Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack – Book Review

I began following Alia Joy on social media before I knew she had authored a memoir that would resonate with my soul and help me reconnect with clarifying experiences of my past.  Early in her book, Alia Joy bathes her story with fresh perspective on why we need to own our stories because they are … Read more

this is where i leave you

Yesterday I noticed a commercial on TV for a new movie. My breath caught when I heard the title, This Is Where I Leave You. How often over the past few weeks have I thought about the void of an empty room, the hollow feeling a trailing wave, the finality of a closed door. Have … Read more

A Healthy Prescription for Comfort

Two years ago, if you had said the word opioid in my presence, I would have thought you were talking about a new kind of breakfast cereal. Then I read a book titled, Less Pain Fewer Pills: Avoid the Dangers of Prescription Opioids and Gain Control over Chronic Pain by Beth Darnall, PhD. It was … Read more

Advent Theme: Hope – What are you waiting for?

Have you ever been hiking in the woods and noticed something that seems strange? Like a tiny branch growing up through a dead stump or a tree in the middle of a rock.  Today’s advent reading has meaningful applications for our lives today, just as it did when it was written around 700 BC.  The … Read more

FAITH: First week of Advent

December 2, 2015 Advent theme: Faith The Advent scripture for today is Isaiah 40:1-5. These words were written to God’s people about the time they were going to be released from oppression and captivity that had lasted for many years.  In these verses, there is promise of hope and freedom. Through his words, Isaiah is … Read more

It's National Friend Day! Yeh, I didn't know either. Let's celebrate friendship!

Have you ever thought about the role friends play in your life? I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands of opportunities to reflect on the blessing of friends in my own life, many just yesterday. In fact I was doing that last night as I reviewed my day and realized how many interactions with friends occurred in … Read more

Comfort zone? What comfort zone. There is nothing comfortable here!

Remember the New Year? The one where everyone was talking about resolutions and goals – oh! And stretch goals! Those goals destined to pick you up body and soul from where you are comfortable and transplant you in a foreign zone where things are not familiar? It works great in theory. I can see the … Read more

How secure is your security blanket?

Yesterday we learned about Lucy. Don’t you love Linus? Let’s learn from him today. We are a blanket family. I’m literally mesmerized by stores where walls breathe thick towels, floors are spongy with throw rugs, and blankets spill off shelves. Blankets, though, entice me most and even though my family laughs at me, they are … Read more

OneWord

OneWord Yesterday as I was sitting in my normal, curled up on the floor position addressing envelopes I caught a segment of the Today Show where a discussion was promoting the adoption of One Word as sort of a life beacon for the year. Being January 1st, and being a captive audience surrounded by envelopes … Read more

Comfort and Joy

Comfort, comfort my people … shortly before I went to bed, I got a text from a friend with a message not unlike many I had received this week. “Without warning two of my friends were laid off indefinitely from their jobs. Please help me pray for them.” I had a sick feeling multiplied by … Read more

Refining Grace