Gaining a heart of wisdom
Recently, someone pointed out to me how frequently C.S. Lewis dipped into his childhood experiences, impressions, and memories in all his writing. I loved his spiritual autobiography (Surprised by Joy) because it gives the whole story in one place, but I realized it's true—one reason Lewis's writing is so plangent and impactful is that we… Continue reading How to Know When It’s Time to Go Home
There are at least two camps, two opposing opinions, among women's ministry leaders about the nature and content of what has come to be called the believer's "devotional life." The view from my youth was heavy on the "quiet time" model. Settle down somewhere cozy with your Bible and a devotional book. Read the suggested… Continue reading When You’re Looking for Substantial Devotional Reading
I love reading and sharing Christian books here at Living Our Days—and with friends in real life. My goal is to put resources in my readers' hands to help them become more confident followers of Christ and students of God's word. I want to see the truth clearly so I can say it clearly. The… Continue reading What Gospel Is Your Life Spreading in the World?
When my sons were small, it was not unusual for one of them to place tiny hands on either side of my face and turn it toward them when they were talking to me. Distracted and doggedly multitasking, I'm afraid that I was not always a very satisfying audience, and they wanted undivided attention for… Continue reading If You Turn Your Eyes, Your Heart Will Follow
One of my college roommates designed her whole life around avoiding mornings. She scheduled no classes before 10 a.m., and her skilled sleeping techniques allowed her to sleep through the chaos of two roommates dressing, alking in normal tone and volume, and blow drying our hair (Hey, it was the 80's!). I've lost track of… Continue reading Get Your Day Off on the Right Foot
Here on this country hill, we have two lovely apple trees. They have powered through their blossom season, scattering petals on the grass like snow, and are now fully engaged in the work of producing tiny green apples. We're still eating applesauce from their productive past years—and if you walk into my kitchen and smell… Continue reading Making Room for New Growth
We've been watching birds here on this country hill for over thirty years and have compiled quite a long list of regular visitors. Year-round, the chickadees rend the air between forest and feeder, and then stitch it back up again after sampling some seed. Mourning doves are the faithful clean-up crew on the ground below,… Continue reading Why Wise People Pay Attention to the Birds
Standing in my warm kitchen, I was thankful for a sunny day. The sun streamed through our windows, creating rectangular patches of light on the floor. The truth about that light landed in my mind like a benediction: Those patches of light that warmed and cheered me had traveled 93 million miles to reach my… Continue reading The One View that Changes Everything You See and Do
Having arrived and having now spent a few years in the season of the empty nest, I feel qualified to report on my findings. You may be surprised... I think we're always surprised when the good we anticipate turns out to be hard. Understand, I'm not saying that good and hard are opposites. However, in… Continue reading When You Want to Persevere in a Weary Season
When I'm teaching a group of women, and I say, "The Bible is a book about God," I expect eyes to roll, because, well.... Isn't it obvious? Yes, it is obvious, which begs the question: Why, then, do we read the Bible as if it's all about us? We open it to our favorite parts… Continue reading Discover the Bible as One Coherent Story About God
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