A Picture of Strength
All I know is that where once there was concrete, now a plant grows up. I imagine the persistence and the gentle but unstoppable force of it all. I imagine the tiny seed that kept on doing what it was made to do, no matter what.
“You hum it, and I’ll play it.”
Last night, my daughters’ favorite person in the world–their music teacher–gives them a little mug that talks about being the kind of musician where “you hum it, and I’ll play it.” It’s a funny little line that sticks with me all morning. You hum it, and I’ll play it. I imagine this dialogue: You know […]
He Will Follow You
This morning, the pastor explains that when the psalmist writes in Psalm 23 that “surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,” we might translate this more accurately as “your goodness and mercy will pursue me, will harass me, will eagerly chase me.” The Hebrew words make me smile […]
Try This at Home: Regularly Compliment Him and Them
As I age (yes, I am aging!), I find that younger wives and moms ask my advice for a happy marriage and home. I did the same thing when I was their age, and now I’m the age of the moms I so helplessly looked to for wisdom. Oh, how time flies! Here’s my best […]
So You’d Get What You Really Needed: Another Message About Suffering
I’ve been researching how to best preserve my lilac bouquets in the house. It turns out that you can add some sugar, some lemon juice, and some bleach to your glass vase, and you’ll have many days of fragrant blooms in your home. Here’s the recipe (a very scientific one). While I’m researching, I discover […]
Speaking Only What is Helpful
Today, I’m thinking about Ephesians 4:29 and really sinking deeply into it. Take a look: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” What a challenge! What a privilege! Oh, that I […]
When Maya Angelou Cried with Oprah
When Oprah asked Maya Angelou where she went for solace and comfort, she shared through tears about her Christian faith. She tells Oprah in this video (text below) about God’s love. She says: And finally, I said, “God loves me.” It still humbles me that this force that made leaves and flees and stars and […]
Netting Your Fruit
Today we net our ripening blueberries. We must! We’ll lose the whole harvest in just moments as soon as the birds spy the deep purple berries. It’s happened before, but not this year if we can help it. We solve this predator problem by guarding the fruit with a mesh kind of netting with a […]
How Free I Am
Oh, the simple pleasures of this American life! Four years ago, I loved the simplicity of our milk and blueberry pancakes. Then next year, I was struck by ordinary pleasures of strawberries. And, just like in all the years past, this morning we visit the Boalsburg Memorial Day Fair and gather with neighbors at the Pie Contest. […]
Isolation, Desolation
We were meant to participate in each other’s lives. The Bible talks so much about our togetherness and our interactions with one another. We’re together a holy dwelling. We’re together a temple. We’re together a body and a church. The togetherness of scripture indicates a way we’re designed to work best: together. To see ourselves […]