Wonderland
“It is not down on any map; true places never are.” Herman Melville
Loose Threads Hour
Sometimes, we can get so overwhelmed in our house with all the loose threads that threaten to unravel the whole week. I’m talking about the loose threads of school forms to sign, clothing to mend, booking travel, returning emails that we both have to weigh in on, updating finances, sending off wedding presents–all the things […]
How You Make a Joyful Noise
This morning I remember all the ways I might fulfill the command to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” It’s just amusing to me that I cannot do what God’s asking me to do! No musical ability and no singing voice had me silent again during a worship song at church. I’m sorry I’m […]
Super Easy Tip
I’m making beef sliders for the Super Bowl party we host for graduate students tomorrow night, and today I discover this super easy tip from a recipe called Easy Cheeseburger Sliders. Essentially, you spread your ground beef (that you’ve mixed with all your fun seasonings) into a baking pan in a nice layer. You bake […]
Teaching Interludes to Students (and Myself)
Today I teach on the “interlude.” I’ll never forget the day my agent first told me the pace of my narrative was all wrong in one chapter. “You just need to master tension and provide an interlude right here,” he said. Tension? Interludes? I had no idea what he meant. So he explained, and this […]
Feeding or Cooking?
My friend made me laugh the other day when she gave advice for when my husband travels. She reminded me that some nights, you just feed people. Other nights, you are cooking a meal. There’s a difference. That’s how her own mother survived when her husband traveled. Sometimes, feed. Other times, cook. She tells […]
The Bible Verses God Used to Change You
Tomorrow, I’m teaching a Bible study on loving God’s word and what would happen if you actually expected God to use the Bible to change you. I immediately think of the Bible verses God used at critical points in my life including Psalm 30, Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 16, Galatians 2:20, and 2 Corinthians 5. I […]
Gold and Dust
This morning I read a quote from Parker Palmer that goes like this: “We need a coat with two pockets. In one pocket there is dust, and in the other pocket there is gold. We need a coat with two pockets to remind us who we are.” The quote resonates with me because I remember […]
This Moment
On this day, near 4:00 PM in my backyard, the clouds and light and trees and blue sky came together like this. I stood and enjoyed this moment. Nothing fundamentally changes in this after school schedule of snack and homework and chores and play dates, but if I look, the day offers a brand new miracle […]