Gaining a heart of wisdom
Maybe it’s the bright yellow of autumn here in New England, or perhaps it’s just my affinity for Robert Frost’s view of the world, but I can’t seem to turn calendar pages past the fall equinox without mumbling phrases from “The Road Not Taken.” Unfortunately, a glut of ’70s-era posters and way too many graduation… Continue reading Finding Your Way Back to the Right Road
In the little church we call home, my husband and I are team-teaching the adult class, and our goal is an overview of the entire Bible. We're talking outlines, key verses, and major characters, but most of all, we want to consider how each of the sixty-six books fits into the narrative arc of God's… Continue reading Can We Justify Deep Learning In These Troubled Times?
Elijah the prophet hung out under a broom tree. Paul, John the Baptist, and even Jesus took to the wilderness when they needed to rest. My favorite restful practice is curling up with a good story, so over the Christmas holidays, I took a break from reviewing new books and simply followed my heart into… Continue reading What Do YOU Read When You Need to Rest?
I spent most of my twenties looking in the mirror at a face I didn't love. Makeup interventions, hairstyle adjustments, and even color analysis failed to take the edge off my conviction that something about my face was simply not right. Around the same time, I discovered C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces and felt… Continue reading Learning to Love the Face You’ve Been Given
C.S. Lewis famously said, "No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good." Any foolishness about humanity's innate goodness goes out the window the first time we try to break a bad habit, adopt a godly practice, or keep our mouths shut in the company of an annoying family member.… Continue reading 6 Course Corrections to Avoid Settling for a Mediocre Righteousness
Part Two: Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know We live in a world described by C.S. Lewis's devil Screwtape as "The Kingdom of Noise." When we're not being assaulted by ringing phones or pinging notifications, we have podcasts and playlists pouring into our ears as if listening to something might actually be our real… Continue reading Wishing You a Silent and Holy Christmas in the Kingdom of Noise
The math of social media leaves me with more questions than solutions, and the presiding symbol in the equation always feels like “less than.” When I fall into the trap of comparing myself to the gifted, the scintillating, and the accomplished, I can be sure that the spirit of scarcity won’t be far behind, sucking… Continue reading Solid Truth for the Days When You’re Feeling “Less Than”
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
Bread dough the color of molasses yielded to the pressure of my working fist. Fold, press, turn, repeat, and soon I lost count of how many times I had kneaded the fragrant lump. With the recipe calling for three hundred repetitions, I began to wonder... Three hundred? Really? Switching to the heel of my hand,… Continue reading Create the Right Conditions for Spiritual Growth: Trust the Recipe
Along the wooded trail behind my home, a birch tree arches in a graceful curve as it stretches across the pathway. It’s a veteran of a good many northern New England ice storms and knows what it is to bow low under a weight of snow and frozen rain. Even though its tip-top branches have… Continue reading Solid Theology and the Gift of Community: Keys to Resilient Mothering
Living Our Days 