True in Our Lives
I’ve been thinking about my circumstances as a way God makes certain scripture passages true in my life. What a wonderful challenge to consider that this situation I’m in might be the means by which God animates scripture for me! If I’m lonely, I will learn that “He sets the lonely in families” (Psalm 68:6). […]
Symbols of Fresh Starts
At Weight Watchers, I love how the leader will say, “Today is your fresh start!” after members share setbacks or struggles. All day, I think about a fresh start and how certain objects always symbolize a time for new beginnings, new joy, and personal growth. For the last 30 years, one example for me has […]
The Fear of Learning New Things
Today I watch some of the training videos to design my writing course for a new online platform for students to access. It’s coming along so slowly as I learn new technology and new ways of thinking about presenting information for others to use. I’m sitting here in a jumble of a syllabus with lesson […]
Aggressive Strategy
I find a book on my shelf called Yes, You Can! 1,200 Inspiring Ideas for Work, Home, and Happiness. A friend gave me this book years ago, and I skim for wisdom and inspiration. I find three sentences I like: “Develop a concrete plan for recovery soon after adversity strikes. Win the battle by committing yourself […]
I Write to Revise
I think about writing as rearranging the day, revising experiences for meaning and beauty, and positioning ordinary moments until I find wisdom there. Writing the words down firms everything up, like batter baked into a fragrant, warm cake I can decorate, slice, and eat as dessert. Writing gathers all the weeds into a wildflower bouquet […]
Did It Hold Your Attention?
I’m sitting in my office, eating a banana and drinking iced tea, and I’m researching attention economy and how human attention is a commodity and now a scarce resource. This fall, I’m teaching a graduate seminar to aid instructors in how to teach advanced writing, and I’m incorporating new research on holding student attention. (I […]
But Only So Much
When I’m tired and out of sorts, I truly allow my mind to create a stale version of reality in which God is loving but only so much. In other words, I dilute His unfailing love that satisfies us (Psalm 90:14) into just one of many therapeutic practices to make me feel better. I scramble […]
Holding a Kitten
Our friends in NC have little kittens in their neighborhood that we stop to hold before we travel home to PA. Sometimes, you just need to take a minute a hold a kitten. Even if it’s not in the schedule, you do.
A Sign Over the Door
Above my friend’s front door hangs a wooden sign that says, “The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.” I love this quote (even though I couldn’t find who wrote it!)
“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
I read with new eyes Psalm 11 and David’s response to people who question, “What can we do?” when so much evil happens all around them. David claims two important truths: In the Lord I take refuge. (Psalm 11:1) The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne. (Psalm 11:4) […]