Darkness and Then Beauty
The flair moment came early this morning as I enter the English Department. Mounds and mounds of fresh, dark soil rise so high they nearly block my view. It smells like spring. It smells like the rich, warm, earthy smell of things happening. I know what these piles mean: landscaping, planting, and stunning growth. In […]
The Leaders of the Future
I share a quote with my students from Harvard research professor, E.O. Wilson, often called the “father of sociobiology.” He says this about the leaders of the future: “We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the […]
5 Questions to Ask Friends When They Return From Spring Break Mission Trips (Or Really Any Trips)
My friend sits beside me in church on Sunday, barely awake from her mission trip to the Dominican Republic. “I missed you! How was your trip?” I ask. This is a terrible question, and I know better. It’s an overwhelming, nonspecific kind of question that makes my friend do all the work. When I returned home […]
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” Dolly Parton
A student quotes Dolly Parton as saying, “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” He’s writing about taking whatever force comes against you–whatever debilitating or disappointing thing–and using that force to send you off into a good, beautiful adventure. You can use that terrible thing. The question is how. Adjusting my […]
My Soul Finds Rest
I read Psalm 62:5: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my hope comes from him.” If only I could remember that nothing else but God brings soul rest and soul hope. It’s true! It’s wonderfully true! I don’t need to scramble to create rest and hope in any external thing. I’m so glad to […]
All It Takes
Sometimes we can all get caught up in our work and feel the weight of unbalanced living. You don’t quite know when it happens, but all of a sudden you feel completely disconnected from your community. Over the past 10 years, I know what that can feel like. You just get caught up. You just […]
All these Searchings and Hungerings and Longings
You know how it goes: You’re 40 years old in a glamorous city, and you’re alone in a coffee shop, sipping coffee and thinking about your whole life. And you have these flashes of memories of the girl you were and wanted to be, and you think about a lifetime of Searchings and Hungerings and […]
It Was So Fun!
I learned how to use the “whole range of my voice” and read with flair emphasizing the “operative” word in each sentence. Afterwards, I had a short interview about the book with the producer, Jon Gauger. My voice survived, and it was so much fun!
Back on the Radio with Pearls
You’ll never believe where I’m going! I’m on my way to Chicago to record the audiobook version of Seated with Christ. As I packed my bag this morning, I suddenly remembered that back in 2010, during this very month, I started writing Live with Flair each day. I read “I Believe in Living with Flair” […]
“Never Reduce Scripture to the Level of Your Experience”
I’m challenged by Henry and Richard Blackaby’s statement: “Don’t discount the power of God as described in Scripture simply because you have not experienced it. Bring your experience up to the standard of Scripture; never reduce Scripture to the level of your experience.” It’s a strong reminder that my experience isn’t the governing tool to […]