Gaining a heart of wisdom
Three of my four boys are volunteer fire fighters, so when they get together, the stories pile up, one upon another, and the youngest of the three will, inevitably, be reminded (repeatedly) of his lowly status. He's a "probie," a probationary fire fighter -- new, full of enthusiasm, but not necessarily full of experience or… Continue reading A Culture with No Excuse
Whether it's a movie, a novel, a picture book, or a tale spun around the dining room table, we are drawn to stories. In I Corinthians 10, the Apostle Paul looks back on one of the most well-known stories of his people and uses the important images there to illustrate sobering truth for a fledgling… Continue reading Sharing the Story
If my sons are reading the Amazon reviews of Sugar-free Gummy Bears out loud together and laughing hysterically, should I be grateful that they are reading and laughing together -- or should I snarl and hand them each a reprimand and a text book? Such are the dilemmas of the back-to-homeschooling experience here in the Morin compound,… Continue reading September Musings – 2016
Determination perseveres in spite of the word "no." When Rosalie Ranquist realized that she was called to be a missionary, her rough background and lack of education led church leaders to discourage her from pursuing her goal. Even so, in 1967 she left for Papua New Guinea and her career was remarkable in every way… Continue reading A Study in Perseverance
For the reader who writes (or for the writer who reads), certain authors are a gold mine. With a bracing vocabulary, a precision of thought, and a way with a sentence that manages to be both wise and witty, David Bentley Hart has a perspective on the world that requires a careful reading -- that… Continue reading Wicked Splendid
A toddler-sized pair of skates wired to an evergreen spray and adorned with a bow -- that's the best I can do! But not everyone is craft-challenged like I am, and Sarah O. Maddox has made a practice of hanging a beautiful wreath on the door of her home no matter what the season as… Continue reading Wreathed in Contentment
Remember the last time you were in a conversation with someone who really seemed to be listening? They asked all the right questions, and they seemed, honestly and truly, to want to hear your story. They nodded and looked you right in the eye, smiled with encouragement, laughed in all the right places. And it's… Continue reading Always a Surprise
Little people find words first for the people and the things that are most important to them. As one of the "named people" in my grandson's life, I love to read books to him that include pictures of the sun, moon, and stars, because he responds by pointing to them, naming them over and over,… Continue reading The Heavens Declare!
A favorite Elisabeth Elliot quote comes to mind whenever I overhear fragments of the ongoing row about the role of women in the church: "I am not a different kind of Christian because I am a woman, but I am, most certainly, a different kind of woman because I am a Christian." Since ten of… Continue reading A Different Kind of Woman
Elisabeth Elliot coined the most memorable definition of human suffering that I have ever heard: "Suffering is wanting what you don't have -- or having what you don't want." These words came to mind often as I read Between Pain and Grace, because Gerald W. Peterman and Andrew J. Schmutzer have initiated a fresh conversation which does… Continue reading Pain, Emotion, and God
