Gaining a heart of wisdom
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
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
Living Our Days 