Henri Nouwen called solitude . . . “the furnace of transformation.” This doesn’t refer to mere personal privacy for a twelve-second pit stop where we get a quick fix to reenter the race. It’s more than that. It’s an oasis of the soul where we see ourselves, others, and especially our God in new […]
When You’re Mashed in the Making
I toast a sourdough muffin golden, two halves, and slather them with butter and mounds of strawberry freezer jam. I love the color of strawberries mashed in the making. Jeweled jam. And red, to me, is the color of hope. I steep a cup of Earl Grey Green, inhale the fragrance of bergamot, and settle […]
Book Review: The BibleDude Community Commentary Series: Philippians
The panorama from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain is breathtaking. Blue meets blue as Lake Superior stretches out to kiss the horizon. Different platforms give magnificent views of the surrounding countryside–forest and hills and rugged rock. And as I sat on the edge, I was in awe of the beauty. I felt very, very small–and […]
Of Blooms and Bunnies
How many seeds are in the sacrifice? How many births from a single head? Life comes through death, and there is beauty in the dying. While one life fades, another blooms in a never-ending cycle. And we welcome a new member of the family–White Rose the lionhead. Rosie for short.
Crystal Blue Persuasion
Grace has brought a blue-topped spiral notebook as well as two big containers—one of markers, one of crayons. She’s drawn a yellow sun in the left corner, and I smile because the prelude was called “Sun of my Soul.” We missed the prelude. “Be sure to put the top back on when you’re done,” I […]
Scripture Sunday: God of Green Hope
And Isaiah’s word: There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse, breaking through the earth and growing tree tall, Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope! Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy […]
Still Saturday: In Every Given Moment
“The present moment is all that is real. The past is gone. The future is not yet. We remember the past and anticipate the future, but we always do so in the present. Reality is always now. And the single most important aspect of reality is that God is present in it every moment. To […]
Who Knew?
I joined Facebook four years ago. I began to blog three years ago. I linked up with The High Calling network two-and-a-half years ago. And somewhere along the line came Twitter–now over 16,000 tweets. (Am I too noisy?) Who knew anyone would actually read my words? Who knew I’d Jesus-walk in cyberspace? Who knew the […]
And the Wheels Turn
I’m on my bike. I don’t want to be. Well, I do kind of. But not really. I’m not in shape, and my husband has no concept of time or distance. Well, he does kind of. And I know he’ll turn back if I ask, but I also know he wants to share this time […]
When We See the Deer
The deer, they tell us, come right up to the windows. My parents did, after all, build and operate the Deerland Motel. Deer have always been a part of our lives in some form. So we move Mom into the room with the view. I see a doe the next day, hidden way back […]
