Gaining a heart of wisdom
The Lausanne Covenant declares that the whole church is called to take the whole gospel to the whole world, and certainly Jesus makes His own intentions clear with His Great Commission. How then are all God's amazing daughters to respond to this invitation while also remaining sensitive to theological controversies about the role of women in… Continue reading The Challenge of Women’s Work and the Great Commission
I'm no physicist, but it would appear that a cannon ball, shot due north from Bangor, Maine on a snowy-cold Saturday morning, could travel unobstructed all the way to the Canadian border. We left home in the dark for a quick visit with much-loved relatives, eight hours round trip, but worth every minute and every… Continue reading Musings: January 2019
When D.A. Carson had the opportunity to interview two well-known and highly influential American theologians, he went straight to the core of their long ministries with this question: "You have not succumbed to eccentricity in doctrine, nor to individualistic empire-building. In God's good grace, what has been instrumental in preserving you in these areas?" Their… Continue reading How to Keep the Main Thing as the Main Thing
According to Richard Rohr, the prophets in a social structure stand off-center in a place of observation. Their position on "the edge of inside" affords them a view that is informed and yet independent. From this vantage point, the Apostle John was given the divine direction: "Write what you see." And he saw plenty. At… Continue reading Standing on the Edge of Inside
Several years ago, with one tentative toe dipping into middle age, I read life-changing words from the pen of Ruth Bell Graham, who confided she was finally learning that she did not need to weight in on every topic OR to speak up at every opportunity. This seemed reasonable to me at the time, a… Continue reading 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Speak Up
Our first summer living on this country hill, the budget was tight and luxuries were few. I had planted a garden that seemed huge to me at the time, and a friend, intending to surprise me, weeded the entire plot as a generous gift from the heart. How could she have known that those random… Continue reading An Invitation to the Generative Life
The collision of lives is mysterious and unpredictable. Friends meet at a gathering and are bonded for life. A man and a woman from random backgrounds are introduced to each other and eventually share grandchildren. Adoption is a choice that puts this miracle of connection on display in unique ways that seem to defy race,… Continue reading Adoption and the Journey Toward a Surrendered Heart
Sit on a wooden bench (behind a goat) for a day long bus ride through the Andes. When the bus stops, the only way forward in 1952 is to rent a horse for an excursion over steep mountain trails with muddy puddles up to your knees. You'll know you've reached the village of San Miguel… Continue reading The Gift of God in Exchange for Ashes
At the beginning of a new year and the winding down of the old, I love to look back on where I've been. With a brand new coating of frosty white on the surface of my garden, it's hard to imagine that just three months ago I was harvesting cucumbers and green beans by the… Continue reading Musings: Hello, 2019!
In December, Christians delight in lifting from the gospels the most iconic moments of the Christmas story: the angelic visits, shepherds flooded in glory-light, Mary and Joseph silhouetted beside a manger. By contrast, we often glide over one particularly dark part of the narrative: the tragedy of slain baby boys in Bethlehem that followed the… Continue reading Life Out of Death: The Incarnation Comes in the Context of Genocide
Living Our Days 