living in light of eternity
Just for kicks -- here are the five make-ahead meals we made at Stepping Up Sabbath today. (You can read more about that here.) I really don't know the origin of all of them: probably allrecipes.com, bhg.com, family friends... They've been tweaked and reworked a bit, and you might be able to find the originals... Continue Reading →
Way back in 2002, my husband and I happily went to see the first of The Lord of the Rings movies. Aside from all of the swashbuckle and magic, the moment in the movie that struck me most forcibly was when old Bilbo, the hobbit, says that he is spread too thin, like butter scraped... Continue Reading →
Christianity is so much more ridiculous than most people give us credit for. Oh, there are a lot of stereotypes: we’re narrow-minded or we’re stuffy, we’re anti-intellectual or we’re honorable. It depends who you ask. But the truth? We believe in miracles, and beauty. We sing — a lot. We give away a chunk of... Continue Reading →
Ladies, Today is a day for grace. Grace, the beautiful, lavish gifts of God, poured out on us so unceasingly. Did the sun rise this morning while you sipped your coffee? Grace. Have you laughed out loud with a friend this week? Grace. The biggest grace, the best gift, is of course the love of... Continue Reading →
Vocation: calling, life’s work, mission, purpose, craft, career. Deeper than a job, what “occupies” us, what we clock in and out for, vocation is something welling up and spilling out. Vocation is what you daydream about when you’re a kid or pursue in your free time with passion. And sometimes it’s at odds with gainful... Continue Reading →
Maybe you’ve prayed it, too — Dear God, please don’t let my kid become an illiterate hobo. Please don’t let me kill that woman, not today. Please let most of the regulars show up this week. Please don’t let us elect Hitler. Maybe it started out as a joke — she’d lose her head if... Continue Reading →
I read recently of a homeschool family that ran afoul of local authorities. Someone looked at this little-bit-different, little-bit-strange family, raised their eyebrows, and made a phone call. Evidently one of the kids had been brought to the hospital and Mom and Dad left the older kids in charge of the small ones. Child Protective... Continue Reading →
Last night at Bible study we were having a lively discussion about loving our neighbor when one of the ladies paused. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” she read. “How are we doing with loving ourselves?” A sigh of understanding rippled around the room. We are a group of young(ish) American women: we know... Continue Reading →
Christmas has all the best stories (and OK, to be fair, some of the worst schlock. If in doubt, sample some of the unknown Christmas movies on Netflix this year — you’ll see.) There’s a little bit of everything in a Christmas flick: magic, longing, delight, sometimes tragedy, always wonder, more often than not hilarity. ... Continue Reading →
platitude, noun: a remark or statement (especially with moral content) that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful. Cliché. It has happened a hundred times. At gravesides, hospital beds, over coffee. Tears are falling, someone is looking for answers. He won’t be with us much longer. I’m going to lose the... Continue Reading →
Catherine's Letters 