Thinking About the Rainbow
The best rainbow photo I ever took involved a hike in the Rocky Mountains. I love this decades old photo! I thought about this photo because I’m beginning my chronological Bible reading plan again using Every Word: A Reader’s 90-Day Guide to the Bible. I arrive to the moment in Genesis when God places a […]
My Favorite Summer Pasta Salad
Tomorrow, our little street hosts our annual block party. We get permission from the city to block off the street with traffic cones, and we enjoy a great day together. The party lasts all day and into the night with great conversation, delicious foods, and fun games for the children. One generous family provides all […]
Exercise Hope
We’re wired for hope. I love that we’re made to hope. My hope-hungry heart finds itself wandering to the garden every morning. I love growing things from seed because it’s such a hope-drenched process. I hope they will germinate. I hope they will grow. I hope they will bear fruit. I hope they will ripen. […]
Protection on the Job
If you’re a writer or someone who sits more than 5 hours a day, let me remind you right now as you’re reading this to position your pelvis and sit tall. Align your head over your spine. Lengthen your spine. Did you do it? Now do that every day. Imagine you’re sitting with a tail […]
Nothing Mattered More Than This
I remember a seminary course I took on the Old Testament several summers ago. The professor said the same thing over and over again about what mattered to God’s people. He cried out, “Nothing mattered more than securing the blessing of God.” God’s blessing was everything. God was the source of all life, all goodness, […]
Decontaminate.
This morning I recalled 2 Corinthians 7:1 where Paul writes this: “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” When I don’t feel well or if I feel overwhelmed or even off-center, I always remember this idea […]
Always Looking for the Good Things
In Psalm 103, we read all the benefits of following God. My favorite lines is this from verse 5: God “satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.” I love thinking about the good things God has planned this very day. I pray we always look for those […]
Amazing and Incredible
Every so often, devotions I once wrote for Camp Greystone campers will appear in my inbox. Today, I loved remembering this piece I wrote for young people on the incredible things God does. You can find the devotion here https://devotions.campgreystone.com/blog/2021/6/incredible and also pasted below. At the time when I wrote this, I remembered reading this […]
The Universal Cure
This morning I read some words from Hannah Whitall Smith that ring true. She notes that yielding, trusting, and obeying God provide a “universal recipe for the cure of all spiritual diseases and difficulties.” I think about my own lifetime of choosing to surrender to God, of telling God that my life belongs to Him […]
Remember the Bonsai: Patience, Small Improvements, and Invisible Labor
My husband and I enjoyed a beautiful day at Longwood Gardens. I found myself returning several times to the bonsai display of azaleas. When you see the magnificent blooms here, know they represent sometimes 60 years of training (if not more). While I only observed a select number of bonsai (since the display was under […]