Gaining a heart of wisdom
I've added a hymnal to the pile of books I tote between laundry room and dining room table on the daily. Starting at page one, I've been working my way through the familiar and the unfamiliar and then recording a line that stands out to me in my journal. Playing hymnal roulette is not even… Continue reading The November Book Talk: Where Reading Friends Give Thanks
Sunday Scripture We're half way through November, and maybe, like me, you're wondering how this has happened. Somehow, even with all the things we're NOT doing because of the pandemic, life has managed to fill itself up with activity and distractions that keep us in full-steam-ahead mode most of the time. One of the first… Continue reading Invite Vigilant Gratitude to Wake Up Your Prayer Life
Thirty years ago, I married into a family that celebrated Thanksgiving Day with All-American fervor, featuring a day-long gathering and a loaded table. As the new bride, I was eager to prove that I had what it took to be the holiday hostess. Having done my research, I had planned all the best sides, multiple-choice… Continue reading Gratitude: Look at the Loss and then Give Thanks
Sunday Scripture According to the Apostle Paul, gratitude is more than a pumpkin-spice-feeling. It is a matter of obedience to the will of God. Author and poet Wendell Berry put words into the mouth of a fictional, elderly widow named Hannah Coulter who, in addition to being a crackerjack farmhand when needed and probably making… Continue reading Gratitude: A Matter of Obedience to the Will of God
Movement outside my window is a continual distraction this time of year. Leaves floating down in vibrant shades of turmeric and cayenne pull my attention away from the pan on the stove, the recipe on the counter, the book I’m trying to read. The autumn foliage is breathtaking on this country hill, and I’m reminded… Continue reading The October Book Talk: Where Reading Friends Love to Gather
Sunday Scripture Ready or not, soon we will be immersed in Christmas scenes and memes, countdowns and shopping guides, and among them will be the exhortation to believe in the magic of Christmas. Every year, snowy backdrops and Santa hats inspire us with the single word: Believe... John's Gospel sets the word believe on center… Continue reading What Do You Mean When You Say You Believe?
My schedule is undergoing a radical transformation as I learn the choreography of a different life. For twenty-one years, I have read stacks of books, supervised science experiments in my kitchen, and attempted to explain why math rules hardly ever change while spelling rules hardly ever stay the same. Homeschooling extended my stay-at-home mum role… Continue reading How Will You Respond to the Call of a Gathering God?
Sunday Scripture Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."Matthew 7:7-8 Have you ever heard this verse used like a blank check? I'll confess, when… Continue reading What Is Jesus REALLY Promising?
On Monday night, a crew of wonderful women landed at my house for chili and chowder--or chowdah if you're from around here. Our last pre-COVID gathering had been in February, and while we've been worshiping weekly in our lawn chairs under God's blue sky, I was beginning to miss our closer sharing of the truth… Continue reading There Is Wisdom in Listening to the Lack
Sunday Scripture The 1971 Broadway musical Godspell was controversial among Christians in small town New England, but a brave choral conductor dared to have her high school ensemble sing selections from it at a concert I attended as an elementary school student. Remember cassette recorders? My parents recorded everything with ours, and I nearly wore… Continue reading See, Love, Follow: What Keeps You from Seeing Clearly?
