A Fun Moment: Asking Group Members to Discover the Most Bizarre Thing They Have in Common
I love this “Name Game.” When students group up for a peer-review session or any kind of activity, I often use this challenge. I’ll say, “Introduce yourself to your group. You then have 5 minutes to discover the most bizarre thing you all have in common.” (The game also develops the professional skill of building […]
18 Years Later: I Remember
Sometimes on the anniversary of 9-11, I go back through the whole morning beginning at 8:45 when I woke up, when I answered the phone to hear my friend Jamie crying, and when I turned on the television. I remember calling my husband who knows I exaggerate who didn’t seem to believe me at first. […]
The Painted Acorns
Facebook reminded me of this photo, and I recall with joy a traditional craft of gathering and painting acorns to display in a festive autumn bowl. You can read the history beginning with 2012, read the 2013 account, continue (with photos) from 2014, and even read our report from 2016. I remember that I can […]
Some Encouraging Words From Exodus
I loved reading these words about the Lord in Exodus this morning. I hope they bless you as well. In Exodus 14:13-14, we see such discouragement and fear as a vast army comes against the Israelites. We read this: Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring […]
A Good Problem to Have
Twice in a meeting today, I hear (and use) the expression, “It’s a good problem to have.” Sometimes, the problems in an organization aren’t bad. They’re good. For example, too many people or too much money to manage means growth. Those are good problems. But could I say that of other problems or even all […]
Allow Yourself
I love a tall, fat stack of books as autumn approaches. It’s the season of reading for me. The Goldfinch, Gideon, Deep Creek, and the Bible. I like reading in either morning or late afternoon light–outside or by a window. I love the transport of it and how you get into a different place, but […]
How Faint the Whisper
This morning I read in Job 26:14 his description of God’s power. He concludes by saying, “And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!” I consider how we only know the outer fringe, the faint whisper. God is unfathomably great, supremely marvelous, unsearchably good. We […]
Try, Try Again
I love teaching. I love the challenge of engaging students to make them feel the way I do about verbs and semicolons. I truly want them to come alive in class. So I try everything to create those moments when a student might suddenly, for once, feel curious and excited to write. I try everything […]
A New Goal: Reading the Bible in 90 Days
This summer, I discovered an awesome little book called Every Word: A Reader’s 90-Day Guide to the Bible by Susan Goodwin, Jennifer Peterson, and Molly Sawyer. What I love about this book is that you read the Bible chronologically and enjoy what the authors call “[soaring] over the entire story in all its splendor.” So […]
Enjoying Life
A few days ago, I decided to write down a few moments I truly enjoyed from the day before. I figured that after a good night’s sleep, certain memories would have stayed or not. What would I want to reflect on 24 hours after the fact? Not only did the activity remind me of how […]