Gaining a heart of wisdom
Having arrived and having now spent a few years in the season of the empty nest, I feel qualified to report on my findings. You may be surprised... I think we're always surprised when the good we anticipate turns out to be hard. Understand, I'm not saying that good and hard are opposites. However, in… Continue reading When You Want to Persevere in a Weary Season
I have an image in my mind of the godly old lady I want to be someday: soft-spoken, kind to all, full of wisdom. Having logged half a century under God’s sanctifying sandpaper, I should be well on my way by now. And, taking stock, I can see that I don’t have to rein in… Continue reading The Dangerous Days Past Middle Age
Food preparation and clean-up run like a perpetual conveyor belt through my kitchen and through my life, so for me, the bigger challenge of hospitality is always logistics. I feel overwhelmed as I gather chairs from the far corners of the house. I forget to dust the top of the piano or spend too much time perseverating… Continue reading Hospitality: The Power of Authentic Connection
Every fall, when I plant the garlic, I am overcome with awe. Somehow, those small, pale bulbs not only survive a Maine winter in the ground with nothing but a blanket of earth and dry leaves. They actually flourish and start sending up green shoots in early spring, long before I would dare to plant… Continue reading Make the Choice to Stay in a Thankful Mindset
September always feels like a new beginning to me. No wonder, after so many years of homeschooling! Give me a few sharpened pencils and a clean, unsullied notebook, and I'm ready for a fresh start, focused and impervious to distractions. Christianity is all about new beginnings. Salvation is the starting line for everyone (there are… Continue reading Avoid Distractions When You’re Running the Race of Faith
A pair of seven-pound weights is part of my everyday exercise routine. I realize that's not a very impressive-sounding load, but I definitely notice the difference between them and my very cute pink five-pounders. I also notice (with some alarm) the difference between my weights and the growing heft of the two granddaughters who most… Continue reading A Look at My Not Very Impressive Training Regimen
I keep hearing this statistic, and it's like a pebble in my shoe: Regular Scripture reading is the most consistent factor contributing to spiritual health. It ranked higher than anything else, and it makes abundant sense when we realize that God has promised to speak to the believing heart through his Word. Regular Scripture reading… Continue reading Come Close To The Story: A Free Lenten Devotional
Prayer is hard. Let's just be honest about it. For me, prayer continues to be the most difficult of all the spiritual disciplines. Maybe it's hard for you, too, and you're thinking, “I don’t like to talk about this, but prayer is awkward, and I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to… Continue reading Prayer Doesn’t Need to Be Awkward
In his iconic poem "How to Be a Poet," Wendell Berry sums up all of creation in one lovely sentence: There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places." He cuts directly to the chase of our persistently false categories and my own personal tendency to desecrate the sacred by forgetting… Continue reading The Importance of Prayer in a Sacred Life
In a fit of sleep-deprived stubbornness, one day I just stopped reading the Bible. I certainly still believed in God, because I told him quite directly that I had no intention of reading his recycled words. It seemed to me that the prophets and apostles had no idea what it was like to bear and… Continue reading How to Stay Motivated and Excited About Reading the Bible
Living Our Days 