Gaining a heart of wisdom
Having never chosen a #OneWord365, I was surprised when Standing chose me! What a delight to be reminded of God's wide open door, and of the truth that an ongoing relationship with God is more than enough reason to rejoice! By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right… Continue reading January Musings — 2017
I have invited the readers who visit Living Our Days to join me in reading C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces, and to return here each Thursday for a discussion. This is week four, and the insights offered by readers have been both encouraging and insightful. It's not too late to join us -- click here for… Continue reading Till We Have Faces (4): Work, Weakness, and Sweat
We sat on the couch, side by side, but miles apart. She had just lost her son in a tragic accident. I had four living and healthy boys -- and no words that could touch her loss. In the weeks and months that followed, I wrote notes, shared Scripture verses, listened to her sadness, and… Continue reading If You REALLY Want to Help those Who Grieve
I have invited the readers who visit Living Our Days to join me in reading C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces, and to return here each Thursday for a discussion. If you're just joining us, you can find the reading schedule here and last week's discussion here. Living on this country hill in Maine, it’s easy to feel… Continue reading Till We Have Faces (3): Holiness and Horror
"One death is a tragedy. One million deaths is a statistic." ~Joseph Stalin Banking on this banality of evil, the Khmer Rouge murdered or starved 1.7 million Cambodian citizens during the years in which they were in power, all with an eye toward establishing themselves and their Community ideology. Having wiped out 25%… Continue reading Love, Faith, and Courage in the Killing Fields
I have invited the readers who visit Living Our Days to join me in reading C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces, and to return here each Thursday for a discussion. If you're just joining us, you can find the reading schedule here. Approaches to C.S. Lewis's brand of fiction vary widely, ranging from "This is a… Continue reading Till We Have Faces (2): Longing for the Grey Mountain
Until I put it on display, love is sometimes hard to see. Dr. Mary Manz Simon invites pint-sized theologians to embark upon a delightful scavenger hunt, looking for all the places love hides in the daily life of a preschooler. She does this with precision, because when we demonstrate the love of God to others,… Continue reading Love Hides Close By
Annie Dillard has (famously) said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” This is a cautionary saying for those of us who live our days as the sandwich-makers, the sock sorters, and the finders of misplaced library books. Therefore, Liturgy of the Ordinary has landed upon my reading list… Continue reading Sacred Ordinary/Ordinary Sacred
Ask an author to name his favorite of all the books he's written, and most will demur, insisting that it's like trying to choose a favorite child. Not C.S. Lewis. He believed Till We Have Faces to be his best book. In his novel based on the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, Lewis uses the… Continue reading Till We Have Faces: Welcome to the Discussion
Whether it's feelings of inadequacy, parenting anxieties, or panic over the latest terrorist tactics in the news, the challenge to face down our fears and to move forward into new, healthful, and bold behaviors is a common thread for January writing and thinking. The problem, however, with this seasonal booster is that the need for… Continue reading Awakening Courage in Community
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