The Weeping Cherry Blooms!
A Gift Opens the Door
Whenever I feel like my class has lost its energy and students are all languishing–and that perhaps they’ve closed off their hearts to the joy of vivid verbs–I remember Proverbs 18:16. It simply says, “A gift opens doors; it gives access to the great.” I needed the door to belonging, hope, and joy to open […]
Everyone There Needed Something From Jesus
Last Sunday, the worship leader at church talked about the crowds gathering around Jesus on Palm Sunday. She remarked, “Everyone there needed something from Jesus.” Something about the statement pierced my heart deeply. Everyone came to Him. Everyone crowded around Him. They all needed something from Jesus. They had heard about this man, Jesus, raising […]
5 Per Day
I’m not sure why I love breaking things up into “fives.” It’s such an easy-to-accomplish number: grade five papers; clean for five minutes; pray over these five things; just do five minutes of this hard-to-do task. (I used to think ten minutes was ideal for this sort of thing, but if you lack activation energy, […]
A Greystone Devotion I Loved: “What If We Could Finish His Sentences?”
I love reading the Greystone Devotion that comes to my email each day. Today, I just loved the beautiful way Cecilia Glenn describes the evolution of her relationship with God and how she began to spend time with Him. She calls it “What If We Could Finish His Sentences?” You can read it here: https://devotions.campgreystone.com/blog/2022/4/what-if-we-could-finish-his-sentences […]
Nothing Noble Enough
This morning I read a quote from George MacDonald as quoted by Elisabeth Elliot in Keep a Quiet Heart. In discussing God’s work in a person’s heart and how every painful thing God uses for a divine purpose, she writes that “. . . nothing will ease his pain, nothing make life a thing worth […]
Remember What Will Come From It
We’ve had, as my daughter proclaims, soggy days. With so much rain, it’s tempting to succumb to a rainy day bad mood. But then I look back on all the rainy days at Live with Flair: The puddle-jumping. The wormy joy. The way the birds depend on rain (and the mud it creates) to build […]
A Little More Courage
I recently heard a colleague share his answer when someone asked what he looked for in a woman when he was younger and ready for marriage. He immediately answered courage. I thought it was an odd answer, but I loved it anyway. Courage! I like that courage is something one can develop each day. We […]
The Preferred Future
Today I talked to a brilliant student about all he’s learning about making rational choices each day to optimize well-being and work towards his preferred future. Preferred future! I know we’re supposed to live in the present moment and all, but listening to the wisdom of always working towards a preferred future makes so much […]
Even a Small One: Start a Little Garden
I love when a friend drags me by the hand and says, “Have you seen my seedlings?” With gardening friends, you know it’s that time of year to talk about the plan. Everyone enjoys a different plan; some of my friends grow serious amounts of lettuce and herbs (like basil that overtakes the yard and ends […]