living in light of eternity
He is holding out on me. This thought, for a split second, seemed to me utterly improbable. My friend, the gardener, had walked with me through fields of flower, knelt with me streamside and shown me mysteries of nature, picked with me bushels of fruit. My trusted friend could not possibly be keeping secrets, could... Continue Reading →
We're all up to our necks in it: deadlines, bills, school supplies, car repairs, health concerns, the neighbor's noisy music, that stinky something in the refrigerator that's gone bad and can't be located. And when we're personally standing firm and holding fast, others around us are drowning. Look to your right and left at the... Continue Reading →
There are places in the world where a family's tree can be traced back 1,000 years. A thousand years of gnarled roots in the same square patch of soil: great-great-great grandparents on the same street where the children play today. But in America, not so much. Even the first nations here were a largely migratory... Continue Reading →
As Mae West famously quipped, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Take your short life and make it count. Jesus, in 33 years, seemed not to accomplish very much. His little band of followers was terrifically ordinary, despised by the world, and short on courage. Jesus himself wrote... Continue Reading →
The Hub's Article! You can read my thoughts about this season here on the blog (search the tags for sabbatical) but here are my husband's reflections from a pastor's perspective. Love him!
This morning I read an Ann Voskamp quote saying that the remedy for anxiety is worship, or something to that effect. So true. To be full of wonder -- wonderfull -- how can the to-do list retain its power to freeze the veins? How can the But Gods crush and conquer? There is a very... Continue Reading →
Sixth grade class play. Sitting on the dusty stage, gazing across at the little red-headed boy. Who knew a heart could swell so big? Little kids and country singers know the secret of grand dreams, great loves, and gargantuan disappointments. You have to live with your whole heart. I have been learning again lately about... Continue Reading →
So I spent last week in jury duty. Have you had this delightful opportunity yet? You go in for what you assume will be just a day, a blip in your life -- you reschedule, postpone, mush things, sit awkwardly in a packed waiting room full of fidgety folks, look at your watch one too... Continue Reading →
I've been thinking a lot lately about prayer, the bringing to God of our deep desires. You've got to be willing to hold them loose and let them go. I suspect Dietrich Bonhoeffer would give an earful to anyone who claims God is in the wish-fulfillment business. A Christian life is the life of the... Continue Reading →
I have been thinking a lot lately about goals. There's been an empire of self-help books built on Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely goals, goals that get results. Michael Hyatt, in his recent book Platform, devotes a good deal of time to the subject, giving helpful examples like: "Make one hundred thousand dollars a year... Continue Reading →
Catherine's Letters 