Gaining a heart of wisdom
When grown-up sons fly the nest, sometimes the parents take wing as well. Circling the breathtaking terrain and then landing in full view of the Colorado Rockies feels a bit like landing on the moon for eyes accustomed to the gently sloping ranges of Mid-Coast Maine. Look out the window, and there’s Pike’s Peak on… Continue reading Can You Perceive the Glory of God in Your Ordinary Surroundings?
Do people still sing congregational hymns at weddings? I can't recall the last time I was invited to stand, grab a hymnal or read from the program in order to sing a few verses of a hymn at a wedding. However, I do remember singing "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" at my own wedding.… Continue reading Why Your Marriage Just Might Need the Help of a Shepherd
My grandchildren are on their way to becoming good skaters. Confident and eager, they know the ropes, so I was just barely present in the semi-circle of parents and grandparents as we listened to the coach's instructions before the kids hit the ice. I could easily have missed his words: "If you feel like you're… Continue reading Staying on Your Feet is Really All About Grace
Jesus is risen!He is risen, indeed!And, today, as we affirm that glorious truth with our sunrise breakfasts and Easter lilies, with our celebratory singing and ham dinners, we're coming close to the heartbeat of God. For most of us, it will be a busy day, so let's fortify ourselves with truth strong enough to carry… Continue reading What Do I Learn About God from Easter?
Sunday Scripture Today, we begin Holy Week with the waving of palms and the well-loved story about a borrowed colt, an adoring crowd, cloaks thrown on the ground, and a hero's welcome. Caught in the present moment, Jesus's disciples were likely imagining that this was IT, that this event was surely the climax of all… Continue reading Palm Sunday: Celebrating a Day of Triumph and Tears
Sunday Scripture One of the few relics that has survived my youth is a small golden cross, mailed to me by a dear aunt and uncle I met only once. Whenever I wear it, I think about their unlikely generosity, their completely uncalled-for interest in an awkward pre-teen. And in this Lenten season, I wonder,… Continue reading Carrying Death but Manifesting Life? How in the World Does this Work?
Sunday Scripture Friends had come to visit and to help, but I couldn’t have been more horrified if the people at my door had been bandits or kidnappers. Number one, I was on the couch. Number two, I had been sick for weeks and the house must have looked like a train wreck. (Fortunately, my… Continue reading Learning to Receive with Grace: Does My Help Really Come from the Lord?
Among the pesky distractions that accompany an online ministry are the hackers who invade and imitate, even going so far as to steal accounts for their own nefarious purposes. Of course, all I have to do is open my Bible or read a few missionary biographies to put my own ministry woes into proper perspective.… Continue reading How Will You Overcome the Challenges Life Throws at You?
There's nothing like a slow and careful read of a "familiar" text in the Bible to make me feel as if I've never seen it before. I'm working on 2 Corinthians 4 in the car, and the sticky part for me is, as usual, one of Paul's lists: hard pressed but not crushed; perplexed but… Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be “Fully Alive” as a Human Being?
One of the best features of the church I call home is the perpetually shifting hats I get to wear. Recently, the flu sidelined several of our families, effectively gutting the Sunday school. I teach the ladies, and since the mums were all home with their sick kids, I got to teach the only healthy… Continue reading On What Are You Basing Your Value, Your Hope, and Your Being?
Living Our Days 