Gaining a heart of wisdom
Soaring on lyrical thermals, the author of Hebrews piles image upon image, linking his thoughts with conjunctions that urge the reader to keep a finger in the preceding pages -- all the while pressing forward for more encouragement. Finding that ten out of the thirteen chapters begin with a conjunction, this last thunderous "therefore" that launches chapter… Continue reading Running the Race of Faith
We don't know who he was because he didn't sign his name. Was it fear that drove this anonymity in an age of persecution? Or was it humility? When we studied Hebrews 7, we marveled together at the author's ability to connect the dots between Melchizedek and Jesus, our High Priest forever, based on… Continue reading The Heart of Faith
We had just moved into the area, bought a house, welcomed our first baby, and settled into a new church. The house was definitely a fixer-upper, but we were determined to start practicing hospitality, so we had a steady stream of company, including a dear lady who sat next to me in the alto section of… Continue reading Diligent Use of the Word of God
For me, it was a case of the right book at the right time when Girl Meets Change by Kristen Strong showed up in my mailbox. I am walking through a season of boys coming and boys going; setting the table each night with only four plates . . . or hearing that we may possibly need nine plates;… Continue reading Change: Friend or Enemy?
Whenever I read Psalm 125, I am in awe of this unnamed author’s trusting words: 1-5 Those who trust in God are like Zion Mountain: Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain you can always depend on. Mountains encircle Jerusalem, and God encircles his people— always has and always will. (The Message) The image is one… Continue reading A Confident Faith
People have a tendency to view the population of the world on a continuum. Everyone whose ideas and opinions are to the left of mine is, by definition, "a liberal," and is to be most conscientiously converted to my way of thinking. Everyone whose ideas and opinions place them to the right of me on this imaginary… Continue reading Lonely on the Pinnacle of Truth
My faith unraveled at a Christian college. I know that’s not the way it’s supposed to happen, and I can remember wishing that a hostile, atheistic professor had bludgeoned me into my doubts with brilliantly irrefutable arguments. It would make for a much better story. Instead, the truth is I just got numb. The constant… Continue reading Finding the Way Forward
Living Our Days 