Wise and Sacred Use
This morning I read in Colossians 4:5 about “making the most of every opportunity.” I delve into the translation of this phrase, and I just love it. It means “to make wise and sacred use of every situation.” Wise and sacred use! Of every situation! I’m reminded again of the mundane tasks of the day […]
Just Because You Love It
Many young writers stop writing because they fear their work isn’t great. It doesn’t have to be great. It doesn’t have to be the best. Write because you love to do so. Write because you have a story to tell.
“Yes, If” instead of “No, Because”
My husband once taught me the leadership principle he learned from something Newt Gingrich explains as a way to achieve transformation. He says that, when approaching a problem with a suggestion for change, we often respond instinctively with, “No, because . . .” What if, instead of, “No, because. . . “, we phrased it, […]
If You Have to Make a Wise Choice
Much of life consists of making wise decisions. I’m simply amazed at how many decisions I must make as I grow older. I continue to seek the “ancient paths” of God’s wisdom. God’s word tells us that “He will instruct [us] in the way [we] should choose” (Psalm 25:12), and again in Psalm 32:8, we […]
Caught Up
I’m looking at a fun verb in scripture that appears as “snatched” or “caught.” It’s the same verb you read about when someone is “caught up” in a vision or snatched away from ordinary thoughts in 2 Corinthians. But it’s also the way Jesus describes the thief who tries to snatch God’s words away from […]
Believing the Best about People
Today I remember to choose to believe the best about people. In marriage, parenting, friendship, teaching, and in daily encounters with strangers, I’m tempted to judge, assume the worst, doubt motives, and blame. But what if I believe the best today? What if I gave everyone I met this simple and life-changing benefit? I believe […]
It’s All Simmering
Over the years, I’ve loved drawing spiritual parallels to cooking practices (like leaching out tannins, braising meat, no-peek popovers, or gourmet cupcakes), and today, I think about the verb simmer. I’ve learned from my Southern mother-in-law all about simmering the green beans (stewed to death, I think). Simmering is all about gentle and slow. It’s […]
A Habit: The Concerns for the Day
In my journal in the morning, I write down my list of “Concerns for the Day” as a way of getting them out of my mind and into God’s keeping. I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s a practice that offers so many rewards. It’s a way of anticipating the wonderful way God will […]
Remembering the False Rests
I wrote in my journal this morning that I want to remember the “false rests” I learned about this time last year. Back then, I wrote about my discovery (read below). A year later, I find that I can add so many more things to my list of false resting places, including health, emotional balance, this […]
Let Them Overhear
Writing is a way of letting others overhear your life. But, strangely, the verb overhear means to hear without the speaker’s knowledge or intention. So you’re writing (or speaking) as if the audience doesn’t actually exist. If you think about it more, overhearing connotes a kind of accidental stumbling upon a conversation you weren’t supposed […]