Word choice is an important aspect of speaking and writing. If I say, “walk,” it might make any number of pictures in your mind. But, what happens when I use a word like “stroll” or “stride?” How about “amble” or “strut?” “Pace” or “march?” All have the idea of covering Read more…
(Warning: Longer than usual post.) I love volunteers! Not the kind that make the bake sale a success (though those are lovely and needed as well!), but the kind that appear in my yard and garden without human agency. These are the plants that appear somewhere I didn’t intend for Read more…
When I began to grow grapevines, one of the hardest things to do was to prune them. I understood that pruning was necessary if I wanted grapes and not just vines, but apart from that, I had no idea what I was doing. It was heart-rending to remove so much Read more…
Is it hard to say, “I love you” to the One who loves you most? For me, it is. I felt prompted recently to take up a more disciplined approach to prayer, primarily for the sake of the many I have in my heart to care for. Discipline requires structure. Read more…
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. How I treat other humans is a function of how I view other humans. If I respond to them as annoyances or as servants, co-laborers or competitors, or whether I regard them at all is because of how I see them. The important truth that I must understand is Read more…
Speechless in the blessed music of rain! Thank You. Thunder rumbles – a long, low growl over my head from west to east. Palm trees roar in the wind and bow to the force of You — bent but not broken as the giant grasses they are! The leaves make Read more…
Know that the LORD, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. — Psalms 100:3 Read more…
So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. — Deuteronomy 8:6 Navigation used to be by landmarks: Left at the boulder that looks like a praying monk, near the cave with all the bats, just upstream of the Read more…
(Longer-than-normal post warning) A week ago I was in the mountains outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico at a Student Life camp with hundreds of teens and their adult leaders. The topography required over 11,000 steps per day with an average of 8 floors of climbing at 7000′. Two weeks Read more…
Wow. It’s been a month since I posted anything! Here are some bits and pieces from my conversations with Papa-God over the last few weeks: …(While visiting someone in their new home.) I welcome You to this home – this elegant, spacious, clever, well-appointed house-but-not-quite-home. I release the presence of Read more…