Three Ugly Helpers

Help doesn’t always come in forms we like. Last week we discovered that our unwanted rodent population had destroyed the dryer vent pipe, pumping the warm, damp air into the laundry room instead of outside. Not dangerous, but irritating, especially since we had invited friends whose washer was out of Read more

The News and the Truth

One very everyday thing is the news. The headlines are alarming. The trends are disheartening. The need for prayer is great, the list long. It can be overwhelming, and anxiety-producing. Jesus says not to fear nor be anxious, but to take heart and never stop praying. Good luck with that…I Read more

Hügelkultur and Humility…

Yes, again… So, I finished the hügelkultur pit; the brush pile has been reduced to a flat patch of ground covered with twigs and grass. Not a thing of beauty by any means, but at least unobtrusive and less obnoxious. It no longer looks out of control or dangerous. I Read more

What Kind of Playmate Am I?

“You guys are like stubborn playmates on the playground…I suggested a great game full of delight, and you poohpoohed it. When my friend told you a sad story, none of you were willing to listen and cry over it with him.” When I came across this passage (my paraphrase), I Read more

Guidance

God makes a stunning commitment to Samuel:  He did not let a single word from Samuel’s mouth “fall to the ground.” Reading this yesterday, my response  was to pray, “Let none of my words ‘fall to the ground,’ but keep my aware of them so that they will bear fruit, Read more

Through the Wringer

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

Our Every-Day God

Usually when we say “everyday,” we mean common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, and that is certainly what I intend when I talk about following Jesus in the everyday:  dishes, laundry, gardening, family relationships, church stuff. When Jesus was introducing His hearers to the Kingdom of God the way God sees it, He Read more

Stretch Out Your Hand

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