I told the old, old story again this week. The one about how Jesus came to us, and why. The one that tells us we are seen and loved. Pursued and rescued. Swept into both the grandest adventure and an all-or-nothing surrender, thrilling and frightening together. The roomful of women silently considered again that gospel … Continue reading The Story We Keep Telling
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“Moon, Moon”
Logan presses his face to the window, searching the darkness. He stands on the couch, pushing the curtain aside, pointing. “Moon, moon,” he says, clapping with joy. On warmer days Logan paces beside the backyard fence, always gazing up, watching birds and clouds and airplanes, and then as night falls he points out the window, … Continue reading “Moon, Moon”
Celebrating the Twos
My son Ben played his heart out last weekend. He and his teammates went to our state’s Special Olympics floor hockey tournament and came home with bronze medals. (Lest you think they are amazing athletes, they won their medals from a group of four teams. Special Olympics forms divisions of four teams each, according to … Continue reading Celebrating the Twos
The Picture We Hold
It's been eight years now since we've taken a picture of the whole family. Eight years since one daughter walked away from our family circle, taking our grandchildren with her. The rest of us still gather every year, and at the end of our time together we take a group picture. But now, our pictures … Continue reading The Picture We Hold
Creating
I’ve heard it said that part of the imprint of God’s image on us is our need and ability to create. God creates food, and we create recipes. He creates people, and we nurture them. He creates beauty and we capture it with brush and pen and lens. Wool becomes a scarf, dyed in sunrise … Continue reading Creating
The Ones Who Cook
If you ranked all the gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes to His people, which ones would come out on top? If you listed all the people serving in your church, who do you admire most? If you could have any skill or talent to leverage for blessing others, what would you choose? We admire … Continue reading The Ones Who Cook
An Ordinary, Everyday Life
“Give him the name Jesus,” the angel said. An ordinary, everyday name at the time. Nothing special. Born in an ordinary, everyday place. He lived an ordinary, everyday life. Working his father’s trade in an ordinary village. Living our ordinary lives. Experiencing our hurts and dreams. Our pain and joy. Dancing exuberantly at weddings. Grieving … Continue reading An Ordinary, Everyday Life
A Distant Country
I packed away the Christmas decorations this week. We once had a larger tree in our larger house, circled by gifts for our larger family. Now we have a simple tabletop tree by the window. Ben was excited when we brought it in from the garage. “Twee!” he crowed at the sight. “Ho Ho!” For … Continue reading A Distant Country
They Came to Shepherds
To the shepherds they came, millions of angels dazzling in the night. To the last and least, overlooked in the darkened fields owned by others. Not to the blazing torches of power or golden lamps of religion did they appear, for those glory in their own light. But to the glowing coals of the shepherds’ … Continue reading They Came to Shepherds
It’s So Easy
It arrived in my mailbox last month, a small yellow envelope containing words of affection and encouragement. The person who sent it, I knew, had precious little time to compose and mail it to me. And yet, she did. A sacrifice of friendship that sank deep into my soul. The world can be a hard … Continue reading It’s So Easy
A View of the Lake 