Always a Walk to Take
I love the question, “Do you want to talk a walk?” The best conversations happen on a walk. Thoreau famously said that an “early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” The poet Wallace Stevens said that “perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.” I walk around the lake with […]
At the Best Table
You are right where you should be. All the blessings from Jesus are available to you right now. You don’t need to think about another table, in another place, with other people. Jesus is with you. You are at the greatest table with the Greatest King because you have already been seated with Christ in […]
Give Away Something
I read in an old devotional by E. Stanley Jones about always living “as a witness to the new life.” He writes that we have nothing that has been given to us that we cannot now share. He quotes a writer who said, “When supply seems to have failed, you must know that it has […]
In Dark, Murky, Unclear Places
Today the flair moment comes when a horticulture professor tells us that Kate’s avocado plant will thrive now that it’s in soil and not water. Last summer, we kept the spouted avocado plant in water so long, and it didn’t do well. But we just transplanted a new sprouted seed into dark, nutrient rich soil. […]
A Few More Questions
Over the years, I’ve compiled so many “Name Games” because I essentially ask 45 questions over the course of a semester. My rationale is all about teaching students to know themselves, to build rapport with one another, and to feel comfortable articulating ideas. And, it’s just fun. And I answer them, too! Maybe you’ll use […]
Present Blessings
Today we remember present blessings—right at this moment—that show God’s care and love. We set our minds to discern, to see, to experience the fullness of Christ now. In a minivan, around a table, while making a bed—all provide rich opportunities to rest in His presence.
Some Questions Around the Table
For the holidays, I’ve been thinking of some questions for times reconnecting with family. Enjoy this list! What question do you like people to ask you about yourself right now? What’s something funny or surprising that happened to you lately? When did you do something you thought you couldn’t do this year? What’s a song […]
Don’t Ask
Today I ask my students to tell me the question they love people to ask them about themselves. So many of them say the question they don’t want people to ask them. Don’t ask about my career plans. Ask about books I’m reading, fascinating things I’m learning, or about my friends. But don’t ask me […]
The Someplace, Something, or Someone New
This morning I take note of God’s process of restoration in Psalm 80: 8-11. Following great disappointment and destruction, the psalmist records how God worked in the past. He writes: You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root […]
Ask What They Know and What They’ve Seen
Everywhere I go, I ask. I want to learn from people. During a blood draw, at the grocery store, with students: I ask what they’ve learned and all they’ve seen. Do they have wisdom to share? Every day, you learn from everyone.