Gaining a heart of wisdom
"Remember, now, we're looking for interesting shapes in nature," I advised my grandson as he picked a tiger lily to add to his collection. We ranged far and wide in search of ferns, winged seeds, leaves both pinnate and palmate, and anything else that caught his eye. His new bright red T-shirt was stretched out… Continue reading Look to Creation for a Story of Hope and Flourishing
The insistent tone of my cell phone’s timer carried through floorboards to our basement schoolroom--another call to prayer unanswered. I sighed, turned the page, and continued with my sixth-grader in a lesson on fractions. I had been reading about the historical practice of praying the hours, setting aside intentional moments throughout the day at specific… Continue reading Holiness in the Here and Now
Posted with thanks, unabashed hero worship, and apologies to the memory of E.B.White (7/11/1899 – 10/1/1985), author of Charlotte’s Web and other beloved tales. He wrote “Memorandum,” originally published in Harper’s Magazine in October of 1941 and then compiled into One Man’s Meat in 1942, along with numerous other exquisite essays from White’s writing life. Please celebrate with me the beauty of… Continue reading A Merry Memorandum and an Important Resource for Epiphany
(The voice of a grieving mother after Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents based on the biblical accounts in Matthew 2:16-18; Jeremiah 31:15; Isaiah 61:1-3) There was no angel appearance to my husband -- No timely warning granted for us to flee the danger and death of Herod's sword. Know that I, too, would have fled.… Continue reading The Christmas Story No One Wants to Talk About
My grandson’s favorite grape tomatoes ripen to a vivid orange in the sunshine on one of the outside rows of my garden. When he was a toddler, he would quiver with delight whenever we picked them together, filling container after container with their bright beauty—and a small cupful to stow in his cup holder for… Continue reading Wake Up to Wonder as a Pathway to Loving and Celebrating God
Keeping my voice confident (more confident than I felt!), I greeted my Sunday morning learners with an unexpected request: “Let’s stand together for our reading of God’s Word this morning.” They didn’t know I had chosen a longer passage than usual.They didn’t know I had timed the reading to fill about three minutes.They didn’t know… Continue reading How Can I Cultivate a Listening Life in a Noisy World?
There’s a peculiar satisfaction that comes with being right. Given the opportunity, we’ll make an idol of it and even run roughshod over those we claim to love in order to win an argument, thereby trading peace for the honor of clutching the blue ribbon of "rightness" close to our hearts. Often what’s at stake… Continue reading The Humble Discovery of Truth that Makes Us and Defines Us
Every fall, when the school buses begin their appointed rounds and the very uttermost edges of the maple leaves begin to curl, I’m pulled into a scene from a beloved book – a college campus and a narrative arc that spans a generation’s worth of sorrow and rejoicing. I’m pulled into the longing for a… Continue reading Stories Shape Our Faith and Heighten Our Joy in Every Season
God spoke. These are stunning words, especially when coupled with the biblical evidence that God continues to speak to His people in myriad ways. When reading Hebrews, my tendency has been to fly right by this amazing and foundational concept on my way to untangling the mystery of Melchizedek or decoding the significance of the Levitical priesthood.… Continue reading You are a Theologian. Are You the Best Theologian You Can Be?
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
Living Our Days 