Gaining a heart of wisdom
I smile whenever I remember hearing Elisabeth Elliot thank a woman who had asked her a question about maintaining a healthy weight. She said she appreciated the opportunity to talk about the topic because of the popular sentiment that no one is qualified to address it. If you are thin, you don't understand how complicated… Continue reading The Topic Upon Which No One Is Qualified to Speak
The moments when I have failed to act with grace are the moments when the Gospel is the very best news to me. When I find myself needing forgiveness, a do-over, or a fresh start to the day, I come face to face with the reality that I am not equipped to construct a moral… Continue reading You Need Plenty Of Grace To Live A Holy Life
When I have a speaking engagement on the calendar, I always start studying a month in advance. It's not a perfect system, but most days I go over my notes, read the Scripture I plan to cover, and try to prepare. In October, a conference featuring the Lord's prayer and a retreat focused on spiritual… Continue reading Why I Am Beginning to Sound Like a Broken Record
I keep waiting for time to slow down. With uncharacteristic optimism, I tell myself, "After the garden is done producing, after this speaking engagement is behind me, after this next thing, I'll stop and take a look around, take a breath, take a break. What I'm forgetting, of course, is that while I'm "waiting," my… Continue reading Pay Attention to the Choices and Habits of Your Life
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
