His Help
When I speak on “surrender” at retreats, I often ask women to reveal their thoughts about Jesus. I ask them to call out the first word that comes to mind when they think of Him. I love what erupts from the crowd. Rescuer! Redeemer! Healer! Comforter! Friend! Hope! This past weekend, I noticed the same […]
Part of History
Just now, my sixth grade neighbor popped over to interview me for her history class. She wanted to learn about my experiences on 9/11. It suddenly occurred to me that she viewed me the way I saw people who were alive when President Kennedy was assassinated. They were old and part of history long ago. […]
Not in My Bow or Sword
I love whenever I read passages of scripture that indicate what actually saves us. It’s never our strength or our cleverness or any of our resources. It’s always the Spirit of the Lord. I see that again in Psalm 44 where we read, “I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring […]
Chop the Veggies / Eat the Veggies
So much about eating healthy involves preparation and availability. One must reduce the friction, the barriers, to eating nourishing food. It’s far easier to grab something healthy and good for you if it’s there, ready and waiting. So chop up the veggies. Make a nice dip for the veggies. Pack everything up so it’s ready […]
He Heard and Is Working
This morning, I returned to some words written by Hannah Whitall Smith about resting in God, especially when we feel like we are wrestling in prayer about something or someone. She writes, “Having made our request known, we must then wait in a quiet and patient faith, sure that the Lord will not rest until […]
The Comfort of Psalm 23
If you haven’t spent some time in Psalm 23 lately, I highly recommend it. Consider the lovingkindness of God as a Good Shepherd and all He’s doing. Consider your day in light of the work of God. What if we believed that, somehow, God made us rest in green pastures, by quiet waters? What if […]
Just Picked: New Mini Pumpkins
You Know What’s Coming
I love this one neighbor who always delivers us something from whatever she’s baked or canned. The latest? Pickles. She has so many pickles she’s made from her cucumber abundance. I love pickles. I love nearly any pickled thing like beans, okra, and beets. So in a few minutes, I’m receiving a pickle delivery. (It’s […]
5 Minutes. 2 Years.
This morning I learned about waiting five minutes before we indulge in anything from a place of learned emotional response. Set a timer when you want to eat something when you’re not really hungry but rather bored, stressed, or angry. After five minutes, the urge often dissipates. While I haven’t read the research behind waiting […]
The #1 Tailgate Food
As you may know, Penn State enjoys one of the nation’s biggest football tailgate cultures. Since I know people read this blog from all over the world, I’ll explain that, at least at Penn State, a pregame tailgate (technically, the phrase means you serve food from the back of your car near a sports stadium—hence […]