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You Have Permission For This
There’s a distinct point of time when I snap.
I don’t mean that I snap my fingers to a happy chorus. Nope.
I mean I snap like a dry twig. You can almost hear the cartoon-like crraaack.
My patience runs out. My face contorts. My tone hovers somewhere between irritable and infuriated. My words range from snarky to ...
When Shame Keeps You In Hiding
As part of an online accountability group for a "healthy lifestyle," I’ve signed up for a few fairly awkward things. For one, I tell a group of about 20 people how much I weigh every day. Thankfully, others on the group “weigh in” too (literally speaking) so it’s not overly embarrassing.
Other things we do include ...
The Sound Of Stillness—A Silent Saturday Reflection
The Sound Of Stillness
Saturday interjects a pause;
Friday laments suffering
Anguish and death,
Sunday proclaims wonder
Joy and life,
Saturday stands still, but He still speaks—
Even in the silence.
Saturday holds space for grief;
It doesn’t hasten us to “move on.”’
It gives us permission
To mourn,
To doubt,
To weep—
Even as we wrestle.
Saturday reminds us of the truth;
The God of the Sabbath
Directs our hearts
To be ...
Jesus Didn’t Give His Life Because Of This—A Good Friday Reflection
“Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to the Cross I cling.”
These lyrics from one of my favorite hymns, “Rock of Ages” fill me with sorrow and wonder, grief and joy, amazement and awe—that God would become man and choose to lay down His life for me.
But I am also relieved. There’s nothing more I ...
God Didn’t Wait—And Neither Should We
The doorbell does its thing just as I’m sitting down for lunch.
My daughter proclaims she “needs” a snack just as I’m starting work.
Okay, let’s get real here, nature calls with urgency just as I’m about to write that profound life-changing sentence.
We’re all familiar with pauses and interruptions in our daily routines. We know what it ...
Two Words God Laid On My Heart
I sometimes find myself standing before God 's throne like I’m at a Chinese fast food stall at a mall's food court waiting to get served.
Let me explain.
I can approach Bible reading like I’m there to get Hakka noodles and sweet and sour chicken plopped on my plate and say a quick, “Thank You, God," ...
You Don’t Have To Give In
For my daughter’s fourteenth birthday last year, she invited a few of her friends to an escape room. For the uninitiated, an escape room or mystery room is essentially an entertainment option where you pay good, hard-earned money to be trapped in a small space for an hour.
I’m kidding. While I’ve only gone to an ...
No, This Is Not You
If you know me, you know I’m deeply committed to two of life's essentials: coffee and chocolate. Bring me some good quality dark chocolate and a strong cup o’ joe (sans the swirls, syrups, and sprinkles please) and we can be buddies for life.
My home bears evidence of this proclivity (okay, fine, it may be ...
5 Lessons From 50 Years Of Love
With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, it seems like a good time to talk about love.
But what makes it an even better time—actually, no, the perfect time—is the story of two people who exchanged wedding rings on Valentine’s Day fifty years ago. And what makes it even more special is that I happen ...
MEET SUSAN
