Diversity and the Church: A Culture with No Excuse

Diversity and the Church: A Culture with No Excuse

I started listening to NPR a number of years ago because I felt a need to hear a different voice, to listen well, and to give consideration to viewpoints that I did not share. Since then, as the tone of challenging conversations around race and politics has become more shrill, and as opinions have become… Continue reading Diversity and the Church: A Culture with No Excuse

Desperate to Hear God’s Voice

He Holds My Hand

Imagine the shrill ring of the phone and the jolt into wakefulness. The voice in your ear carries unthinkable news. Is it possible that you are still dreaming? "Your son has been been arrested." "The charge is murder. The victim: his wife's ex-husband." As daylight comes, you learn more. Your son was desperate to protect… Continue reading Desperate to Hear God’s Voice

Musings: January 2018

"Do I not fill Heaven and Earth?" says the Lord.

He floats the question, and I almost miss the impact. Coming as it does in the midst of a firestorm of holy fury against the false prophets who are Jeremiah's contemporaries, the question sounds rhetorical:  “'Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in… Continue reading Musings: January 2018

Making a Commitment to Blessing

Making a Commitment to Blessing

The ping of a message changed my day: "Let's take food to a friend who needs encouragement." "Well, why not?" I asked myself, and began pondering the joyful outcome that always arises from random acts of blessing. I've always wanted to be an extrovert -- or at least an optimist. Failing at both, I'm thankful… Continue reading Making a Commitment to Blessing

Biddy Chambers: A Sacramental Life

Biddy Chambers: A Sacramental Life

Published in 1927, My Utmost for His Highest has sold more than 13 million copies and has never been out of print. Over the course of its 90+ year history, it has been translated into 40 different languages, and Oswald Chambers's unique and timeless wisdom is quoted far and wide. However, until recently, little thought has been… Continue reading Biddy Chambers: A Sacramental Life

Grandparenting: A High and Holy Calling

Grandparenting: A High and Holy Calling

Mothering is the calling and the gift that came to me even though I did not have either the wisdom or the optimism to pray for it. Twenty-four years into the journey, I'm still learning, and my kids are good teachers. Because my husband and I were "late bloomers" in a part of the world… Continue reading Grandparenting: A High and Holy Calling

A Guide for Living Well as an Introvert of Faith

A Guide for Living Well as an Introvert of Faith

Little Rock, Arkansas was the Sunday stop on the last leg of our cross-country trip. I don't recall the denomination of the church we visited, but I sure remember its personality: the two-handed handshakes, the over-the-top meet-n-greet . . . and the dear woman who sat next to me and kept touching my arm whenever… Continue reading A Guide for Living Well as an Introvert of Faith

The “More” You Were Made For

The More You Were Made For

“Again!” he demanded with a giggle, his eyes sparkling with joy and anticipation. And so we did it. We read the book again . . . and again. My grandson doesn’t look for thrills in the new and different. He finds his greatest joy in more and more of what he knows and loves. The… Continue reading The “More” You Were Made For