All This You
I often leave students with my favorite quotes from Mary Pipher’s book Writing to Change the World. I think about her words as I shape my own life as a writer and speaker. As you consider your own writing and speaking life, consider her words: “You have something to say that no one else can say. […]
All the Delights for You
This morning, I pause over Psalm 36:8 regarding people who find refuge in God. David writes to God, “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.” I look up the verse so I can see the original Hebrew (I use blueletterbible.org). As I look at some […]
Winter Gifts from the Forest
I love pinecones and winter berries. We take a winter walk yesterday, and we casually pick up interesting branches and pinecones. When we return home, we place the pinecones on a baking sheet (lined with parchment) to bake them at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. This will loosen any sap and let it melt down […]
Organizing All the Recipes
With my oldest daughter home from college, I think about preparing all her favorite dinners. And with more time at home with COVID-19, I finally decide to organize my treasured recipes in a binder with clear page protectors. I print out freshly typed recipes from old and tattered recipe cards (Like Grandma Kitty’s Christmas Caramel […]
Simple Writing Revision: Adjectives that Include Your “Very”
I’ve been teaching a writer how you rarely, if ever, need the word “very.” You don’t need to use it ever again! Almost always, you’ll find an adjective that means the “very” that you want. If you’re coaching a younger writer, you can challenge them to find the word that includes the “very” in it. […]
To See Their Faces
Yesterday, I saw my students’ faces for the first time. We’d been gathering together in masks for our in-person classroom at Penn State, but after the Thanksgiving break, PSU transitioned to all virtual instruction. So when the zoom meeting began, we finally gathered and saw each other. It was a joyful and peculiar experience. So many […]
Waiting for Explanations
I love Hannah Whitall Smith’s words this morning: “The Lord is good, therefore all that He does must be good no matter how it looks. I can wait for His explanations.” Can you imagine the maturity to look at hard circumstances and say that God is still good, no matter what? And can you imagine […]
Completely Whole and Thoroughly Mended
This morning, I remembered the name God gives Himself in Exodus 15:26: The God Who Heals–Jehovah Rapha. I think of all that needs healing around us. In a pandemic, we all pray for physical healing and think about illness every day. We cry out to God as Jehovah Rapha. There’s no better time than now […]
Cyber Monday Deal from Moody Publishers
Good news! For Cyber Monday, enjoy 50% off Sent: Living a Life that Invites Others to Jesus. You can use this link to purchase your copy: https://bit.ly/3kQO8O4
Generous and Unexpected
I received a generous and unexpected gift in the mail yesterday. Dominique Jordan (http://www.dominiquejordanart.com/) sent me the most beautiful print of Isaiah 40 after reaching out to me with a kind note about my podcast and encouragement she received from the eagle imagery teaching from Guarded by Christ and Isaiah 40. I cannot wait to hang […]