Depressed children often chatter like George Washington’s wooden dentures at Valley Forge, and bounce off the walls. Depressed adults are often quiet — silent, even. I was the classic depressed adult. I sat at the computer last week, and wrote nothing, because I had nothing to say. I was depressed… 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…
“Repent and believe the gospel.” — Mark 1:15 These are Jesus’ words that stood out from this morning’s lectio Divina, the ancient Christian tradition of soaking in a short passage of scripture and allowing God’s Spirit to focus one’s attention on a portion of it. Processing what He means resulted Read more…
No, there are not a dozen drummers in my living room, nor is there a Shakespearean fantasy opening on my back porch tonight! (Just in case you were wondering.) There is however, a tradition that the Wise Men visited the Child on this day years ago. (The Magi’s gifts gave Read more…
Working on my book, (yes, I’m writing a book…) I have spent hours looking at John chapter 14 where Jesus talks about home. A lot. He talks about going to prepare a place for us. He talks about the Father having enough rooms for us. He talks about the Father 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…
Reading in Jeremiah, it can seem like God’s responses to Jerusalem and Judah are harsh and punitive; the truth is that God has faithfully kept all his promises and covenant commitments to them for centuries, lavishing on them gifts and blessings, and His whole-hearted devotion. The response of almost the Read more…
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…