Gaining a heart of wisdom
One of the great joys of middle age has been the privilege of watching my oldest son and his wife parent a son who is made in the exact image and likeness of his energetic, curious, strong-willed dad. Like all new parents, they are executing this balance of firmness and warmth, freedom and structure, love… Continue reading The Paradox of Flourishing
Teaching or leading in a Christian context is always a bit of a risk. There's the perception that you just might have all the answers; that your life is all nice and pulled together; that you and God have some kind of agreement about how life is going to unfold -- when the truth is that… Continue reading In the Midst of Your Mess
Ruth A. Tucker is a story teller. I have vivid and fond memories from my experience of reading her Dynamic Women of the Bible when it was released in 2014. As she unfurled and then analyzed the story of each Biblical woman, tiny shards of her own story would poke through the narrative fabric: an abusive husband, the humiliation… Continue reading No Sanction for Domestic Abuse
Feed the cat. Pick up your toys. Let's get in the car and GO! Such is our hurry-up world that even the tiniest toddler knows what it is to be Busy, Busy. Therefore, Eileen Spinelli's board book is a tool in the hands of wise parents who know that our work, our rest, and our… Continue reading Never Too Busy
So many books. So little time. Tozer is my "undiscovered author," and it's not as if I haven't delighted in brief quotations of his words -- a mix of the understated and the profound. It is even true that portions of his sermons read online have jolted me awake to God's holiness and drawn me closer to the… Continue reading A.W. Tozer: Thoughts on Prayer
In this election year, I've heard it said that foreign policy doesn't fit on a bumper sticker. True enough, and I would go on to say that theology doesn't either, but that doesn't stop us from trying to put it there. One bumper sticker that's been around for decades reads: "Prayer Changes Things." You've… Continue reading Where Faith and History Intersect
"What's that, Mum?" asked my son, pointing to a small plastic something-on-the- ground. "That's just a barrette," I replied, off-handedly. "What's a barrette?" he asked -- framing in one simple question the deeply entrenched boy-culture and the essence of the testosterone-laced air that I have breathed for the past two decades. With this as background,… Continue reading The Art of Being a Wife
The word "amazing" comes with its own built-in check list -- with a unique edition to fit every age and stage of life. For the middle-aged-mum-grandmother-church-lady-blogger category, my numbers just do not conform. Size, weight, and ounces of caffeinated beverages consumed daily are "too big." I.Q., income, and Twitter following are way "too small." Therefore, according to any culturally acceptable check list, my life… Continue reading It’s Not About Trying Harder
We don't know who he was because he didn't sign his name. Was it fear that drove this anonymity in an age of persecution? Or was it humility? When we studied Hebrews 7, we marveled together at the author's ability to connect the dots between Melchizedek and Jesus, our High Priest forever, based on… Continue reading The Heart of Faith
Students had assembled for an October chapel service as several dozen faculty members strode to the front of the Great Hall bearing symbols of their work -- a laser in the hands of a physicist, clay in the hands of an artist, spreadsheets borne by an economist. Each offering was placed on the stage, transforming… Continue reading The Practice of Listening
Living Our Days 