Once upon a time, I read the book My One Word. If you've been around for my writing, or teaching, or thinking out loud at a dinner party, you may know that book changed my life, revolutionizing the ways that I think about change, growth, and a New Year. As far as longevity and influence […]
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Something that should matter to you. Something that should matter to you - who? Yes. And also Where and When and How and For What Purpose and For What Cause. Everything matters. There's so much to care about. Everybody is giving me more things to care about. The headlines are […]
Three things have happened, and they are sorting themselves into the same space of my mind, as if they belong there together. First, I sat outside during a summer evening rain shower. The tasks of the day were finished, we were in the after-dinner space of each doing our own thing, and I was sitting […]
Every night, we have ice cream at 8:00. And some evenings, we have it at other times, because it's 8:00 somewhere. We are living it up in our locked up condition. Last night, before our evening constitution, Peter brought us all together at the dining room table. There were four cups of fruit punch and […]
Strapp held his wife’s hand as he drove, stealing glances at the photograph she held. This was the only picture they had of their son, a photo they received from their social worker. The boy looked to be about six years old, and he had dark skin, darker eyes, and black hair. Strapp and Julie […]
"I was reading a book a few weeks ago - I like to read first thing in the morning these days, with my coffee. So I was reading the book and I went to take a sip of coffee and I spilled on the book. I got all upset: 'Now look! I ruined the book! […]
We were in the car one day. The radio was on. The air conditioning was blowing at me. All three men of mine were talking or singing. The boys were playing some version of physical jackassery horseplay in the backseat. In total exasperation, I reached forward and turned off the radio and the air […]
"Words are things. I am convinced. You must be careful about the words you use, or the words you allow to be used in your house. In the Old Testament, we are told in Genesis that in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was God, and the Word was with God. That's in […]
“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think […]
Yep. It snowed. Quite a bit, actually. Summer break starts on Friday, the community pools open on Monday, and we are in several inches of snow in Colorado. It's all Facebook can talk about. We are a whole city irritated. The tree limbs all look so defeated today. All bent over, hanging low, burdened. No, […]
My father used to give this advice to my sister and me as we were preparing to go out on a date. "Turn. Let me see you," he would say approvingly. "You look beautiful." Then he would add the words he always said before we went out--words that every daughter needs a father to say: […]
This book is remarkable, beautiful, and tangible. So few things in the world are all three. I want everyone to read it. Jason and Sara have five children, and their sweet boy tucked right in the middle is named Jack. Jack has severe autism. Autism can be a dark place with few answers. One of […]
"Good books (and even some poor ones) can change us to be more like Christ. That deep change is always a work of God, his subversion and transformation. But we either cooperate with it, or not." ~ Mark Buchanan, Spiritual Rhythm
It's been more than a year since we got this kind of snow in Denver. And it's fun to see how we fall in love all over again with the blanket of white. If this happens every week for the next eight weekends, it will be a different story. But for today, we are a […]
"You did not forget to punish the guilty or listen to the cries of those in need." Psalm 9:12 Those first four words have captured my heart this morning. You did not forget. We are living in a time when something is wrong every single day. Hurricanes. Investigations. Allegations. And this morning, the worst mass shooting […]
One of the funny gifts of the internet are the friends I've never met. There are people who engage my writing and show up in my inbox, and each message feels like a reunion. I'm delighted to see their names that I recognize, and it feels like we're really going to hit it off someday […]
You already know I'm something of a podcast junkie. I straight up binge-listen to these conversations. For an auditory learner, they're music to my ears. (Literally. As in, I prefer them over actual music.) I'm spending a lot of my car-time these days with Jen Hatmaker on her new podcast, For The Love. Her current series is called For […]
"I was brave?" the four-year-old asked. "You were -- you are brave," Eddie told her. "What does brave mean?" Ruth asked him. "It means that you don't cry," Eddie said. "I cried a little," Ruth pointed out. "A little is okay," Eddie told her. "Brave means that you accept what happens to you -- you […]
Please indulge me while I tell you the story of the first and last time Bee ever claimed she was bored. Bernadette and I were driving Bee and a friend, both preschoolers, to a birthday party. There was traffic. Grace said, "I'm bored." "Yeah," Bee mimicked, "I'm bored." Bernadette pulled the car over, took off […]
Want to be happy for an hour? Have a steak dinner. Want to be happy for a day? Play a round of golf. Want to be happy for a week? Go on a cruise. Want to be happy for a month? Buy a new car. Want to be happy for a year? Win the lottery. […]
