Gaining a heart of wisdom
I'm reading through the psalms again. Again! Funny how the Bible's prayer book keeps reverting to mundane words on a page as I hurry my way through this spiritual discipline with other tasks taking up space in my brain. Some days, however, the words and the Spirit find their mark, and I really do find… Continue reading Reset Your Pace to Walk with the God Who Leads You Beside Waters of Rest
For almost thirty years, this country hill in Maine has been home to our family. One by one, we've added to the numbers until, soon, we'll be 14 Morins in all, but it all started with two of us. The longer we live here, the more obvious it becomes that "home" is really more about… Continue reading Are You Looking for the Way to a Destination Called Peaceful Rest?
Isaiah may be one of the most cherry-picked books of the Old Testament, maybe even in the whole Bible! It's almost irresistible! We snatch favorite verses out of context, appropriating promises without a thought in our heads about the original audience or the author's intent. On our journey through Isaiah together, I am resisting the… Continue reading Certain Destruction and a Promise of Peace
Sunday Scripture One minute you've lit a candle, settled yourself into your favorite chair, and invited the Spirit to settle your heart. Beginning the day in peace and trust, you've made promises to yourself and to God about how the coming day will be. Then, life arrives with a roar, and suddenly you are Wile… Continue reading Why is Peace so Hard to Come By?
We came to this country hill in winter. I quit my job one day, and the next day we loaded a UHaul truck with books, furniture, and life as I understood it. Six days later, I became a mother. Change piled upon change, and for a while, who-I-was and what-was-expected-of-me in this new life became… Continue reading Change is Hard. God is Good.
With a steaming cup of tea in my favorite mug and an open Bible, I turned to a fresh page in my journal and prepared to take advantage of an empty and quiet house. Funny how stillness without is no guarantee of stillness within. A dozen tasks on my to-do list suddenly began competing for… Continue reading Stillness on the Way to Peace with God
The collision of lives is mysterious and unpredictable. Friends meet at a gathering and are bonded for life. A man and a woman from random backgrounds are introduced to each other and eventually share grandchildren. Adoption is a choice that puts this miracle of connection on display in unique ways that seem to defy race,… Continue reading Adoption and the Journey Toward a Surrendered Heart
Welcome the peaceful signs of this new season by Beating your swords into plowshares. Then go till up a garden! Beat those blades back into swords again And do battle against an ensnaring sin. Don't be anxious about What is coming or What might come. Pick a bouquet just for today's table. Turn regret on… Continue reading Welcome a New Season of Peaceful Change
Last summer, we canoed down the Saco River. With kayaks, canoes, and colorful life jackets, we were a festive family flotilla bobbing along in the gentle current. On the way to our destination, we swam, sunned ourselves on sandbars, and the kids played a rousing game of gunwale wars. It was the kind of day… Continue reading Faith, Family, and the Adoption Journey
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
Living Our Days 