Gaining a heart of wisdom
My husband said, "Amen," and five voices immediately joined his as we sang our morning blessing song around the breakfast table. Seth, an overnight guest, looked from face to face with an expression bordering on terror until we sang the last note, and then blurted, "Do you do this often?" We did. Because we wanted… Continue reading We Need to Talk About Singing
When a pastoral search goes well, everyone wins. Last year when a soft-spoken lobsterman rose to his feet and challenged us at Spruce Head Community to seek a shepherd who would lead us and love us, we began praying and seeking to that end. The seeking and the finding has united us, and we are… Continue reading A Bundle of Letters on the Church’s Doorstep
In the month of December, the Christmas story often stands alone, lifted with huge parentheses out of the New Testament — maybe delivered in Linus’s hushed boy soprano, and then tucked away with the durable resin nativity set and the white twinkly lights until next year. It’s a great story, so it’s easy to see why… Continue reading Word Made Flesh — A Celebration of Reading for Advent
Following the writings of the prophet Jeremiah has been a challenge this year. So far, it's been seventeen chapters of lament tempered by steadfast faith -- along with words of judgment interspersed with glorious promises of restoration. It shouldn't have surprised me then when Jeremiah 17 took a sharp curve in the road at verse… Continue reading Who in the World Am I? (Dating the Enneagram)
From her earliest days, Meadow Rue Merrill dreamed of adopting a child, and she longed to travel to Africa, even wrestling a promise from her husband that if she promised to marry him, he would not stand in the way of her going. Redeeming Ruth is Meadow's record of God's "yes" to her dreams -- and it… Continue reading When God Says “Yes”
There's always a certain amount of eye-rolling that goes on in a household overrun by teens and young adults. My husband and I are amazingly un-cool. His humor is entirely "Dad-jokes." My questions and observations are overwhelming evidence that I'm over-thinking everything. But here's one tiny bit of wisdom that has been passed down without… Continue reading It’s Not About You — And It Never Was!
The Fiercehearted come in all shapes and sizes on this day, and their beautiful faces circle the table from all ages and stages of life. A gray-haired woman sips orange soda facing a 96 year-old faith warrior who prays fiery gospel truth over our meal. Our hostess chows down at one end of the table,… Continue reading Embrace Fiercehearted Living
When I learned in fifth grade that Helen Keller had graduated from college summa cum laude, I made it my goal to do the same. As it happened, those little Latin words that mean "with the highest distinction" did actually end up being embossed on the white parchment of my degree, thereby setting me on a course… Continue reading The Beautiful Hidden Life
Modern medicine has made optimists out of us all. Cancer? Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy frequently combine to leave the patient cancer-free or living well with the disease as a chronic illness. Heart attack? Clot-busters, by-pass surgery, rehabilitation, and the patient returns to a normal life. Dementia? Well, that's a different story. Pharmaceutical options are disappointing,… Continue reading Dementia, Dignity, and Honoring God
If my dining room table could talk, it might begin with a story about cinnamon rolls whose aroma can pull family out of bed like a giant magnet. Smiling and sleepy, they sniff their way toward the dining room and the warm welcome of a breakfast gathering. My scratched up table might share memories of… Continue reading Nurturing Faith and Strengthening Family Ties Around the Table
Living Our Days 