How You Use That Feeling
I tell a wise, older woman (someone who’s always on stage) all about how nervous I become before public speaking, especially before large audiences. It’s the worst! It’s a tightening, a storm inside, a clenching up, a racing heart, an irrational fear of impending doom. It’s a dark, terrible rush of. . . something. “It’s […]
Losing, You Win
This morning, I hear the principle of taking on the nature of a servant once again. Instead of wondering in any situation, “How can I win?” I’m challenged to ask, “How can I lose?” In other words, how can I give up even more of myself, my rights, and my comforts to serve others? How […]
Serving, Not Succeeding
I read a statement by Bill Bright that changes how I think about serving in speaking and writing. He writes in My Life Is Not My Own: “I am a slave of Jesus. It is not the slave’s responsibility to be successful, but simply to do with the master asks. When you understand this, you […]
He Seeks to Discover Himself
I think deeply about a quote from Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. It’s this: “Always, everywhere, God is present, and always He seeks to discover Himself. To each one He will reveal not only that He is, but what He is. He did not have to be persuaded to discover Himself to Moses. . . […]
The Values You Hold
Today I asked students to peruse a list of over 400 personal values and choose their top five. It occurs to us that our point of views and particular goals and values differ greatly from one another. We assume everyone around us values, for example, punctuality or tidiness, when, in fact, their highest personal values […]
Little Joys
My oldest daughter knit this little adorable bird and nest for me, and it rests on my piano. Such a tiny joy! I remember that living with flair has everything to do with recognizing those tiny things that make you smile. My daughter knows that I love seeking nests and eggs each new spring, and now […]
An Invitation to Struggle
I realize this morning the discomfort struggle creates for students–both college students and my own younger daughters–when asked to do difficult tasks that require higher level thinking. I see the mind at work: it grapples (my favorite verb), sifts, synthesizes, and mulls. It struggles to find resolution. It seeks harmony and peace and resolution. And […]
Another Lesson from the Oaks
Over the years, I’ve learned so much about living well from the oak trees. If you remember, I learned about holding your ground from a little fortune cookie, about our perfect timing compared to others when my oak wouldn’t drop her leaves, about what to do with bitterness from the day we made acorn flour, and about how to reconsider […]
“We put on our stories before our clothes.” William Wenthe
This morning I find that @WritingSisters on Twitter have posted a quote from the poet William Wenthe. Wenthe writes in his poem, “Water Dish,” the following: “We put on our stories / before our clothes.” We put on our stories before our clothes. The line deeply resonates as I’ve completed a Bible study of Ephesians that […]
For the Purpose of Prayer
When I find myself critical of someone, I think I’m being discerning. I remember the words of an older mentor: “Discernment is not for the purpose of criticism but for the purpose of prayer.” I turn the negative thought into prayer: a prayer of love and wisdom and growth. I pray into the situation rather […]