Collectibles
I know that others collect fine wines, cigars, or comics. Some collect stamps, coins, or classic cars. Me? I’m still adding to my list of vivid verbs. Today, I collected shrinks, implicates, recoils, and deems. What began as a way to help students avoid saying, “this author says,” or “this argument says,” now stands as […]
More Space
It’s time to replant the lemon trees into their own separate pots. Now, they’re competing for nutrients. They need room to grow. Otherwise, they simply won’t thrive. I think of when we put our girls into two separate bedrooms. I think of those times in life when it was better to separate from certain people […]
4 Requests: Psalm 119:33-37
This morning I turn to Psalm 119 and discover something I hadn’t noticed before. The psalmist asks God to do four things : Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path […]
A Little Shake
I tell my daughters to think of life like a kaleidoscope: just a little shake, and the view changes entirely. After a disappointing day, remember the truth that all it takes is a little shake of some tiny, new thing—and you have a new picture. Give it a little shake. It’s a new day. And […]
The Ones Behind You
I’m learning that when you turn left on certain roads in my town, you’ll stay there forever as you wait to turn. But cars turning right–those who would by now have been on their merry way–must patiently wait behind you. Unless you leave some kind room for them. If I scoot my car a bit […]
A Good Bad Day
Last night, for a variety of reasons, I couldn’t sleep. At all. At all! I finally fell asleep around 3:30 AM only to waken at 6:00 AM for the morning routine. I left for campus, zombie-like and barely groomed. As I’m walking to my class in a haze, I tell God I have nothing to […]
A Theology of Grading
I pray as I embark on the arduous and least favorite task of teaching: grading. I teach 50 students each semester, and grading their long, complex advanced writing essays takes up the better part of my week. But I’m learning to love it. I’m learning to see it as a kind of worship. I think […]
Alone Together
I’m sitting in Penn State’s student union (the HUB), and wonderfully energetic and loud music plays over a loudspeaker. It’s fun and festive–just the thing for a mid-morning boost. Yet, I feel like the only one listening to this public music. Everyone around me wears their headphones. I remember the day when listening to music […]
The Life You’re Wanting
When you feel frantic about building your perfect life or when you feel overwhelmed about what you should be doing, remember this: Simply surrender to God and ask Him to bring abundant life to you. He will. That’s what He does. The promise of John 10:10 stands: “I have come that you may have […]
Two Questions for When You Feel Uncertain
Whenever I feel like I’m veering off course from what God intends for me–whether I’m confused about a decision to make or uncertain about an activity–I remember to ask the right questions. Think about a decision you face. Maybe it’s something small but nagging like a question you have about your activity on social media. […]