Gaining a heart of wisdom
"What's that, Mum?" asked my son, pointing to a small plastic something-on-the- ground. "That's just a barrette," I replied, off-handedly. "What's a barrette?" he asked -- framing in one simple question the deeply entrenched boy-culture and the essence of the testosterone-laced air that I have breathed for the past two decades. With this as background,… Continue reading The Art of Being a Wife
"As Christian women, we desire to honor God by living countercultural lives that reflect the beauty of Christ and His gospel to our world . . ." These powerful words lifted from the True Woman Manifesto are a wake up call to women, an invitation to enter into a life based on truth, and to… Continue reading Divine Design
There are times when our kids surprise us -- or even surpass us -- with their insight. This was certainly the case with my youngest son: "It's too much," he said. "I've got all this music to learn for honors band. I'm buying a sheep. I want to work with Cyprus (his 4-H heifer). I'm… Continue reading Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy
From time to time, I experiment with timelessness by taking off my watch. That naked wrist feels as daring and vulnerable as a bathing suit in a January blizzard, while every glance to check the time quickens my pulse to the rhythm of the question that my heart needs to hear: What’s your hurry? Contriving… Continue reading What’s Your Hurry?
Boy #4: What's for breakfast in the morning? Me: Pancakes. Why? Boy #4: I just like knowing what I have to look forward to. Good Night. I was reminded of that conversation and my smile in the darkness of a little boy's bedroom as I read Good Night, Little Love by Laura Neutzling. Her comforting… Continue reading A Safe Place to Say, “Good Night”
Even in the mid-90’s, no one was still listening to records anymore, but, for me, there is still some Christmas music that must be heard against the crackling of needle on vinyl. Classical guitar, organ and chimes, brass quintets – all instrumental arrangements of ancient carols whose lyrics, inscribed in memory like grooves on the… Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid – Just Believe
I’m a note-taker and a scribbler, so the pages of my favorite Bible are highlighted in yellow, underlined in pencil, and inscribed with various colors of pen, but my favorite and most meaningful markings are four sets of initials lightly penciled beside select verses. These are my four sons’ initials, and they draw my eyes… Continue reading When You Don’t Know What to Pray
For the past twenty-one years, my designated occupation on our tax forms and all official (and unofficial) documents has been "domestic diva." Given the flashy title, my house should look a lot better than it does, but my fierce and steadfast focus within that job title has been to raise four young men to love… Continue reading Love Them Into Being
Linking up today with friends from #livefreeThursday where we are all pondering the topic: "no strings attached." Well, fine, say I, the Bible-teaching evangelical. My confessional theology is all about the sovereignty of God. I love and serve Him, and He gets to call the shots. But when He really DOES call the shots, and… Continue reading Unexpected Life
"May we so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal." This was my daily prayer during the years when my boys were tiny, and even though I'm not from a tradition that uses prayer books or puts the emphasis on the first syllable in the word "collect," I've recently started praying these words again. I'm… Continue reading Just One Thing: Inconvenience
Living Our Days 