With Little Effect: A New Verb for Your Notebook
The wind arrives in great, rainy gusts this morning. It sends the leaves up in tornados of burnt orange and golden yellow. It’s so blustery, I think. I love the word blustery because it sounds a bit like a gust of wind rising up as you say it. It means, in fact, something blowing in […]
All at Once
The best tree in the neighborhood flares into bright gold every October. Every neighbor knows the one I mean. It’s this tree. This one tree slows down traffic and walkers as we gaze at its beauty. But we also know this: This one tree drops all of its leaves in a single day, in what […]
When a Silly Thing You Don’t Like Becomes the Thing God Uses
When I was 19 years old, I wished I had a different voice. I wanted a Southern accent like all the girls around me, but instead, I had this strange, unplaced kind of voice. And I couldn’t sing to save my life. I could only talk way too much with this voice. One summer, my […]
With Your Hands
I’m watching a man signing a worship song with his hands. Watching him worship with his hands made me think about my own hands. I want to worship with my hands. I thought of Psalm 90:17, where Moses–writing the oldest of the Psalms–cries out: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and […]
Everywhere You Go: A Host
My friend sends me an article where the authors ask, “What makes a teacher great?” They present the classical concept of “Philoxenia,” a new Greek word to add to my list. The word technically means “love of strangers” or more broadly, “a good host with a generous spirit.” The authors suggest that such a deeply […]
Suspended In Flight
I love falling leaves, and for several seasons now, I’ve tried to capture them descending with my camera. But something extraordinary happened yesterday: a leaf stalled mid-flight down, right in my yard. It was there, frozen in space, like some fantasy film scene. Upon closer inspection, I realize it’s trapped in a nearly invisible spider’s […]
Secret Little Processes
I know it’s a silly thing, but I love making dough with yeast. I love oiling the bowl and setting the round ball (in this case, pizza dough for dinner) inside as I cover it with my blue dishtowel. I leave the for the day, and I know it’s working. Something is happening. Whether I […]
“The Best Seat in the House” (A Guest Post and Chance to Win Books!)
I am honored to have written a guest post for Jennifer Dukes Lee (my writing friend from TheHighCalling.org)! My piece is about how I always wanted “the best seat in the house,” and what happened when I finally realized I was already there. You can enter for a chance to win Seated with Christ: Living […]
For Just Right Now
I’m finding new strength these days. Even on my hardest days (they don’t seem hard anymore), I know how to draw on some truths in scripture for this very moment. Right now, I’m guarded by God’s peace (Philippians 4:7), His righteousness (Romans 3:22), His hope (Romans 5:5), His power (Ephesians 1:19), and His presence that […]
Something New: Dehydrating Fruit
My neighbor has a food dehydrator (it just sits on the kitchen counter and makes this little humming noise while it’s working). I have never seen a dehydrator in my whole life, so obviously, I’m amazed at the trays of shriveled apple slices. She lifts the lid and lets me sample the most delicious, chewy, tart, […]