A day-by-day decision to seek wisdom, trust God, and choose life
Last Friday, Keith and I made a decision to let our newly adopted dog Lark off-leash, to give him freedom to explore. We’d prepared him for this moment. For ten days, I walked him on leash to familiarize him with the boundaries of our property, the sights, sounds,...
God’s Timing is Perfect and Fundamentally Different From Ours
It wasn’t that the timing was wrong, not exactly. But since we’d gotten used to having just one dog in the past several weeks, adopting another felt at best a little premature and maybe downright foolish. How were we going to find the time and energy to care for a...
A schedule defends from chaos and whim… a net for catching days
In Shakespeare’s works, the word schedule refers to a document, a written list, or formal inventory. For instance, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the word denotes a specific written document containing a list. "I will deliver it [the schedule] to you in the letter."...
Remnant: a small remaining part—leftovers, habitat, people
As a child, I knew a remnant meant a small remaining part, such as fabric or leftovers, remnants of a meal. A remnant could also be a natural habitat that hadn’t been significantly disturbed. As a believing adult, I learned that, Biblically, a remnant often refers...
Making decline—physical, social, spiritual—into a positive
Physical decline challenged us during the Maundy Thursday service last week. Keith’s hearing aids failed, curtailing his ability to socialize, and I’m still adjusting to ergonomic aids for my flute. In the Bible, "decline" often signifies spiritual...
Am I becoming lazy about ordinary work, deceptions, and trust?
Being lazy isn’t something I usually think about during Holy Week, given how much is going on at church: assembling meals for those in need and Palm Sunday this past weekend, Tuesday evening music rehearsal, Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday, and Resurrection...