In the Hustle and Bustle, Take Time for Solitude
I always remember how often Jesus retreated to solitary places to pray. I love the power of this statement in Luke 5:16: But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Jesus valued solitude for the purpose of prayer. He valued taking time away from people for spiritual purposes. During the hustle and bustle of […]
The Difference a Week Makes
I’m amazed that this time last week, I endured kidney stone surgery. But just a week later, I traveled to Pittsburgh to pick up my oldest daughter from college and enjoyed the holiday show at Phipps Conservatory. I felt so blessed to enjoy a pain-free weekend. And I loved the holiday lights!
Beautiful Disruption
This morning, in my reading of the book of John, I keep thinking about what happens when Jesus enters a situation. It doesn’t stay unchanged. When Jesus arrives, a beautiful disruption happens. When Jesus arrives, things happen. You can’t welcome the presence of Jesus and stay the same. Jesus brings life, hope, truth, healing, and […]
Little By Little
When I look at how much I must do (and how behind I am) in grading and other things, I could feel overwhelmed and stay stuck in that feeling. I see the enormity of the task instead of the small parts I know I can finish. When I choose to tackle what’s ahead of me, […]
Reentry
I’m finally feeling better after the kidney stone surgery! The stent is out! Now, I think about reentry. I’m behind in all my grading, and I’ve haven’t made any progress on my manuscript that’s due in January. I canceled so many meetings and even a speaking event. Everything in life just stopped. I haven’t really […]
Jesus’ Troubling Question
I keep returning to John 5 in my Bible reading time–the healing at the pool of Bethesda. I try to read elsewhere, but I’m pulled back to this text. Each morning, I discover something I hadn’t noticed before. Today, I read the King James Version because it includes the image of the angel who troubles […]
All the Soups
One blessing of my kidney stone surgery involves the delicious soup that friends brought over for dinner. Mexican Tortilla Soup. Butternut Squash. Autumn Vegetable Soup. Chicken Noodle. Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice. We have snow flurries in Pennsylvania at the moment, so the day feels particularly perfect for a steaming bowl of butternut squash soup. […]
Divine Designs
I decided to start reading Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest daily devotionals again. I haven’t really read Chambers since my college days. At the time, Chambers’ words often felt too heady and demanding. I often read his entries and felt more discouraged than encouraged. I was young in my faith and didn’t know […]
All is Well
The surgery went well, and the urologist surgeon removed the kidney stone! Yeah! Wednesday, the stent comes out. More yeah! I’m so thankful. Now I’ll drink more lemon water every day of my life. I never want another kidney stone. I feel stronger for enduring the pain and facing my fear of surgery and pain […]
An Answer to Prayer
The hospital called, and someone canceled a surgery. This means I received a surgery spot for tomorrow to remove this enormous kidney stone! What an answer to prayer! I might have had to wait for two or three more weeks and then miss Thanksgiving. I will keep you posted, but tomorrow might just be the […]