Gaining a heart of wisdom
The word on the street1 is that, of the twelve tracks on Taylor Swift's newest album, only four will emerge unfiltered on the other side of Spotify's parental controls designed to block explicit content. Having raised my four sons in the prehistoric era of dial-up internet in a remote outpost far from the nearest smoke… Continue reading The Sure Wisdom Found in Unfiltered Gratitude
You opened your new eyesin the garden that God Himself had planted.Born a woman, you bypassed childhoodand came into yourself with a rush of speech,a flood of images,and a seamless, three-way companionship: you, Adam, and Elohim. Was Eden’s bird song the first sound in your perfect ears?Or was it the world’s first love ballad, crooned… Continue reading One Forgotten Truth from Our Sister Eve
Today is just an ordinary day, and that's appropriate because by the reckoning of the liturgical calendar, we are in Ordinary Time—the long stretch between Pentecost in the spring and the first Sunday of Advent. Ordinary, however, need not mean tedious, especially for the believer in Christ. God has profound lessons and innumerable blessings to… Continue reading Find Joy Right Now—in the Midst of an Ordinary Day
The word judge has fallen on hard times as the universe falls all over itself to be seen as broad-minded, tolerant, and accepting. Many years ago, I had an encounter at my dining room table that has formed my thinking on judges and the practice of judgment... We had just moved into the area, bought… Continue reading Will You Let Your Heart Be Judged by the Word of God?
I wonder what you or I would have answered if we were in Solomon's shoes—or in his pajamas, actually, because the biblical text has Solomon asleep and hearing from God in a dream: What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” Would we have had the good sense or the optimism… Continue reading 3 Principles For Discerning The Hearts Of People
Maybe it’s the bright yellow of autumn here in New England, or perhaps it’s just my affinity for Robert Frost’s view of the world, but I can’t seem to turn calendar pages past the fall equinox without mumbling phrases from “The Road Not Taken.” Unfortunately, a glut of ’70s-era posters and way too many graduation… Continue reading Finding Your Way Back to the Right Road
Two of my grandchildren live in a house with a big picture window looking out over the driveway. They are known for setting up operations there in the window whenever they get wind of an upcoming visit from Bam and Bamp. Of course, having no concept of time, they might start looking for us right… Continue reading Do You Know What Your Heart Is Hoping For?
We didn't witness it this year, but the great annual cow migration at our neighbor's farm has been successfully accomplished! Every summer, the stalwart farmers down the road open the pasture gates, and the herd crosses the road to fresh pasture. On our morning walk, the evidence was everywhere: freshly driven fence posts and a… Continue reading A Prayer for All the Sheep Living in Green Pastures
I lived south of the Mason-Dixon just long enough to be introduced to the word Hey as a greeting—not long enough, however, to become accustomed to it. Here in New England, “Hey!” is the word we use to get someone’s attention, as in, “Hey! You can’t pahk heah!” A simple southern greeting would stop me… Continue reading The Gift of Grace Wrapped Up in a Simple Greeting
Whenever I travel, and often even when I simply open my email, I encounter the stories of people who are carrying heartache, managing loads unimaginable to me. I'm not a trained counselor, and my gifts don't even lie in that direction, so I'm usually at a loss for words. And really, words are not the… Continue reading Bring Your Broken Heart to the One Who Named the Stars
Living Our Days 