I have been in church all my life. That means, among other things, that there are certain scriptures that I have heard, read and studied dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Yet one of the fun and significant aspects of scripture is that no matter...
I have been thinking a good bit about community lately. Because human beings are created with a need to belong, community is vital. We cannot, in fact, learn who we are or what is authentic for us without community, beginning with the first community we...
The new year offers an opportunity for a fresh start, and I unabashedly admit that I love new beginnings. The daughter of two former school teachers, I cannot walk past an aisle of new calendars and blank journals without spending a lot of money stopping. When...
The calendar tells me that we are in the waning days of August, and the heat and humidity outside certainly confirm that. But, internally, I do not feel anything even slightly resembling the slow, lazy haze of summertime. I am in full-blown Task Mode, with...
Company’s coming! These two words have the power to spur me to action like almost nothing else can do. This past weekend, a group of friends gathered around my dining room table to celebrate two birthdays. These are friends I have known for the better part...
What are your favorite memories of summer? For some of us, food plays a major role in defining what “summer” means to us. Homemade ice cream, ice-cold watermelon, steaks or burgers on the grill, fresh corn on the cob, and chins that are sticky with...
Second Sight Sometimes, you need the ocean light, and colors you’ve never seen before painted through an evening sky. Sometimes you need your God to be a simple invitation, not a telling word of wisdom. Sometimes you need only the first shyness that comes from being shown things far beyond your understanding, so that you...
Questions. Really good questions. Teachers, therapists, leaders, and parents all know the power of a good question. I am not talking about fact-finding questions, though they certainly have their place. And I am certainly not talking about nosy questions. I am thinking of penetrating questions,...
Sometimes my mind totally baffles me. For instance, lately there is a phrase that keeps rolling around in my head: “Now is the winter of our discontent.” This was the opening line in a speech delivered by Gloucester in William Shakespeare’s Richard III. Nearly four...
For the past two weeks I have been out of the office. I cannot say I’ve been on “vacation” because there wasn’t much about my time away that was restful or relaxing. I cannot even say I was “away from work” because I “worked like...