Simple Gifts
My lavender plant bloomed a year early! Just one purple flower recently emerged, and it smells divine. This wonderful bowl of cherry tomatoes goes in a garden salad tonight with my new favorite salad dressing (find recipe below)–a Balsamic Vinaigrette from this website: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/best-balsamic-vinaigrette/ Best Balsamic Salad Dressing 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt […]
Back to School
So it begins again! Today I renewed my parking pass to park on Penn State’s campus. That moment always feels like the official beginning. And the routine commences: I publish my course content for students on our Canvas site. I visit my classrooms. I pray blessing over my room and over the seats of each […]
The Comfort of Psalm 112
This morning, I consider the beautiful promises from Psalm 112. In particular, I love how we read “even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous” and how “surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad […]
A Moody Publisher Monday Deal
Years Later, They Remember
Something so sweet happened at the store yesterday. While my oldest daughter and I were shopping for her new apartment in Pittsburgh, we ran into old friends. As I talked to the mother, her daughter smiled and said, “Mrs. Holleman, we were just talking about you. Do you remember your after-school snack platters that you […]
Two Days, A Month, or a Longer Time
This morning I read in Numbers 9 about the cloud that covered the tabernacle as the Israelites journeyed in the wilderness. When the cloud settled over the tabernacle, the people stayed inside the camp. They did not set out to continue their journey. But when the cloud lifted, the Israelites moved. They set forth in […]
The Sweeter the Fruit
My blackberry patch produces a handful of gorgeous, ripe berries every morning. However, even though I’ve solved the bird problem with my scare tape; even though I’ve created a beautiful area with lovely tied up canes; even though I’ve fertilized and removed pests, I discover another problem. They taste bitter and more tart this year. […]
The One Constant
In Hebrews 13:8, we read this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” And in James 4:9, we read about the Father “who does not change like shifting shadows.” God is unchanging. He is the same always. I think about how God stays constant. I need to remember this with everything that feels […]
Noticing New Things in the Psalms
(Sorry for the delayed publication of this one!) This morning, I began to notice a few new things in the Psalms. As you know, I’m always reading the Psalms. Part of my morning routine to help me abide with Jesus involves reading a few psalms. Since I’ve been doing this for years and years, I […]
The Joy of the Journal
My husband built me a “book nook” out of the closet in my office. Today, I am sorting and arranging all my boxes of treasured books. I decided to display my lifetime of journals I had packed away. I counted 50 prayer journals. I started the practice of journaling regularly in 1993 when I was […]