Stuart had a birthday last Thursday. Being a quality-time sort of person, he asked if we could do something special together as a family for his birthday. Will and I had an idea that caught fire as we talked about it. Why not take the family on a little trip? Plans were made in secret, …
getting started…
I’ve been procrastinating writing my series on hearing God. For various reasons. But yesterday I read this on a conservative Anabaptist blog: “The faith has been delivered once for all, Jude assures us; it needs no addition. Scripture is sufficient, it thoroughly equips a man to live and to act, Paul tells Timothy. Can God …
Who Keeps Us?
I have family and friends who have ventured beyond the safe confines of their Christian environments; they have edged into a world that is bigger and harder and scarier than anything they've experienced before. When a Christian sits down for food and conversation with someone of a different religion, snuggles the babies of troubled teenage mothers, plays street basketball …
To my former church community
I'm sorry that you feel rejected, you mean more to me than you'll ever know. I grew among you, wrapped in love, cradled in grace. You laughed with me in my joys, and held my hand through my pain. When my unborn baby died, you brought roses and wept. Then later you dandled my fat, wriggling babies, …
Psalm 123
To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon …
The Toad Beneath the Harrow
The toad beneath the harrow knows Exactly where each tooth point goes; The butterfly upon the road Preaches contentment to that toad. -Rudyard Kipling This poem has been running through my mind as some of our dearest friends are walking through a valley of suffering (and I have a few sorrows of my own, …
Remodeling, Babies, and a Stray Kitten
We've been very busy lately, remodeling a house and preparing to move...again. While Will and I both enjoy fixing up run-down houses, I admit that I am feeling quite weary. In the last year and a half, this makes the third house we are fixing, and the second time we are moving! But we are …
A Pinched-off Piece Of Clay
After Job's three friends finished their rebukes, a firebrand named Elihu gave his piece. Elihu was angry at the incompetency of Job's friends, and unleashed his own tirade. These words from Elihu caught my attention: Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay. Job 33:6 …
Does God Give Good Gifts?
God's gifts are many and varied, spread all over creation with His lavish hand. In this post, I am going to focus a bit on spiritual gifts. Often we Christians have this complex about spiritual gifts. Salvation, we say, is truly a good gift of God given to people who don't deserve it. But spiritual …
Children and Winter Evenings: Plan of Action
Evenings can be hard--sometimes we parents are so tired and the last thing we feel like doing is coming up with creative fun for the kids. But...our children will only be young once, and why not have some jolly times with them? I find it easier to mix up the evenings of busy, messy projects with evenings that consist of quieter activities. I was inspired …
Continue reading Children and Winter Evenings: Plan of Action
arabah rejoice 