Will You Play It Safe–or Will You Take on the Ocean?

To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? (Isaiah 40:18)

Sunday Scripture God is the ocean, and we keep writing about a cup of water."Charlie Peacock, musician and producer One cannot be too careful about one's reading material, especially at thirty thousand feet where confined airplane space and a four hour flight leave plenty of room for pondering a powerful metaphor. "God is the ocean,… Continue reading Will You Play It Safe–or Will You Take on the Ocean?

Father’s Day: A New and Better Celebration

Sunday Scripture For me, Round One was not such that I would have predicted a mushy Father’s Day blog post in my future. (Who would have ever predicted blogs, anyway?) My experience with this Hallmark holiday was aptly described by author, Leslie Leyland Fields: Some will turn away from thirty minutes at the card rack empty-handed and sad.”… Continue reading Father’s Day: A New and Better Celebration

Working Hard at the Practice of Patriotism

Patriotism, Pessimism, Church, Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton,

Sunday Scripture Patriotic holidays seem to be slipping by me this year. The challenge of distinguishing one day from another only complicates my nose-to-the-grindstone manner of living during this season of recovery from pandemic. In years past, we created red, white, and blue T-shirts with copious globs of fabric paint every Memorial Day and then… Continue reading Working Hard at the Practice of Patriotism

Get Used to the Idea of Abundance

Sunday Scripture Spring is the season of hyperbole. Here in Maine, we live in the grip of winter's clutches long after the calendar makes its equinox announcement--picture a foot of snow the week before Mother's Day! Therefore, when yellow and green begin to show up in earnest, my eyes can't take it in fast enough.… Continue reading Get Used to the Idea of Abundance

Holy Indifference to the Loss of All Things

By grace, we can live in holy indifference to the "loss of all things" if, in the process, we gain a fuller measure of the knowledge of Christ.

Sunday Scripture I logged some fairly intense conversations with God the day the transmission blew in our faithful truck--the one that hauls all the equipment for our lawn mowing business. "Really?" "Now?" "God, are you unaware that grass is beginning to grow here in Mid-Coast Maine?" I'm well aware that God is sovereign even over… Continue reading Holy Indifference to the Loss of All Things

What Does it Mean to Be Relentless?

The relentless see. The relentless look at what is visible and, by faith, connect the dots all the way to Good News about a kingdom that is strong and unshakeable.

Sunday Scripture The taste of disillusionment is bitter, and few there are who have not experienced it at some point in life, for God often behaves in ways that puzzle us. His infrangible decrees leave us breathless and wondering, and while it's our default to view New Testament characters as cardboard cutouts, it's clear that… Continue reading What Does it Mean to Be Relentless?

Is This a Sign of the End Times?

Whether we have ten minutes, ten years, or ten thousand years remaining on this planet, let's not waste them!

Sunday Scripture I love it when I answer the phone and the voice on the other end is my friend who brings questions. She is a verbal processor, always in big picture mode, and her enormous heart leads the way. I am a slow, internal processor and my friend's questions have a way of jolting… Continue reading Is This a Sign of the End Times?

Wishing a Refreshing Mother’s Day to You!

My Mother’s Day wish for you this weekend is the gift of an outward focus.

Sunday Scripture Some of my happiest mothering memories are set in a blue mini-van on the open road as our family traveled cross-country for five weeks back in the summer of 2010. With very few distractions, our time together was focused on the beauty around us and the many sights we all shared for the… Continue reading Wishing a Refreshing Mother’s Day to You!

How Do You Whet Your Appetite for God?

"Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God--it whets our appetite." ~Eugene Peterson

Sunday Scripture In these days of social distancing, even our worship has taken on a new look and a different feel. An act that has typically conjured images of white-steepled buildings--or polished praise teams, lasers, and smoke machines, depending on your church background--is now taking place in front of screens, in living rooms with only… Continue reading How Do You Whet Your Appetite for God?

Fear: It’s a Matter of Where You Are Standing

Sunday Scripture Welcome to the Christian life! It's a stress-free picnic every day with continual success, lots of friends, and the knowledge that your children will always be well-behaved in public. No problems, no questions, no doubts. Is that what you believe? If so, I have some incredibly good news for you that should help… Continue reading Fear: It’s a Matter of Where You Are Standing