Some writers say, “ I always dreamed of writing a book.” But not me. I was always dreaming up ways to get out of writing. My go-to methods were double-spacing, large font, and recycling reports for multiple classes. Before I went to college I pleaded with four close friends, “Please pray that I will be able to write papers and essays. I hate writing!” Give me rote memorization or multiple choice any day! So it was as much a surprise to me as to anyone that one day I found myself typing at … [Read more...]
Glorious Limitations
A series failures taunted me as I walked from the courthouse to my car. I’d been dismissed from jury duty. Not even a calculating attorney with a frivolous lawsuit had any use for me. I even failed to get selected for jury duty! I scolded myself. Even though jury duty wasn’t exactly voluntary, to me it was more evidence that whenever I tried something new, I failed. In my estimation, I was surrounded by evidence of continual failure. A marriage that didn’t match the fairy tales, … [Read more...]
When a Father Made Me Cry at the Pool
They say you remember trauma more acutely than pleasure. If the memories of my first high dive experience are any indication, it’s true. I was in fourth grade. No one made me do it, but it looked fun. Something akin to flying. So, in my least favorite faded-red swimsuit, I leapt to my near-death. A nanosecond after my limbs smacked the water, my head throbbed with pressure of chlorine water forced up my sinuses. I remember “rearranging” my swimsuit while I was still ten leagues … [Read more...]
To Need Him a Lot
It didn’t make sense. I’d begun reading to the kids from Sally Lloyd-Jones’ Jesus Storybook Bible. We’d read about David and Daniel, Moses and Joshua. They were the examples, the leaders, and the heroes of the faith. I could not identify. I couldn’t think of any Bible stories of women crying in a pile of dirty laundry like I was. I doubted God had anything favorable to say to a mom so worn out by her own children that she could hardly believe he was still paying attention. And if he … [Read more...]
When Remarkable Faith Feels Less than Remarkable
Perusing a list of Christian book titles ought to be encouraging, inspiring, and helpful. Christ-following authors have urged us to demonstrate “Crazy Love,” implored us, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” and challenged us to live in a way that is “Radical,” and to “Do Hard Things.” We Christians know we ought to be living a life of demonstrated faith, and we truly want to live in a way that makes a difference. But as we read books or even just their titles, we may mistakenly imagine the hard, … [Read more...]
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