If You’re in the Alpine Tundra, Notice the Flowers
We’re on top of a mountain. Literally. We run across the landscape and spin like Maria in The Sound of Music. It’s the harsh tundra. It’s 11,700 feet. It’s cold, and the wind whips about us. We came for the grandeur, and it overwhelms me every time. It’s sublime in the real sense of the […]
A Ministry of Breakfast
In our family, Grandma’s up before dawn to fry bacon, toast bread, scramble eggs, and put the coffee on. It’s been this way always–at least it seems that way to us. Her mama before her made sure everybody had the best breakfast. When she grew up, she carried on the breakfast making. It’s supremely important […]
3 Ways a “We” Mindset Changes Me
Lately, I’ve remembered to focus on the “we” and not the “me.” I’ve been too individualistic most of my life. My culture feeds this. My own self-centered reading of scripture pollutes a truth I’m coming to understand. When I read the scriptures and the profound mystery of a life in Christ, I read more about […]
See What Happens
Some days, there’s nothing to report. I sit before a blank page and just start. I like to see what happens; I really have no idea what’s going to come out. If I waited until I knew, nothing would happen. So I start. Actually, now that I’m here, I remember looking up into a tree […]
A Small and Peaceful Thing
Nearly every day now, I light a candle. That small flickering flame and the aroma of scented wax fills the house with at least a little bit of calm. It functions as a call to a moment of peace. Amid all the clamor, I set up a candle and observe the flame. It’s a small […]
The Thing You Need Strength For
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.Isaiah 41:10 I pause when I read these verses today. I think about two words: dismayed and strengthen. When we experience a sense of dismay, […]
For Your Inferior Moments
One of the images I can’t get out of my mind these days is this: King Arthur and the knights seated at the round table. I’ve been watching Merlin on Netflix, and whenever I see the knights seated at the round table–with old Gaius, Merlin, and Guinevere–I think of Ephesians 2 and how we all have […]
A Different Kind of Quiet
It’s not exactly peaceful here. It’s loud and ferocious, really. One wrong step, and we’ll be swept away and crushed against rocks. It’s bone-chilling cold, a little stark, and dizzying in a white-capped frenzy. Yet it’s exactly the sort of peace we need. I suppose that’s what God is teaching me today. You walk alongside that loud […]
Give, Gain
I love the ancient wisdom in Proverbs. Today, I read in chapter 11 that “a generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Yes. Deeply true. Yet I often believe that if only my needs could be met, then I’d be refreshed. I convince myself that I’m too tired to spend […]
Maybe You Just Need a Nap
I want to live in a land with required siestas. I want to go back to Rest Hour from my camp counselor days. For entire summers, I would take a nap, like clockwork, from 1:30-2:30 PM. In fact, most everyone was napping. I notice how young adults keep an insane pace. I notice the guilt […]