Gaining a heart of wisdom
Sunday Scripture One minute you've lit a candle, settled yourself into your favorite chair, and invited the Spirit to settle your heart. Beginning the day in peace and trust, you've made promises to yourself and to God about how the coming day will be. Then, life arrives with a roar, and suddenly you are Wile… Continue reading Why is Peace so Hard to Come By?
Words have the ability to change our lives. It's no accident, then, that Jesus is referred to as "the Word," and I have to believe that if God had wanted to communicate with us through video, he'd have found a way to do it. Instead, he has chosen to speak to us in written words.… Continue reading Moments of Stillness Focused on the Truth
Sunday Scripture Really? What were they thinking? The Sunday school lesson for my fours and fives featured the life and ministry of John the Baptist. "Perfect," I thought. "He's Jesus's cousin, and two of my little guys are cousins. They'll love that. But what about this...?" "Repent!" That was John's message, and an abstract concept,… Continue reading Do You Have the Right Facts but a Wrong Heart?
I landed in my seat at Bible study feeling like a refugee. Two tiny sons were happily entertained in the nursery, my study questions were only half answered, and I could just barely recall the point of the lesson, but community drew me to that space like a magnet. In that season, I craved the… Continue reading What You Need to Know About Loss
Sunday Scripture The only possible downside I can see in exposing young children to classic hymns and great works of music is that sometimes they mange to misinterpret the lyrics and completely miss the point. Handel's great rendering of Isaiah 53:6 in The Messiah landed on my youngest son's ears as "Oh, we like sheep,"… Continue reading Is There an Upside to Being a Sheep?
It's true that our greatest strength can also become our greatest weakness. In this mothering life, it's a great mercy that I can fold laundry, listen to a podcast, and monitor dinner on the stove, all while pondering the introduction for my next book review. The real question is, "Can I stop the multi-tasking when… Continue reading The Freedom of Choosing an Unhurried Life
Sunday Scripture In the practice of mothering, we become fairly adept at knowing when to step in and help our kids with their struggles. As "The Finder of Lost Things," the sounding board for pondering important decisions, or even as a baby-sitter of grandchildren for tired parents who need a break, we love our children… Continue reading The Every Day Grace of a Burden Bearer
Andrew loved my lemon pound cake muffins. He constructed fat sandwiches from the chopped vegetables and the sliced meat and cheese I had packed in a cooler for the twenty-mile journey by lobster boat to his grandparents' island cottage. "These are killer!" he declared, and as I thanked him, my hand rested on his shoulder… Continue reading Praying Parents and the Trauma of Addiction
Sunday Scripture The day I arm wrestled with one of my sons, it was apparent on which side of the table the real strength lay. Amused, he let me struggle for a bit--rather than flattening me in a heartbeat, which he could have easily done. I'm not the same girl who could once whoop all… Continue reading Looking for Strength in All the Right Places
They say adventure is what keeps us young. And going boldly into the unknown is the stuff family vacations are made of--as if life on the regular isn't full of enough risk to take your breath away on the average Tuesday. The Gold Camp Road winds its snow-covered way through the Front Range of the… Continue reading Concerning the Times and the Seasons: Winter 2019-20
Living Our Days 