Gaining a heart of wisdom
"Can you teach me how to make biscuits, Bam?" Blue eyes smiled the question with guarded hope, because even five-year-olds recognize the potential of no. Then, with feet firmly planted on the step stool, she measured and mixed while I coached and advised: "Mix in the shortening till all you can see is crumbs all… Continue reading The Positive Impact of Proximity: Stay Close to Your People and Rise Together
What does your reading life look like in the summer? Mine has to be more "portable" as I'm always throwing a book into the bag with my beach towel, but I usually get to mid-July with some goals in place for my reading life. Memoir and biography are among my favorite genres, so this list… Continue reading Six Books You Won’t Want to Miss When Planning Your Summer Reading
I've worn any number of hats in my life as a church lady, but by far my favorite role has been Sunday school teacher in the women's class. Together, we've plowed through everything from Nehemiah to the Psalms of Ascent, usually without a curriculum, instead using a kind of dead-reckoning that has allowed us to… Continue reading The 10 Most Important Points from the Book of Exodus
Sunday Scripture I have begun to consider listening to the morning news as a spiritual discipline, a small act of patriotism in which I put the good of our country above my own comfort or preferences. I've never been a political animal, but events of the past several years and a fleet of newly minted… Continue reading How Can an Ordinary Citizen Begin to Practice a Radical Patriotism?
Today I attacked the kind of cleaning chores that I envision other more diligent and domestically devoted women doing all the time: the tidying that requires pulling furniture away from the wall, vacuuming under beds, and applying a ferocious dust cloth to the rungs of chairs and the hidden recesses of bookcases. Homely household routines… Continue reading Elisabeth Elliot’s Unique Blend of Grit and Grace and My Review of a New EE Biography
Sooner or later, it happens to every church-going man or woman. It's as common as trolls on Twitter, and it happens almost every time we sing: We lie to ourselves, and we lie to God. Whether we're singing a great hymn of the church or something more recent, the lyrics are often aspirational--but not actual.… Continue reading Telling the Truth in Worship Requires Clear and Unclouded Vision
My young friend’s question was as deeply earnest as it was misguided: “I know I need to read and pray every day, but isn’t it just hypocritical to go through the motions on days when I’m not feelin’ it?” It’s not hard to trace this line of reasoning to its source. In Western thought, a… Continue reading Is It Hypocritical to Practice Spiritual Disciplines When I’m Not Feelin’ It?
The Lord's Prayer is an excellent example of our tendency to stop hearing the familiar parts of the Bible. The notion that "I know what this says" sends us racing through a passage without stopping to be amazed, but if you think of God as your Father in Heaven, you have Jesus to thank, for… Continue reading What Does It Mean to Pray to God as a Loving Father?
I have a new plant sitting on the window sill of "The Princess Room." Its pink flowers will undoubtedly bring delight to the heart of my oldest granddaughter--primary inhabitant of that particular guest room and the reason it is so named. Now, if I can only keep the plant alive! I have a terrible track… Continue reading 5 Practical Resources to Encourage Daily Rhythms of Spiritual Discipline
When Tim Keller passed away, the media honored his career, and in all the reporting, I noticed one detail about his impact on evangelical thought and culture. When he published his first book (The Reason for God) in 2008, he was 57 years old, and the book was a compilation of his ministry experience to… Continue reading To the Older Woman in the Church: You Are NOT Obsolete
Living Our Days 