Make joyful noises with music, food, and merriment
Waking to lightning, thunder, and rain, I prayed, “Make more joyful noise, Lord,” knowing full well the psalmists were not exhorting God but His people, like me, to serve with gratitude. Make Joyful Music Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 100:1...
The capacity we have comes not from us but from God
As Marta spoke to the congregation at the end of the service yesterday morning, I marveled at her capacity to share her painful story. She’d run away from a terrible home situation at age 13 and was on her own for weeks before being taken to a police station....
On Being Specific: in our plans, details, and prayers
“What specific species is that?” our neighbor asked about a tree with a branch of leaves turning reddish yellow. We were eating a 4th of July Eve dinner—grilled brats, Keith's baked beans, potato salad, slaw, and garden cucumbers—on the dining deck. “I’m not sure,”...
It’s the same, and it’s different—all at the same time
Edie Melson’s Soul Care When the Nest is Empty, which releases July 9th, is written in the same format as the others in her Soul Care series but of course, the topic is different. I have the honor of serving on her book launch team, as I did with her previous...
Choice: making a decision when faced with possibilities.
“You can buy the property or not, your choice,” my daughter Jessica said to Abigail, her 7-year-old daughter. We three were playing the kids’ version of Monopoly. Abigail, who always went first—youngest to oldest—had landed on the Ice Cream Shop. Abigail counted...
Variations on the theme of cover: reveal, conceal, and protection
“I love the cover of your book,” said a woman who stopped by our booth at the local Farmers Market on Saturday morning. She picked up my book then glanced at Keith’s. “I love both books,” she said. The word “cover” can mean to protect or conceal. Covers do protect...