Present Moment
I talk to students today about their own minds. I want to give insight on what it means to have a healthy mind based on things I’ve learned and continue to study over the years. A healthy mind, I’m learning, knows where to focus attention. My students agree that most of their thinking involves reviewing […]
Promoting Peace Rather Than Stirring Up Controversy
It’s a strange time we’re living in. Most of what I read online thrives on controversy, on mockery, and on riling others up into a froth. Young people today, I’m noticing, live in this world where the most offended wins, where the mocker wins, and where every conversation begins with the drama of the day. […]
The Cold Evening Walk
For the past few nights, my husband and I bundled up to take a nighttime walk in the dark. We’ll go again tonight. I walk in my pajamas with a warm coat and mittens. I just throw on sneakers and an enormously fluffy winter hat. Nobody will see me. We love the cold, cold air. […]
Room for Everyone
This morning I remembered how everyone contributes something just by who they are. There’s room for you. Don’t be discouraged about your work. The world needs it. Don’t think that because it’s not viral, trending, or talked about that it’s not important. Sometimes I see creative people shut down because their area of work seems […]
Look! What does this remind you of?
Today I remembered something C.S. Lewis once wrote in a letter to his friend Mary Van Deuson in 1955. Lewis describes the joy of youthful activities and how they tapped into “something more than physical pleasure.” All along, the things he truly enjoyed and longed for were what Lewis calls “echoes” of scripture. In other […]
When God Revives
I love Psalm 80 because it reminds me of our only hope for the life we all desire. In verse 18, we read this prayer: “Revive us, and we will call on your name.” That little Hebrew word “revive” reflects the desire for abundant living, for a restored sense of joy, hope, and prosperity. It […]
Another Work Tip: “Just Five”
Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed, I tell myself, “Just Five.” In order to feel successful in a task before me, I say things like this: I will grade just five papers. I will tidy this room for just five minutes. I will write just five sentences. I will walk outside for just five minutes. I […]
Consistent
Today I thought about the wisdom to behave in ways consistent with the person you would like to be. I’ve learned to ask these kinds of questions (and imagine hypothetical scenarios) to build consistency of character: How would a healthy person act right now? What would they do? How would a godly person behave in […]
A Great Deal of Living
This morning a friend mentioned the wonderful hymn writer Frances Havergal (who I wrote about in 2018). I searched the internet to learn more about her, and I discovered many words of wisdom from this godly woman. Here are my favorites: “In perplexities-when we cannot tell what to do, when we cannot understand what is […]
A Good Day’s Work
I love to work. And then I love it when the work ends. What does it look like to put in a good day’s work and then allow yourself the pleasure of rest? I know many people who don’t stop working. They wait till they collapse in exhaustion, and then they wake up and start […]