Save, Now!
I waved a palm on Sunday. Placed in golden windows, backlit by the sun, palms lined our church on both sides as we walked the aisle to worship Jesus, the Savior of our souls—and our world . . . Nineteen years ago, I stood on the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane where […]
Old Gifts
My dad might not describe himself as an artist, but he is. God gave him an exquisite eye for beauty, composition, and the technical mind to create great photographs before the digital age made the art form a bit simpler. From the time I was small, Dad carried his camera, prepared for whatever wonder might strike him […]
Spiritual Thoughts of a Dinosaur
She’s a voice for her generation, this dear friend of mine more than half my age. She’s wise. She’s passionate. She’s sincerely in love with Jesus and wants to serve Him with all her heart. So do many of her generation. They want to know their mission. They want to know their calling. They want […]
Faith in the Ice Storms of Life
The rain came pouring down. At 2 AM, I wake to God’s fingers sifting crystal beads onto roofs of house and barn. Horses are shedding winter coats. I wonder where they stand during this dark, icy night. Are they out vulnerable in the paddock, frozen rain pelting their bodies? Or have they sought shelter in […]
Finding Our Treasure
A.W. Tozer’s books in my library have more lines highlighted than not, so beautiful and true are his writings. Here is a choice morsel for your weekend meditation from The Pursuit of God . . . The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or […]
Beautiful for Life
What makes one beautiful at any age? I’ll tell you it isn’t creams or serums or injectables or clothes or jewelry or even good genes. Meet one of my best friends, a bit incognito . . . Still a beauty at 65, she’s ten years older than I, plus four days, this friend-gift of mine. […]
Life Fires
Our first hikes together were on St. Petersburg sidewalks, my husband and I and our about-to-be-adopted children. We all held hands and meandered through a park where we skipped stones on the pond and all spoke with each other in Russian. We walked every day while waiting for our court date to become a legal family. […]
True Friends
A friend loves at all times . . . there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 17:17 & 18:24 Welcome to a gallery of portraits I took this week on a glorious Wisconsin day—our first of the year where we could be outside on the farm without coats. This was […]
Unplug and Connect
Too many cords threaten to strangle the life right out of me. Cords for laptops. Cords for smart phones. Cords for Ipods. Cords for gaming systems and flat-screen TVs and all sorts of kitchen appliances invented for making life faster and easier. We are able to pack more into our days like never before because […]
Up Close with Tulips
After saying I was making some changes in my blog posting schedule and content, I’ve learned from life that it’s best to end every good and stated plan with “God willing”. I’ve had some writing interruptions last week but there is no greater joy than engaging in God’s divine appointments. Two stories from Thursday and Friday and an inner garden […]
How to Have a Joyous Heart
I’ve been writing about contrasts. We often think of contrasts as opposites so far away from each other that they never touch. Instead, contrasts are often so close that the balance of our lives depends on them holding hands, becoming pivotal points of growth. One without the other is just plain impossible. Saint Catherine of […]
FIRE!
I’m steeping in suffering, reading sociological, psychological, historical, and theological research and writings on the subject. Tim Keller, my favorite contemporary author, wrote a whole book last year, Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, where he views the subject of suffering from different vantage points and offers sound advice about how to deal with it in ways […]