Fall. My favorite season. I close the windows of summer and bask in the new quietness of the inside. The spicy aroma of cinnamon, apples, and cloves overcomes the sweet fragrances of snapdragons, lilies, and roses. Nature walks lead to pockets full of pine cones, acorn hats, and seed pods. Tree ... read more
Places of Healing
When Hosea prophecies the tender healing of Israel, he doesn't paint a Psalm 23 picture. No green pastures or quiet waters. On the contrary, the words of the Lord to his broken bride are this: He leads us to the desert. That means that the barren place I find myself in might not be by accident, ... read more
Beauty in the Morning
I live at the bottom of a mountain. Several days a week, I jump on the interstate and drive up that mountain to the town where my church--and much of my life--resides. In spring, wisteria drapes the hillsides. In fall, brilliant colors cloak the vista. Some nights, I chase the full moon down the ... read more
What to do when beauty grips you by the heart and won’t let go . . .
He stands on top of a mountain and feels the Spirit of God pulse through his body. Life. Breath. Grace. Good gifts that seem to well up within as he surveys the panorama of jagged peaks. This is Alaska. Wildness that reaches inside you and awakens possibility. Beauty that whispers steady hope to ... read more
The Redemption of the Body
In the wake of natural disasters, we easily relate to Paul's words of a groaning creation (Romans 8), and the decaying of our bodies proves that a final, eternal redemption is a necessary reality of the future. Since salvation affects not only our hearts and souls, but also our bodies, does it ... read more
I’m Just Normal
I recently overheard this conversation between my eight-year-old niece and six-year-old daughter. Niece: "You're skinny." Daughter: "No, I'm not!" Niece (laughing): "Are you fat?" Daughter (increasingly upset): "No! I'm just normal!" I've intentionally kept the words "skinny" and "fat" out of ... read more
Beginnings and Endings
We come into this world not of our choosing, but by the actions of our parents and through the sovereign design of God. Birthdays are important celebrations of the beginning of our lives. Our celebrations of beginnings signals that we value the start-ups in our lives, be it the beginning of school, ... read more