This piece was written for the January issue of our church newsletter, Grace & Peace. It was on the bright edge of the new year a few winters ago that I set out to read through the entire Bible in 60 days. This meant two months of reading more than 15 chapters per day. I … Continue reading The Feast of Scripture
"No ear may hear His coming,but in this world of sin,where meek souls will receive Him still,the dear Christ enters in." A storm of blackbirds descending on the neighborhood and chattering in the trees Climbing into our big, dark attic and Jared hanging my porch swing Early morning Bible study and conversations by the fire … Continue reading Christmas Paperwhites & a Porch Swing
One December, a few weeks before Christmas, I went down to the square of my hometown to pass out flyers for a Christmas event at my church. I grew up several miles outside of town, so I didn’t frequent the block very often, except for the parade on Memorial Day every year. All the shops … Continue reading O Little Town
This piece was written for the December issue of our church's newsletter, Grace & Peace. One day a few years ago, I found myself sitting on the first floor of a doctor’s building, talking to a lady named Darlene. It was a few weeks before Christmas, and rain was blowing against the big windows, wet … Continue reading In the Waiting Room
"His well done is worth a shipful of good days and earthly hours." ~ Samuel Rutherford Good things in November: The goats in the pasture across from church Autumn gold high in the trees like their tops dipped in honey A love note on the back of my grocery list Turtlenecks and weather turned cold … Continue reading Hyacinth Bulbs & Smoked Ham
Sometimes, usually when I’m in the kitchen, I find myself thinking about my great-grandma Minerva, Papa Jay’s mom, who had a tight, little face, wore her black hair in a bun, and made him biscuits and gravy from scratch every morning. Papa is getting to an age when he can’t remember things well or often, … Continue reading A Long Line of Quiet Women
This piece was written for our church's November newsletter, Grace & Peace. When I was a little girl, I remember something Corrie ten Boom said that stayed with me: "When people come up and give me a compliment... I take each remark as if it were a flower. At the end of the day I … Continue reading A Bouquet of Thanks
“People would think of my ministry as being my missionary work, my writing, my speaking. But you know, I don’t spend most of my life standing at a podium. I spend most of my life sitting at a desk, standing at a sink, standing at an ironing board, going to the grocery store, sitting in … Continue reading Laundry, Loaves, & the Lord’s Day
Dear Maggie,* Once when I was a teenager, I went to a big concert by a Christian band-–the kind of concert where you feel the drums beat under your ribcage. The event was themed around one of the band’s new songs, which dealt with the worth of a young woman who doesn’t see herself as … Continue reading On Goldenrod & Body Image
This sample devotion is from my new series, Wisdom for Writers: Devotions from the Book of James. Key Scripture: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:Greetings.”James 1:1 How would you start a letter to someone you barely knew? What’s the first thing you’d say about … Continue reading How To Start a Letter
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