Gaining a heart of wisdom
Sunday Scripture Deer hunting season has arrived here in Maine, and this mum of four sons has heard a lot more about the habits and methods of dispatching whitetail deer than I really want to know. However, truth be told, I've been sharing wooded trails with the deer, bearing witness to deer-ish desire, since we… Continue reading Is Desire a Reliable Guide on the Path of Life?
Scripture Sunday I am of two minds on the topic of spiritual warfare. One is fully aware of the daily struggle to synchronize my life here on the ground with what I believe, to wear the "helmet of salvation" by memorizing "the sword of the Spirit," and to "take every thought captive to the obedience… Continue reading Is Spiritual Warfare Really Too Difficult for Children to Understand?
Sunday Scripture Maybe it's because we're just two now in a house that still feels made for six.Maybe it's the tiny snatches of news I listen to, ominous pandemic predictions and sadness around the world.Whatever the reason, I've been lighting our window candles in 2021, a practice I have always reserved for Advent, but which… Continue reading For the One Who Feels Lonely and Dreads the Coming Darkness
The Montauk daisies in my front yard were covered in small white buds, a sight so improbable that I had almost missed seeing them. You see, the plants had been an utter failure in their first location, and I had, initially, had high hopes for the sunny spot near the rock that looks like a… Continue reading How to Keep Persevering When the Work Feels Hard and Horrible
Hope has become one of those words that might show up on a couch pillow or stenciled onto a wall hanging. We’ve domesticated the word, taming it until it’s become a floating, sentimental abstraction: "Faith, hope, and love... now you may kiss the bride." The truth is that hope is our lifeline, but we do… Continue reading The Peril of Hoping in Hope and the Solid Joy of a Better Hope
Who would imagine that biblical lists could be a rich source of spiritual insight? It's really tempting to just skip over them, but lately, I've come upon a better plan. Rather than skipping over the lists as if they were somehow “extra,” what if we viewed them as a string of beads to finger and… Continue reading The September Book Talk Plus a FREE Printable to Guide You Into Scripture Meditation
“Hey, do you think you can get this stain out, Mum?” He handed me his T-shirt, still warm from his body, and I assured him that boiling water would make short work of blueberry juice on cotton. As the kettle boiled and the water poured and the steam rose from the kitchen sink, I thought… Continue reading What Does Hope Look Like? (Meditations Over a Stained T-Shirt)
Sunday Scripture "Bam, how old are you?" My oldest grandson's eyes sparkled with pleasure over the edginess of his question, although I'm sure he knew I'd answer without hesitation. "I'm 58," I said because my September birthday hadn't happened yet. "You're younger than Grammy!" he reported with surprise. "You don't LOOK younger than Grammy! Your… Continue reading God is Not Distant or Untouchable. You Can Draw Near to God.
Sunday Scripture My grandkids love to play The Ground is Lava whenever we're at a playground. By sheer little-kid strength, they carry themselves over the length and width of the apparatus, climbing and scurrying to stay aloft. Determined to stand the test, they'd rather fall from the monkey bars than come into contact with the… Continue reading Whatever the Challenge, Because of God’s Love, You Can Stand the Test
Sunday Scripture Labor Day weekend signals a winding down of summer, and this will likely go down in my own personal history as "The Summer of the Empty Nest." This stay-at-home mum has had all she could do this summer to simply stay at home, and while I've struggled to keep up with all the… Continue reading Sing a Summer Song of Praise for the Miracle of Beauty
Living Our Days 