As a child, I heard the stories of Elijah hiding in a cave (1 Kings 19), Jonah sulking under a wilting vine (Jonah 4), and the Prodigal Son's older brother working angrily while the rest of the family celebrated (Luke 15). I wondered why they acted so miserable and self-centered. Not until recent years did …
Rhyming with God
Long ago, a children's sermon delivered by a wise, older cousin unexpectedly became part of the fabric of my spiritual life. "When thoughts come to our mind," he said, "we have to figure out what to do with them. Is it something that goes in the trash? Is it a thought to put in our …
We have a winner!
The winner for the book giveaway is Becki Sensenig. Congratulations Becki, and I hope you enjoy the book! Thank you to all of you who commented. I loved reading how friendships touched you and it reminded me to never underestimate the importance of connection and kindness. Love you all! Rosina
Turtle Heart Book Review and Giveaway
Developing a healthy relationship includes spending vast amounts of time in another person's presence, maintaining the quality of time spent together, nurturing diversity mixed with understanding, and finding meaning in something larger than the relationship. I saw those elements clearly in Turtle Heart, a book about the cross cultural friendship between an introspective Mennonite girl …
The gift of silence
After an especially stressful day of work at the hospital, I often find myself postponing my return to our home in town and driving out into the country. Will and I have forty acres of land in the beautiful Gyp Hills a few miles outside town. On our land bordered by hills and a tree-lined …
Bible deism
A few months ago, a reader sent me an email asking me some questions about what I called "Bible deism" in one of my posts about hearing God's voice (for the entire series on hearing God, start here.) I do not have time to write a thorough dissertation of the subject, as much as I …
Hoeing thistles
The morning sun grew hotter, and I felt sweat slide down the back of my neck as my hoe sliced into the base of a thistle plant. One after another, the prickly giants sank to their knees in defeat as I chopped and chopped. The mere mention of hoeing thistles was enough to raise wails …
On my old street
I drove down my old street where I used to live, and it made me sad. My street was more decrepit than I remembered. Awkwardly perched between the solidarity of winter and the freshness of spring, the trees and yards lay cold and bare and brown. Without their summer shroud of greenery, the houses stood …
Expressing negative emotions
I'm a sensitive person in more ways than one. Perhaps my deafness has made me more aware of my physical environment than most. My brain is a constant tumble of observations, thoughts, feelings, and intuitions. If I'm not careful, I can quickly collapse under the weight of what I perceive in my environment, in myself, …
Accusations
Recently someone sent me a letter, urging me to pray about the contents and think about changing my ways. "What in the world does this even mean?" I thought in bewilderment as I read the letter. It was full of Bible verses and vague interpretations. I had no idea what to make of it, other …
arabah rejoice 