Gaining a heart of wisdom
When I listen with just my ears, my heart can be ten thousand miles away. Just ask my grandchildren. They know the difference. “Bam, LOOK!” they demand until I turn my face toward the block structure, the moth in the jar, or the crayoned masterpiece. A woman on a mission, I need words tattooed on… Continue reading Experience (and Embody!) the Miracle of God’s Presence
I never like disagreeing with Jesus. After all, he is the Son of God, so when he takes a position on something in Scripture, I am committed to agree. I want to see things his way. But what about his teaching on prayer in Matthew 21? He had just cursed a fig tree, and it… Continue reading When God Says No—The Good Gift of Unanswered Prayer
Have you ever noticed people's reactions when they are unexpectedly confronted with their own reflection in a mirror or a storefront window? Tiny corrections of posture, expression, or clothing seem to be called for to align the image with the person's self-perception: "Oh, no! Is that what I REALLY look like?" Lent comes to us as… Continue reading Observe Lent Full of Hope Because Easter is Coming
I've recently taken up my knitting needles and resumed the practice of making mittens. My homemade mittens used to warm the hands of my four sons, but these days I'm working on making mittens for my six grandkids. Right now, I'm over halfway through the second tiny pink pair. I love being “Bam” to six… Continue reading How Has God Demonstrated His Love for You?
On this collision of holidays with ashes for mourning and hearts for love,We are grateful, Lord Jesus, for your perfect love and for your wrath-absorbing sacrifice. We confess that our own love is unreliable, intermittent, and usually utterly dependent upon our feelings and our circumstances. Thank you for your steadfast love that extends to the… Continue reading On this Day of Hearts and Ashes—You Are Deeply Flawed but Also Deeply Loved
We've all met the woman who treats her daily quiet time like a lucky rabbit's foot or a spiritual vitamin pill. And we've heard from the guy who announces financial blessings in direct proportion to how long he fasts or prays. In an article at Christianity Today, James Bryan Smith pressed on that fragile boundary… Continue reading The Urgent Difference Between Legalism and Faithful Spiritual Practices
I awoke at 3:00 a.m. with the remnants of a dream taking up every square inch of my brain space. Never mind that it was only a dream. At 3 a.m., dreams are more real and more frightening than they deserve to be. I laughed about the dream in the morning, and it made a… Continue reading How to Fear Wisely—What Are You Afraid of Today?
Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century French monk, was assigned kitchen duty as his ministry in the monastery. Disappointed at first that his lack of poise and formal education had disqualified him from a more conventional "monkish" life, he eventually lived his way into an enthusiastic embrace of his calling. In fact, the insights he gleaned while… Continue reading The Presence of God: Will You Accept the Invitation Without an Agenda?
By the time my sons were old enough to talk, they were well-versed in the practice of apologizing. Four boys living in a modest-sized house have plenty of opportunity to bump into each other, both physically and relationally, but that’s not the only reason for the familiarity and frequency of apologetic words on this country… Continue reading Why is Confession Important? (I thought my sins were already forgiven!)
I nodded in agreement as my son explained the problem with his car. He had stopped by to drop off a few things and left the vehicle running in the driveway, listening for a particular sound. I waited a few seconds with him, straining my ears to no avail. His explanation droned on, and I… Continue reading You Don’t Have to Understand the Mechanics for the Love of God to Work
Living Our Days 