Gaining a heart of wisdom
I listen to a LOT of podcasts, and among my favorites are the author interviews in which the host dives into the story behind the book. I'm in awe of people with the tenacity and optimism required to see a book project all the way through to its completion. Maybe you would define success by… Continue reading How Do You Define a Successful Life?
When I'm teaching a group of women I'm meeting for the first time, I try to begin with some small part of my story. I talk about my four sons or my adorable grandchildren. I might mention my garden in the summer or complain about the early winter darkness here on this country hill in… Continue reading A Fresh View that Deepens an Already Beloved Tale
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot When I began reading Elisabeth Elliot's books, I kept a dictionary nearby — her vocabulary far surpassed mine. During the mid-90’s while I was raising babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, Elisabeth had a daily radio program, so I arranged my mornings around Gateway to Joy. On the one occasion that I attended an event where… Continue reading A Life of Reckless Abandon for God
One morning, three-year-old Amy eagerly pushed her chair close to a mirror and climbed up. The night before, she had prayed for her brown eyes to be changed to a beautiful blue, and because her mother had assured her that Jesus always answers prayer, she was certain that she would be gazing into beautiful blue… Continue reading Inspiration from the Servant Life of Amy Carmichael
First impressions are usually lasting, and that was certainly the case with my introduction to Frederick Buechner, which came through a Luci Shaw poem. She quoted these nourishing words in a season of seeking intimacy with God: "Beat a trail to God long enough, and he will come to you on the trail you have… Continue reading Frederick Buechner’s Beautiful and Terrible World
When Ray Rhodes, Jr. was investigating topics for his dissertation, he followed his life long interest in Charles Spurgeon and began to research Spurgeon's marriage and the spiritual element of his relationship with his wife of thirty-six years, Susannah Spurgeon. Surprisingly, his interest led him away from "the prince of preachers" and toward a more… Continue reading The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon
Conversations about the laws that govern chemistry might be one of the most spiritual things going on this week at my dining room table. Homeschooling chemistry involves revisiting the Periodic Table of Elements with its jagged line separating the metals and the non-metals and the tiny numbers that define and describe unseen properties of pure… Continue reading Beloved Differences Bring Us Together in Hope
A week of teaching children in a backyard Bible club can have a clarifying effect on one's theology. Just exactly what is it that happened in Zaccheus's heart when he changed from being a dirty rotten tax collector to a repentant and honorable Christ-follower? When Jesus spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus, how… Continue reading Madeleine L’Engle and the Practice of Believing
Starting in the book of Acts, the history of missions is characterized by controversy. It may have begun when Paul and company set out with freshly-minted instructions from the Jerusalem Council, defining the parameters of the message they were sharing. It was certainly evident when the citizens of Lystra decided to fold Paul and Barnabas… Continue reading The Missionary Experience: A Path of Faith in the Midst of Paradox
It should come as no surprise when a brain that has been marinating for decades in North American evangelical culture has an immediate and visceral response to the names of prominent historical Christians: C.S. Lewis: Green light and heart emojis (but, remember, he did smoke . . .) Francis Schaeffer: Amazing intellect, but too bad… Continue reading The Life and Theology of Karl Barth
Living Our Days 