Gaining a heart of wisdom
Food preparation and clean-up run like a perpetual conveyor belt through my kitchen and through my life, so for me, the bigger challenge of hospitality is always logistics. I feel overwhelmed as I gather chairs from the far corners of the house. I forget to dust the top of the piano or spend too much time perseverating… Continue reading Hospitality: The Power of Authentic Connection
I had never led a question-and-answer session during any of my past women's events, but I was looking forward to the experience. I wanted to hear the questions that had bubbled to the surface after a weekend of immersing ourselves in the Bible's teaching on hope. I wasn't prepared for the challenging contexts the women… Continue reading What Happens When You Fight For Genuine Joy In Impossible Circumstances?
Are you looking for a good book to read this Christmas? Maybe you like to sink into a cozy story? Or do you favor something substantial to carry you through Advent? I've been doing my homework and have come up with a collection of five titles that should get you started on planning your TBR… Continue reading 5 Rewarding Reads for Your Christmas TBR List
Whenever I open the pages of my Bible, I read about real people and their encounters with a compassionate God who welcomes the shifty and the shy, the bombastic and the bumbler, the liar, and the lecher. Grace paves over some pretty rocky personal landscapes in both the Old and the New Testaments. Even so,… Continue reading Are You Preparing Your Son To Be God’s Strong Warrior?
Fifteen years ago, we took a cross-country road trip with four kids, a minivan, and a big tent. About a third of the way across the country, weary of feuding brothers in close quarters, we were ready to throw in the towel and come home. One thought sent us westward with renewed resolve: What story… Continue reading Held Together by the Powerful Force of a Story
I've never been a good sleeper, and that must have been annoying to my poor mother, who just wanted a few minutes' peace. It's annoying to me now, in the third 3rd of a busy life in which I could benefit from a catnap now and then. Thankfully, I'm no longer sleepless because of fear,… Continue reading The Beautiful Truth that God Never Sleeps
I did something I've never done before at a recent women's conference. In a session on prayer, I asked the women to write their most pressing prayer request on a Post-it Note so they could see it and acknowledge the reality of that desire by pinning it to paper. Then, I offered to join them… Continue reading Keep Praying with Hope for Your Prodigal Child
This month, we said goodbye to my husband's brother. He had been living in a nursing home for six years as the effects of Parkinson's disease1 relentlessly diminished his ability to move, to care for himself, and even to speak. We were thankful for his peaceful acceptance of his distressing circumstances, but it was heartbreaking… Continue reading A Full and Busy Life Equals a Normal Life
Over the years, I've had an uneasy relationship with exercise and fitness. Uncoordinated and awkward in high school, I was a varsity-level creator of legitimate reasons to be excused from gym class. In college, to fulfill the mandatory two physical education credits, I took First Aid and Intro to Golf, both guaranteed to keep me… Continue reading Are You Exercising For All The Right Reasons?
When Paul the apostle and prodigious letter-writer wanted to describe the fruit, the resulting bumper crop, of a life lived for Christ and controlled by the Holy Spirit, the first word that flowed from his pen was love. (Galatians 5:22) He lists eight other virtues in quick succession, but love gets top billing once again… Continue reading The Greatest of These is Love
Living Our Days 