A Symbol of Affection
Way back in 1998– years before marriage and children–I read about a mother who had the best relationship with her teenage daughters in a book called A Woman After God’s Own Heart, by Elizabeth George. The image in this story affected me so deeply that I carried it in my heart all these years and […]
Undecorating Again
This time last year, I wrote about how much I love undecorating the house after the holidays. The old post appears in my Facebook feed. I read it again as I’m sitting in my minivan beside the sledding hill. I’m grading the responses of students to the writing prompt: What is your dream career? It’s […]
I Never Think It Will Work
I operate in the default state of forthcoming disappointment whenever I approach the campus parking deck. I always assume my electronic transponder won’t work to raise the arm to let me into the deck. I have memories. I have memories of cars honking and attendants coming to manually save me because my transponder fails. So […]
They Are Not There
I find a new quote from Dwight L. Moody: “All the devil’s mountains are mountains of smoke; when you come up to them, they are not there.” I consider that mountainous obstacles vanish in light of God’s overcoming power.
Perpetual Miracle
I’m reading a sermon by Charles Spurgeon, delivered in 1856 at New Park Street Chapel in Southwark. The lines make me rejoice over divine mercy all over again. As I think about the guarding power of Christ’s righteousness and the simultaneous indwelling sin that still operates, I find myself amazed at what it means to be saved from […]
On Their Terms
My cat, Merlin, rarely interacts with me. But lately, he brings me this little mouse on a string for me to bounce around. He stays by my side, batting and pawing, and meowing with what seems like joy (who can tell with Merlin?) I love the interaction so much, and have so longed for this […]
Morning Pep Talk
I’ve told you before that some of my neighbors say I have the spiritual gift of “pep.” Pep refers to high energy, liveliness, and high spirits. It’s true: God did give me pep. My youngest daughter still invites me to walk her down the hill to middle school each day, and she loves my “Morning […]
Because Writing Helps
I love writing because it helps me make sense of my life. It stakes my experiences to the ground where I can examine them and turn them toward the best light. Writing brings what’s inside to the outside, and here, memories don’t strangle or mock. They stay imprisoned in sentences I control, now made small […]
Celebrating the First “F”
My daughters used to ask me all the time what I would do if they came home with an “F” on a test. They were terrified of failing a quiz or an exam. I began to say: “Well, I’d ask what you didn’t understand on the test, and then I’d celebrate that you’re not perfect.” […]
When Conditions Aren’t Perfect, He Is Perfect
I return from travels late last night, and I wake up to piles of laundry rising like the Rockies, suitcases scattered, and mail piled on the kitchen table. What a way to begin the New Year! I settle into the familiar rocking chair with my cup of coffee and Bible, ready to start the new […]