Gaining a heart of wisdom
“Again!” he demanded with a giggle, his eyes sparkling with joy and anticipation. And so we did it. We read the book again . . . and again. My grandson doesn’t look for thrills in the new and different. He finds his greatest joy in more and more of what he knows and loves. The truth is,… Continue reading Receive the Gift of Your Life as an Adventure from God
What you believe about God matters. Is He malleable, pliable, well-intentioned, but out of touch? A bit like you, only ever-so-much-more-so? Can you embrace the reality of a transcendent, crucified God who preceded matter and interrupted the natural order "to save mankind in the awful shape of man?" (217) What you believe about humanity matters.… Continue reading What You Believe About God Matters
I am, by nature, a do-er, but one of my favorite, long-time friends can "squander" an entire afternoon over tea and conversation without batting a remorseful eyelash. When we were both in the trenches of parenting toddlers, we twirled long phone cords, and I heard her sleep-deprived voice say, "Sometimes I just sit on the… Continue reading It’s Time to Stop Comparing and Start Rejoicing
"Hey, Mum, a bunch of the kids are going to Moody's for pie after rehearsal. Okay if I go?" One prerogative of motherhood is to meet every question with more questions: Who's going? Who's driving? Are you going anywhere afterward? Can you remember to let me know if your location changes? This has become a… Continue reading Parenting Rooted in Orthodoxy
If you Google the phrase "balanced Christian life," you will find over 2 million results in the blink of an eye. Books, magazines, and sermons will rush to your aid in calibrating the conflicting priorities that characterize this following life. It was no surprise that G.K. Chesterton's thoughts from Chapter 6 of Orthodoxy were not… Continue reading Where Wrath and Love Run Wild
Believe it or not, I’ve still got one pillowcase from my husband’s college dorm years. Its red, white, and blue stripes, warm out of the dryer, never fail to take me back to the 1970’s. Every imaginable consumer product from T-shirts and bed sheets to school supplies was available in a stars and stripes motif… Continue reading Patriotism, Pessimism, and the Church
She assumed a humble expression, but the look in her eyes said plenty. This was a great accomplishment. A moment. She held my gaze, and then allowed the smile in her blue eyes to spread to her entire face as she did it again: My granddaughter stood up in my lap. In Chapter 4 of Orthodoxy,… Continue reading The Miracle of Humanity (and Fairy Tales for Grown Ups)
On my left hand, I wear the symbol of a choice I made 29 years ago. When I said yes to the union that was forged between my husband and me on that day of satin and lace, I was also saying no to a thousand other things, and this is the nature of choice.… Continue reading The Freedom of Limitations
The front-and-center project that's consuming time and thought these days is a parenting workshop that my husband and I will be teaching in March. Preparation includes reviewing everything we've read about parenting in the past couple of years, remembering everything we've stumbled upon in the past two decades in the trenches of parenting, discussing all… Continue reading Parenting After the Fall
There's a peculiar satisfaction that comes with being right. Given the opportunity, we'll make an idol of it and even run roughshod over those we claim to love in order to win an argument, thereby trading peace for the honor of clutching the blue ribbon of rightness close to our hearts. Often what's at stake… Continue reading The Humility of Being Right
Living Our Days 