Even the Smallest Turning Back
This morning I read a quote from George MacDonald–the Scottish preacher and writer. He writes, “The spirit of God lies all about the spirit of man like a mighty sea ready to rush in at the smallest chink in the walls that shut Him out from His own.” I think of the “smallest chink” that […]
Tomorrow Night: EveryCampus: Back to School
Something fun! Tomorrow night (Thursday–Aug. 6th) at 9:00 PM-10:00 PM EST, a group of speakers, professional athletes, college professors, and performers are gathering online for a free virtual event to bless and encourage incoming and current college students! Join the live event via Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/EveryCampus/ (And just between you and me, yes, I did […]
The Midwife, the Sister, and the Wife
I’m back in the book of Exodus, and today I realize the power of small characters and small acts that lead to astonishing things. Sometimes we doubt how our service helps anyone or we wonder why our ministry seems so small. Sometimes we think that, in the big scheme of things, we aren’t really that […]
When I Get to This Part of the Bible
As you know, I read five Psalms a day which loosely correspond with the days of month. It’s always a powerful reminder when I read Psalm 15-29 because these words have practically disintegrated in my Bible. The pages are so written over, so cried over, and so read that many have either fallen out or […]
The Delight
I thought all day about the word “delight” in Psalm 1. We read this: Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wickedor stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted […]
A Joyful Gardening Thing
I’ve learned to plan the dinner menu around what I can harvest in the garden. It’s a special form of joy. We make a pasta with pesto and peas, a taco night where I slice up the Serrano peppers, and a baked potato night to use up all the chopped chives. Next week, with ripe […]
The Art of the Contingency Plan
Something wonderful happened last night. Our ministry team designed a contingency plan in case of staff illness or internet outage for our virtual meeting. Because the meeting had key vital elements that certain people had to deliver, it occurred to me that we’d be lost if those people somehow couldn’t connect to the meeting. Sure […]
The Thing You Do When There’s Nothing to Do
I’m so thankful for the one mile loop around the neighborhood. It’s what we do. One day, we took the loop seven times. There was nothing else to do. We’ll look back on these COVID-19 days and remember the loop. We walked. We talked. We learned all about the neighborhood cats and dogs. We learned […]
20 Years
Today is Ashley Holleman’s and my 20th wedding anniversary! Here’s a picture from our engagement on the left and one taken last year. I’ve loved being married to Ashley! I think the greatest thing I’ve learned about marriage is the importance of building oneness. It’s work! You have to continually enter into one another’s lives. […]
Some Fun Images to Share
Good news! My new book Sent: Living a Life that Invites Others to Jesus releases August 4th! I’ve attached some fun quotes you can share on social media if you’d like! I’m so excited about this book. It’s a practical, joyful, easy to read and easy to apply book on talking to people about Jesus. […]