Afternoon Slump
I’ve been thinking about the afternoon walk to combat the afternoon slump. It’s the perfect solution to what wanes in me between 1:00 and 3:00 PM. A little walk, and I’m refreshed.
Every Time: Expect Something Powerful to Happen
I’m listening to a professor who has taught the Bible for over 35 years. He apologizes that he cannot contain himself; he’s gripped with passion for God and His word. God’s word thrills. It captures. He remarks that when we read the Bible, we should expect something powerful to happen. We should expect our lives […]
High and Deep
I’m back in the Rocky Mountains, and I know this truth: What’s above me–the glorious expanse of it that I cannot contain within the scope of my vision–is just as marvelous as what’s barely visible here beneath my feet. From this height, I remember the beauty of what grows in the Alpine Tundra. You will […]
Tiny, Perfect
In the past 24 hours, I went to a drive-in movie, saw a very small bunny, smelled a yellow rose, ate a flavor of ice-cream called Oatmeal Cookie Dough, and met the daughter of a friend. This friend I knew years ago way before marriage and children. The sweet baby was tiny and perfect. Someone […]
Adapting to the Space
I’m taking a New Testament course from a wise professor in a very small space where I’m scrunched up next to him and other students. When I remark about the awkward arrangement, he says, “You’ve never lived overseas, have you?” He kindly says, “Something I’ve learned in my life is the importance of adapting to […]
“Don’t let the sky keep you from fishing.”
I’m talking to a friend who is about to pack up to go fishing. I remind him about the darkening sky overhead. He says, “You don’t let the sky keep you from fishing.” It sounds like ancient fisherman wisdom that’s designed to teach me how to live my life, not just catch trout. I suppose […]
Morning Briefing
I realize that most of my failures in a day come about because of the element of surprise. I’m not expecting something, and I’m not prepared with a strategy to act in the right manner. This includes things like overeating when a cheesecake unexpectedly arrives or falling apart in the face of stress with the […]
Too Heavy Inside
Twice in the last few days, a dark raincloud hovering overhead delivers drops of rain and then floats merrily on. The bright, hot sun still shines all around it. The mighty storm–a few yards in scope–cools down my steaming flip-flopped feet and the few trees around me. It’s such a valiant attempt at a rainstorm […]
I Declare
This morning in the bathroom stall of an elementary school, I notice that someone has written on the wall a declaration of love. I remember how significant this was in school to declare, in writing, on a wall–or a tree, or a bench, or a chair–your love for someone for the whole world to see. […]
This Cannot Be True
All week, I’ve been studying mysteries, paradoxes, and seemingly impossible truths of the Christian faith. Sometimes, I think, “This cannot be true,” or “How can this be true?” when I’m confronted with something that confounds my logic or understanding. Miracles, the incarnation, the trinity or just the fact that we’re spiritual beings housed within physical […]