Author Interview: Debbie W. Wilson

Readers are always fascinated by the people behind the books they love.  If you have read Debbie W. Wilson's new book Little Women, BIG GOD (or if you've read my review here on the blog), your mind may be buzzing with questions as mine was.  Debbie has an official website where you can learn that she has… Continue reading Author Interview: Debbie W. Wilson

It’s Not About Trying Harder

The word "amazing" comes with its own built-in check list -- with a unique edition to fit every age and stage of  life.  For the middle-aged-mum-grandmother-church-lady-blogger category, my numbers just do not conform.  Size, weight, and ounces of caffeinated beverages consumed daily are "too big."  I.Q., income, and Twitter following are way "too small."  Therefore, according to any culturally acceptable check list, my life… Continue reading It’s Not About Trying Harder

The Practice of Listening

Students had assembled for an October chapel service as several dozen faculty members strode to the front of the Great Hall  bearing symbols of their work -- a laser in the hands of a physicist, clay in the hands of an artist, spreadsheets borne by an economist.  Each offering was placed on the stage, transforming… Continue reading The Practice of Listening

A Fish Story for the Whole Family

There's nothing like summer fun on the scenic shores of a lake:  sand between the toes, an afternoon spent face-down in the clear, cold water, tiny fish peering back at you through your goggles.  Irish Beth Maddock celebrates the beauty of the creatures that God has made through the eyes of Paul and Beth, a brother… Continue reading A Fish Story for the Whole Family

Gifts of Easter

One Spring Lamb

In a decision that somehow manages to seem both arbitrary and precise, the Council of Nicaea met in 325 A.D. and determined that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls on or after the first day of spring.  Easter and spring are also holding hands in Anne… Continue reading Gifts of Easter

The Glorious Right Angle

The patient husband and I have challenged ourselves to be more purposeful in our practice of hospitality this year -- to "meet the stranger at the gate" in our own little rural setting by inviting someone new and different into our home each month.  January was wonderful!  We enjoyed an evening with a couple we've… Continue reading The Glorious Right Angle

Habits of Grace

We refer to them as "spiritual disciplines," and then we stiffen our upper lip -- all the while fumbling tentatively for our boot straps.  Then, we proceed to dismiss the more rigorous of the lot (fasting, meditation) as pertinent only to high-power spiritual giants, and it turns out that we've got the wrong idea after all,… Continue reading Habits of Grace

10 Reasons Why You Should Study the Revelation

If the last book of the Bible is an intimidating peak, unclimbed and unchallenged, The Heart of Revelation is a succession of ten handholds to expedite your ascent.  If John's apocalyptic words are a map, J. Scott Duvall has provided bearings, a sense of direction, an aerial view of the terrain.  His ten essential themes… Continue reading 10 Reasons Why You Should Study the Revelation

A Gift for All Times

Living on this country hill, it's easy to feel as if I'm a throw back to an earlier time.  My clothesline and my garden; the rows of canning jars full of colorful vegetables and homemade spaghetti sauce in the furnace room; the daily task of sweeping the bark and wood chips off the floor around the wood… Continue reading A Gift for All Times