“Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it?” Annie Dillard
As I think about Easter, I recall Annie Dillard’s quote about the power Christians have in the name of Jesus. Lately I’ve been thinking about how little I understand it and how little I invoke it. What would happen if I did? What would happen if I lived my life in daily resurrection power? The […]
For Best Results
I’ve been cleaning the grout on my kitchen floor all day long. With an aching back and knees, I take a hot bath with some fancy bubble bath that’s supposed to soothe everything with lavender and chamomile. I turn the bottle around, and it says in bold print, “For best results, breathe deeply.” I sink […]
Some Spring Kitchen Whimsy: Let Children Paint the Silverware Holder
We’re Spring Cleaning around here, and as I clean the crumbs from the silverware holder, I notice all the beautiful white paint has chipped off. I want to buy another one to freshen up the kitchen, but my husband reminds me we can just paint each section with fresh white paint. At the same time, […]
We’re Thinking Less; He’s Thinking More
Our church is studying Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Claude King, and I’m struck again by the simple truth that God wants to give generously, far beyond our meager requests of Him. Often in Scripture, someone asks for one thing, and God gives another. It’s because God wants to give more. He goes beyond. […]
Chop It Off and Start Fresh
After several years of sassy side ponytails, braids, buns, curls, headbands, fun chalk color, feathers, and clip-on extensions, my fashionista daughter’s hair needed some serious repair. We go to the salon today, and the stylist diagnoses the hair using the words breakage, damage, brittle, dry, and worn out. “Let’s start fresh and let it all […]
“What a delicious thing writing is. . .”
I ease a dusty Madame Bovary off of the bookshelf. I love this novel and decide to read it again. In the Foreword, I read how Gustave Flaubert felt about the act of writing. He writes in a letter, “What a delicious thing writing is–not to be you any more but to move through the […]
A Checklist for Writing
I love checklists. I even love them for my writing. Here’s a nice one I’m giving my students tomorrow. I want every sentence to shimmer. 1. Did I eliminate “to be” (am, is, are, was, were, has, have, seems, appears, exists, etc.) verbs and spice my writing with vivid verbs that create a mood? 2. […]
Well, You Have to Ask
Twice today, someone advises me to “ask God for wisdom.” By quoting James 1:5 (“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you), these folks implore me to simply ask and receive. God gives wisdom generously. God gives wisdom […]
Lounge About
I enjoy watching Jack lounge. It’s a hard life for a cat with one eye. He needs to lounge indeed. He finds the coziest spot and settles. He stretches out. He knows he’ll be fed in an hour. He’ll have fresh water and plenty of attention. Without a care, he can lounge. Perhaps we all […]
My Friend’s Awesome Family Night Strategy: Inhabiting Another Person’s Joy
My friend recently suggested a new way to enact “Friday Family Night.” (Thanks, Stephanie!) In her family, a different family member is totally in charge of family night each week. This person plans dinner, an outing, or whatever she wants for the night within whatever budget the family decides. Even the youngest member plans within […]