My dad had a poster near his desk with a Raggedy Ann doll bring squeezed through a wringer. (If you know who and what I am talking about feel free to skip the next paragraph! If you don’t know, the internet will tell you more than you ever wanted to Read more
“Sometimes fault lines can only be identified and mapped after an earthquake.” —40 Days of Decrease, Alicia Britt Chole That’s why failure is such an important thing to not be protected from. (She says from her ivory tower…) We often ask God to bless our event, activity, or adventure, expecting Read more
Seeking for the source of the withered places in my heart, I had a “chance” conversation with someone who is getting therapy for trauma. I asked what the trauma was, and the answer sent me diving into research about trauma. Here’s what I found from UNYTE-ILs. It can include ANY Read more
So, there was this guy… Jesus noticed him… a man with one hand that didn’t work right…so much so that it had shriveled up and was useless. In a time and culture where almost everyone’s work was manual, to have only one functioning hand was a big loss. There were Read more
The gospel according to Hallmark says this is the season for sleigh-ride snuggling, jolly holly-ing, and rockin’ around the Christmas tree, but what if you are alone in a desert where snow is once-in-a-lifetime, can’t remember the last time you felt anything close to jolly, or are fresh out of Read more
The last thing she needed was a mile and a half run! Her husband was in the hospital. She had just walked in the door after a long day at his bedside when the skittish Boston terrier saw the dark outside and the open door as an invitation to bolt! Read more
Last week’s post was certainly not about an everyday event, but the God who was active in such an event is still active in my everyday life, offering me choices about how I will live… When astronomers are exploring the surface of other planets, they are all interested in one 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
I am not talking about the choice to forgive. There are plenty of voices calling us to forgive…the Holy Spirit, our consciences, Christian writers; even people with no connection to God know that hanging on to bitterness when offended is not a good plan: ulcers, high blood pressure, adrenal fatigue. Read more
