Gaining a heart of wisdom
Whether I'm looking out my window or walking the length of our driveway, I love my view from home. And I love being here on the hill with my books and my very convenient kitchen. I love having eight grandchildren, and I especially love my husband and four sons (who are hilarious). Even so, having… Continue reading Falling Out of Love with the Present World
My conference series on The Lord's Prayer is one of my favorites, and I especially love hearing from the women who, after three forty-five-minute sessions of content, tell me they had been skeptical that we could spend that long talking about five verses in Matthew 6. Session two is the hardest—for me as the teacher… Continue reading A Journey to Healing Through the Power of Genuine Forgiveness
I love living where we can easily drive to a sandy beach or walk near a rocky shoreline. One Sunday this summer, we took a ferry to an island where we worshiped with a community of believers who live there year-round, managing the complexity of ferry schedules for needed trips to the mainland. I wonder… Continue reading The Only Thing that Will Keep You from Drifting
Apples are ripening here on the hill, and I'm up against the annual dilemma. I can pick everything now before more fall to the ground, or I can wait a bit and let them ripen on the tree. Some of the apples will be lovely, while others will be blighted or riddled through with worm… Continue reading Are You Looking for a Really Sure Thing?
The Old Testament books of history read like a slow circling of the drain, a downward spiral of ever-worsening kings, determined to ignore God's prophetic message, delivered in vivid terms by a long succession of articulate and earnest prophets: "Stop doing this to yourselves!" In dark times, any glimmer of light stands out, so when… Continue reading A Glimmer of Light in a Very Dark Time
One of my college roommates designed her whole life around avoiding mornings. She scheduled no classes before 10 a.m., and her skilled sleeping techniques allowed her to sleep through the chaos of two roommates dressing, alking in normal tone and volume, and blow drying our hair (Hey, it was the 80's!). I've lost track of… Continue reading Get Your Day Off on the Right Foot
Going from one chore to another, following well-worn routines, it's easy for me to lose sight of the big picture, which is, of course, my life as a Christ-follower. Does it matter how I weed the garden or hang sheets on the clothesline? Is there one molecule in the universe that is better or worse… Continue reading Overcome Distractions as You Run the Race of Faith
Scripture memory is one of the more challenging spiritual disciplines. Right now, I'm working on Psalm 27, and it's reminding me that there's another discipline that's even harder for me. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!You have said, 'Seek my face.'My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.'"(Psalm 27:7-8) I… Continue reading Speak To The God Who Has Spoken To Us First
It's only June, but already our calendar is filling up with summer plans. Conversations about beach days and family camping trips have me wondering when we'll fit in the more mundane but necessary tasks of weeding the garden and mowing the lawn. When we had four barefoot boys running summer wild here on the hill,… Continue reading A Life Lived in the Presence of the Lord
It's testing week here on the hill! My oldest grandson and granddaughter have been here with me to take their end-of-year standardized tests. Remember those forms with all the little dots to be filled in with Number Two pencils? Testing is a big deal1 because it helps my son and daughter-in-law assess their children's educational… Continue reading What to Look for When Times of Testing Come
