Gaining a heart of wisdom
Last year, I started keeping a list of prayer requests, dated and described, and then, to my great surprise -- answers! Clear direction for a son, help and success in a ministry opportunity, a new and wonderful job for my husband. Reviewing the list from time to time, I'm reminded to give thanks, and I'm… Continue reading God Moves Mountains When Women Pray
It is reasonable to think that a book like Street of Eternal Happiness could be written about any stretch of road on the planet -- even this country hill where white clapboards and long driveways are separated by acres of margin. Even here, I'm sure this winding road is lined on both sides with serial narratives. The… Continue reading Living the Chinese Dream
The Bible is the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book. A Huffpost Survey indicates that 88% of respondents own a Bible, yet only 1 in 5 Americans read the Bible on a regular basis. At one end of the spectrum are those who consider it alongside and equivalent to any other ancient text. At… Continue reading Is Reading the Bible Different from Reading Any Other Book?
Most days on this country hill are a blur. With every line in my planner filled, there's also the background music of laundry and continual cleaning. In the winter, there's a voracious wood stove; in the summer there's a garden that needs constant attention. Of course, at the far right side of this equation of… Continue reading The Work of Home
Rootedness was always the thing that both repelled and intrigued me. I left my parents' home at the age of seventeen and pictured a life unleashed -- no commitments. I copied all my record albums onto small and portable cassette tapes (dinosaur alert!) and prepared for the unencumbered life. With that resolve in my rear… Continue reading A Theology of Home
We were greeted with warm handshakes and pleasantries, an outline of the morning service, and then a startling announcement: "We assumed that your wife would want to take the children." In the early days of our marriage when my husband was the area director of a children's ministry, I used to travel with him to… Continue reading Women in Ministry: What God Wants You to Know
In our virtual world, we can swipe away friends as easily as we send leftover mashed potatoes into the kitchen trash. We can polish our words and present ourselves as successful and popular, and even produce photos to back up our claim, but the longing of our hearts for true friendship -- for genuine connection… Continue reading 10 Questions that Foster Thriving Friendships
Five hundred years ago, the writing and teaching of Martin Luther set in motion within the church a series of reforms that were so widespread and foundational that we still speak of them as The Reformation. In this anniversary year, much is being written about the lives of the reformers, but direct access to Luther's commentaries, sermons,… Continue reading Martin Luther in His Own Words
One of my favorite fringe benefits in this mothering life is the broadening of my world. I routinely listen to conversations about welding and truck repair, have sat through hours and hours of livestock shows, and a few weekends ago, I witnessed my first triathlon. I watched in awe as, one by one, the participants… Continue reading Grow Up! (The Practice of Resurrection)
When we read about women in the Bible, there's a tendency to flatten them out into cardboard characters, one-dimensional and distant. Kate Merrick was in that camp as well, intimidated by the fabulous woman of Proverbs 31, judging Bathsheba, missing the depth of Mary's sacrifice in saying yes to God, and brushing Sarah off as… Continue reading Laughter on the Pathway of Lament
Living Our Days 