I am building an invisible house. The work I do is lost to the eyes of the world. I do…
Don’t Give Up
It seems as if everywhere I look, I see or hear those around me talking about their New Year’s Resolutions:…
Fitting Words
It’s happened to all of us. Perhaps we were well meaning, perhaps we were tired, perhaps we just didn’t think.…
A Deliberate Act of Hope
Planting bulbs is such a deliberate act of hope. Holding brown, dry, seemingly lifeless hunks of plants, you dig a…
God with us
In an age where we can have hundreds of facebook “friends,” where we can have work circles, church families, friends,…
A Desolate Place to Find Strength
When you’re at the tipping point… When there have been too many people, parties, scheduling, problem solving, shopping, doing, rushing.…
The First Lord’s Supper
“Nack? Nack?” Her little voice is clear and sweet as she watches the trays pass over her head. She wants…
The Gentle Whisper
And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind…
Good Counsel
Where do you seek counsel? When you are struggling, when you have a difficulty or problem, when you need guidance…
Why Sympathy Cards are Meaningful
I have a box in my closet, black and white, with flowers laced through. It is a beautiful, unlabeled box.…
Happy Reformation Day
Happy reformation day! I am not particularly knowledgeable about Martin Luther, the Reformation, or church history. That was more my…
The Gift of the Tree
Here I sit again, Watching my tree, Wondering how even one day can bring such dramatic change. Wasn’t it yesterday…
We Have a Father
My dad once said, “By nature we were made creatures of God; by grace, we are made children of God.”…
I am Doing a Great Work… and Cannot Come Down.
And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should…
He Touched Me
Isn’t touch a powerful thing? I think of the great love that can be shown through holding a hand or…
Rest
No matter how old you get, no matter how youthful you are, no matter what stage of life you’re in,…
Tell Me the Story
My son has a new favorite activity. He comes and curls up in my lap and says those beautiful words:…
The End Game
My favorite scene of Avengers: EndGame begins almost gruesomely. It seems like the end of the movie and perhaps the…
Clinging to Him Through Change
There is nothing quite so hard in this life as change. Even if the change is good, the act of…
If you find yourself far from God, who moved?
I think, at some level whether we admit it or not, we have an innate desire to feel the closeness…
Being Seen
Just the other day a friend and I were talking about what a gift it was to truly be seen.…
Offering Our Worship
Have you ever noticed that the Bible refers to worship not as some passive “experience” but rather something we give…
Holding to God’s Hand
Her chubby hand clutches mine, tightly. Her feet are awkward, faltering. She often stumbles, trips, falls, swings wildly. Sometimes, she…
Unto the Hills
I love to gaze at the mountains. The Bvumba Mountains in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, The towering Rockies throughout…
Psalm 23
Simple enough for children to memorize. Timeless enough to be read to mourners for centuries. Repeated enough so that even…
Dedicated to the one I love
They say little boys need their daddies. That is so very true. But did you know that little girls need…
Blessed Be Your Name
I’ve listened to and sung this song, countless times. I’d always thought it was a bit repetitive. (Of course, in…
Being Broken
The difficulty of being broken, of course, is that you don’t work. It doesn’t sit well with us. We who…
Give Thanks IN all circumstances
We find a subtle yet very important distinction here. We must give thanks. But Paul doesn’t tell us to give…
The Tree
I have watched them, almost daily, for not quite three months. Sitting in my rocker. Some days wrapped in a…
Where is home?
I’ve always had trouble answering the question: “Where are you from?” California with its palm trees and sunshine and crowded…
Will Your Faith Have Children?
John Mark, Luke, Timothy, Epaphroditus, Titus, and Demas. Layton, Chris, Robin, Matt, Adam, Dustin, Tyler, Caleb, Alex, Logan, Jonathan. What…
Child
Child, I am the God who sees. I see your anguish, your brokenness, your pain. I see each tear you…
Victory over Death
They say that the only 2 sure things in life are death and taxes. I’ve not met many people who…
Trust in the Lord
Some day, you may have a friend who is in anguish. Someone who is in the midst of hard…
Hear My Cry
I always loved to talk with dad about hymns (I came by it honestly). One hymn that he and I…
True Gain
Happy birthday, my sweet Gwen. One month after losing my precious Daddy, my little girl turns one. My own finite,…
The Cleansing Power of Tears
Grief does not pass in a day or a week. It is not a prescription that must be fulfilled or…
A God We Can Trust
It seems a little strange that the hardest thing to ever happen to me is something I can’t share with…
The Questions I Need to Be Asking
There are some days where we get sideswept by the sharp dichotomy of 2 things: the things I want and…
Why I Keep Having that Martha Heart
My Bible reading today covered Luke 10, specifically Mary and Martha: But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she…
How to Visit, Despite My Own Excuses
Visiting (the sick, widows, shut ins, etc) is something we all know we should do. I think about verses like…
The First Christmas Since…
Through the window, blue and white lights twinkle. Tinsel throws glints across the curtains and turquoise and silver balls shimmer.…
What to Give When They Already Have an Embarrassment of Blessings
We are incredibly, immensely blessed. We have what we need: food, clothes, and shelter. We have what we want: toys,…
When Christmas Spirit is not Enough
Christmas is a bizarre time of year. It is a holiday season with an incredible pendulum – the same people…
The Church
I love my church. But not because it’s perfect. Nothing made up of people ever is. I love my church…
Why I Chose This Path
Dear One, You walk the path of a Christian. You made your initial commitment, years ago, but it is a…
Why Toddlers Need to Care About Choices
Make a good choice. Please think about what you’re doing. That was not a good choice. Please choose a different…
When I Need the Grace of Christ
I love my sleep. And I miss it dearly. I am in a season of life where I do not…
