A toddler-sized pair of skates wired to an evergreen spray and adorned with a bow -- that's the best I can do! But not everyone is craft-challenged like I am, and Sarah O. Maddox has made a practice of hanging a beautiful wreath on the door of her home no matter what the season as… Continue reading Wreathed in Contentment
Tag: Bible Study
Excellence — Who, Me?
The wow-factor of my kids' birthday parties? The visibility of certain muscle groups in my arms, legs, and torso? The ease and finesse with which I can entertain a party of twelve, self-publish a book, or create deck furniture from wooden palettes? Are any of these a worthy means of measuring my excellence? Not according… Continue reading Excellence — Who, Me?
Diligence and Focus: Thoughts from the Garden
Since the blossoms are turning into green beans; Since the tomatoes are crowding each other for a peek of the red-ripening sun; Since going to the garden feeds my soul as well as my family, I look forward every year to the season of hunkering down between the bean plants. It’s challenging this year with… Continue reading Diligence and Focus: Thoughts from the Garden
Veering into the Serene Providence
Knocking twenty-two years’ worth of dust off a resume stretches the definition of “creative writing” to its limit. After giving my time away for two decades, can I convince even myself that my skills are marketable? Am I still capable of holding my own in the workforce? The questions hang in the air like a… Continue reading Veering into the Serene Providence
Musings – May 2016
The peas that are sprouting in my garden have come from the seeds that, just a few weeks ago, slept under a layer of snow. There's a devotional thought there somewhere, but that's not my purpose today, so I'll resist the urge and proceed with a recap of happenings here at Living Our Days --… Continue reading Musings – May 2016
Toward a Theology of Reverence and Awe
It is staggering to think that the life of faith is really an invitation to share in the nature of God. He is holy, and he calls the believer to a life of holiness, providing the means and the might to make it happen. He is loving, and He pours His love through us in… Continue reading Toward a Theology of Reverence and Awe
Four Faith-Forward Lessons from the Life of Moses
In a couple of months, I'll be celebrating two years of blogging. When my pastor first invited me to be a guest writer for the church's blog, I could barely breathe whenever I clicked on that "publish" button -- and that really hasn't changed too much. What has changed, however, is my understanding of bold… Continue reading Four Faith-Forward Lessons from the Life of Moses
A Well-Grounded Trust
The fallacy of circularity -- the accusation that all arguments for the trustworthiness of Scripture come round to the Bible's own truth claims -- has been leveled against Christians, and sometimes it's well-founded. How, then, is a serious student of the Word to explain and validate her certainty that when she opens the pages of… Continue reading A Well-Grounded Trust
Meditations on The Name
The infinite variety in nature, the curious complexity of human behavior, the synchronicity of multiple systems in our own anatomy -- and in the solar system -- all point, through general revelation, to the nature of God: multi-faceted, magnificent, and yet mysterious. Special revelation in Scripture picks up where creation leaves off, and Beth Willis… Continue reading Meditations on The Name
A Living Hope
With rain pattering on the roof of the mini-van, I opened my tiny New Testament to the book of I Peter and dove in. I've learned that if I wait for perfect conditions to begin anything, I'll never get started, and the first step to a study with Jen Wilkin is: open your Bible and… Continue reading A Living Hope