A dear friend of mine is about to plunge herself into a spiritual challenge of heroic proportions. The problem is, she doesn't realize it. Right now, she's just doing what's in front of her and planning her next step of obedience. When I visited with her about increased responsibility, exponential stress, and a zillion "what ifs," I found myself wishing she had someone to help her. For various reasons, the kind of help I can offer her is limited. She needs more, and I cannot provide … [Read more...]
One More Important Cancellation
Is your Easter Sunday going to look a little different this year? Every year on Easter Sunday, our extended family begins our resurrection celebration with a sunrise service. At the end of a low-maintenance gravel road, 20-30 people--depending on the unpredictable spring weather—gather on the highest point in town. Strangely, or perhaps fittingly, the highest point of this village, nestled in the grasslands of the Midwest, is in the cemetery. On the coldest mornings, we huddle beside a … [Read more...]
What’s Your Love Story?
Every year around this time, especially when I'm pondering what to write about "love," I'm bombarded with song lyrics from the soundtrack of my teen years. Most of them come from pop songs I recorded on cassette with my single-speaker boom box. In so many of the lyrics about love, questions surround the concept. Questions about Love "What is love?" Haddaway asked, and has asked repeatedly for two decades. "What's love got to do with it?" lamented Tina Turner with her signature hair … [Read more...]
“Through the Inkeeper’s Eyes” with Guest Charles Martin
This December our guest is Charles Martin. Charles is the author of 13 novels, (several of which I have recommended in the past). When I saw he had applied his novelistic mastery to this tender moment in the Christmas story--on Earth and in Heaven--I was spellbound. This piece was first published on his website and eventually found its way into his newest book. He graciously gave me permission to share it here. Grab a little piece of quiet, and settle in for this one. You're going to love … [Read more...]
When the Story Comes True
It was a story I’d heard all my life, or a version of it anyway. Yesterday, it came true. My grandpa, the same one I wrote about last summer, who’s systematic prayer life explains a lot about my own life, was a storyteller extraordinaire. Besides that, he had learned his mother's tried and true play-it-by-ear piano techniques—major and minor chords, the trilling of an octave, and a jolly be-bopping melody--and when he combined the two, it was a grand performance. But his performances were … [Read more...]
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