Gaining a heart of wisdom
One summer, I was responsible for a team of high-school-age summer missionaries. They were helping with children's outreach opportunities through area churches, so I would drop them off at the church on Sunday evening and pick them up after their last kids' club on Friday. After a few weeks of regular contact, I began to… Continue reading 8 Encouragements to Grow Your Appetite for God’s Word
The insistent tone of my cell phone’s timer carried through floorboards to our basement schoolroom--another call to prayer unanswered. I sighed, turned the page, and continued with my sixth-grader in a lesson on fractions. I had been reading about the historical practice of praying the hours, setting aside intentional moments throughout the day at specific… Continue reading Holiness in the Here and Now
By the third or fourth time one of their thorns had punctured a lawn mower tire, we had started to call them "devil trees." An invasive species here in Maine, they began to take root in fields and fencerows, but their lovely blossoms and bright berries fail to redeem the damage they cause with their… Continue reading Why You Need to Have a Thorough Knowledge of Scripture
One of the greatest gifts of my life is my grown-up kids. We have fun together, and we also engage in conversations about important topics. I can feel my role in the family changing as everyone takes on increasingly responsible positions in his own world. While I’m sure they would each say their mother’s communication… Continue reading Encouraging Our Adult Children to Practice a Mature Faith
One of the most frequent questions I've been asked over the years (and one I struggled with myself as a young woman) is this: "I know I'm supposed to be having a devotional time with God every day. What does that look like?" The short answer is that there's no short answer to that question! My… Continue reading What Makes a Rich and Meaningful Devotional Life?
Have you ever noticed people's reactions when they are unexpectedly confronted with their own reflection in a mirror or a storefront window? Tiny corrections of posture, expression, or clothing seem to be called for to align the image with the person's self-perception: "Oh, no! Is that what I REALLY look like?" Lent comes to us as… Continue reading Observe Lent Full of Hope Because Easter is Coming
We've all met the woman who treats her daily quiet time like a lucky rabbit's foot or a spiritual vitamin pill. And we've heard from the guy who announces financial blessings in direct proportion to how long he fasts or prays. In an article at Christianity Today, James Bryan Smith pressed on that fragile boundary… Continue reading The Urgent Difference Between Legalism and Faithful Spiritual Practices
I settled down to work in my usual spot. The dining room table always provides a welcoming space for all my books and notes and an open Bible. With fingers on the keyboard, I was ready to write when a ping sounded from my phone, a reminder from an app that I hadn’t done a… Continue reading Three Strategies for Aligning Your Life with Your Convictions
Every year, I set a goal of reading 52 books—one per week, and I usually read at least that many. Then I show up here with a weekly book review. According to Goodreads, I read 87 books in 2023, and I'm going to cap off this year of reading and writing with a reflective post… Continue reading Favorite Books 2023—The Best and Brightest from My Reading Year
The math of social media leaves me with more questions than solutions, and the presiding symbol in the equation always feels like “less than.” When I fall into the trap of comparing myself to the gifted, the scintillating, and the accomplished, I can be sure that the spirit of scarcity won’t be far behind, sucking… Continue reading Solid Truth for the Days When You’re Feeling “Less Than”
