A Debtor to Grace
Last week, I was reminded how hard and humbling it is to receive what we cannot repay. So, I’m reflecting on how our hearts accept grace as an old hymn we recently sang at church echoes through my thoughts.
Hope For Hard Roads
How do you tell someone that the journey may be far different than they expect and that it might be a long, lonely, journey through deep valleys of letting go? How do you offer hope when your own journey doesn’t appear to have a happily-ever-after ending? This journey to find space for grace was a journey that lasted years and cannot be easily summarized in one post. Initially, I didn’t even know what needed to change in my heart and my words and actions, but I found hope for hard journeys.
Hope For Hard Roads Read More »
Duty, Desire, and Delight
I jump out of bed eagerly anticipating the day. It is early and my only day off in a six-day workweek filled with the obligation of my job. Today is Sunday, and I can choose between duty and desire. Today I am not governed by the clock. Today I can read for as long as I want the books that beckon for space in my spare margins. And today there is time to pour out words like water from my soul. I may do some of these things later today, but that is not why I have jumped from my bed eager to start my day.
Duty, Desire, and Delight Read More »
More Than Mended – a book title?
The Inception of a Name A friend recently asked me what I would title the book I’m currently writing. I told him I had struggled with creating a title, because every title I thought of was copyrighted. Then it occurred to me that I already had the title long before I started the book. It
More Than Mended – a book title? Read More »
Teach Us to Number Our Days
Teach us to number our days….The old King James translation still echoes in my mind when I think of this verse. As a teenager, I thought this verse meant we were not to waste a single minute of our day. We were to be as productive as possible with every single day, every single hour, and every single minute. But reflecting on the impact of Psalm 90:12, I discovered it’s not about constant productivity but a deep relationship with God.
Teach Us to Number Our Days Read More »
Learning to Love Well: Navigating the Complexities of Faith, Suffering, and Compassion
Not long ago I received a link to a video which featured young people whose lives had been changed by prayer and community, but rather than receiving encouragement, I was deeply hurt, and discouraged. As I sat in silence in the dark of the morning, and wrestled with my feelings, I asked, “Lord, why am I so hurt by a message that was intended to bring hope?”
None of us loves perfectly, but I long to love better, and often it is my hurt that moves me to a deeper understanding and compassion.
Learning to Love Well: Navigating the Complexities of Faith, Suffering, and Compassion Read More »
What We Seek
As I took my dogs on a much-needed walk through the fields, I thought about a quote I recently read from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “What we seek we shall find. What we flee from flees from us.”
Thinking about this quote, I wondered, “What I am seeking this year? What do I want 2024 to hold for me?”
He Came
Incarnation, such a big word, and we seem to hear it at Christmas more than any other time of the year. But what does it really mean? While Christmas is a time to enjoy family and friends, for many it is also a time when the absence of loved ones is acutely felt. And yet, there amid human suffering and loss, He came.
Falling Leaves and Passing Seasons
Beautiful autumn leaves remind me of the passing of time and the intertwining of joy and sorrow. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to embrace both blessings and grief and acknowledge that both shape our human experience. Life is complex and we wholly live when we can hold both gladness and grief with gratitude.
Falling Leaves and Passing Seasons Read More »
Grace for All
This was one of my first experiences in which I found my brokenness and God’s generous grace colliding. It was both a loving embrace and a gentle rebuke. My love for God grew out of the overflow of His love for me. This is how Jesus draws us closer to Him and exhorts us to a live a life of holiness – He loves us. One beautiful example of this compelling love that brings peace to the broken is the story of Mary and Simon recorded in Luke 7: 36-50.