are bearing witness to today. Here, at the end of May, we alternate between wanting to whoop and holler, "Freedom!" in our loudest spring voices--and wanting to keep everyone safe in a bubble of virus-free air for at least another six weeks.… Continue reading Concerning the Times and the Seasons: Spring 2020
Living Our Days 