Gaining a heart of wisdom
What do you know for sure that's absolutely true?"How many items would be on your list? Most things in this world–institutions, organizations–the closer you examine them, the more they start to fall apart. If you look too carefully, you’ll see the holes. Sadly, the same is true of most people, not necessarily because they are… Continue reading What Do You Know For Sure That’s Absolutely True?
If you're looking for me in the summertime, you're likely to find me standing under a floppy sunhat, weeding, picking, or just wandering around in the garden. The work of the garden is not measured by time but by task. There is no standard of perfection (at least not in my garden!). The job is… Continue reading What’s Your Favorite Place in All the World?
Robert Frost tells the story1 of a young girl, tiny and fierce, who followed her brother into the woods to pick wild grapes. Pulling down the tops of flexible white birch trees, he with his boyish heft was able to pick fruit from vines at the very top of the forest. The trouble started when… Continue reading Hope for a Parent’s Heart as Kids Leave the Nest
I spent my late teens and early twenties agonizing over the mystery of my true calling. Looking back, I now see that I was laboring under the mistaken notion that there was a very specific dot I should be standing on, some combination of my abilities and God's will that would put me at the… Continue reading How to Know If You’ve Found Your True Calling
For a minute, I was puzzled. The bright blue Post-It Note in my planner had a phone number in my own spidery handwriting, along with the words "FIRST CALL" in bold capital letters. Realization landed first in the pit of my stomach. These were hospice contacts for our friend Jeanette, who passed away in our… Continue reading Let the Puzzling Path of Sorrow Lead You to Hope
One of my kids has been digging holes, taking things apart, and fixing things since he was old enough to ask for a shovel. It's no surprise, then, to observe that he's Mr. Carburetor in the world of small engines (to which I do NOT have a passport) and works in a field that requires… Continue reading When Your Unique Calling Means Doing What You Can’t NOT Do
God is at work around the world. North America and Western Europe are no longer the hotbeds of Christian thought and culture—although the growth of the "nones" has plateaued as Gen Z starts looking for answers outside themselves. In the global South, Christianity is growing at an unprecedented rate. With 67% of all Christians living… Continue reading How Can We Raise Kids Who Are World Christians?
One of the underrated benefits of substitute teaching is exposure to the head-spinning fluctuations of the kids' vocabulary. For the uninitiated, you'll be glad to know that if something is good, it slaps. But if I do something well, I slay. Best of all, the quality that allows me to be perceived as performing slap-worthy… Continue reading The Creative Power Of Charisma—Is It A Good Thing?
Tim Keller and the Ministry of Competence My teacher husband is beginning the process of retirement after 33 years in an elementary school classroom. Believe it or not, it's more complicated and requires more thought and paperwork to STOP teaching than it does to accept a new job. Nonetheless, he's encouraged by the realization that… Continue reading Your Work Matters to the World
Middles will never be my favorite—not even with a pan of brownies! The middle feels uncertain, and the transition from one shore to another may even become turbulent and dangerous. In our marriages and families, in our careers, and in our ministries, life's shifting seasons can be disorienting. In times of shifting seasons, we're tempted… Continue reading Finding Joy in Seasons of Major Life Adjustment
Living Our Days 