All of these works I find true and beautiful. Each inspire me in different ways. Some resonate with my deepest longings or sooth my deepest wounds. Others seem to pull me out of myself, while others warm my soul with memory.
A Reminder
Those whose love and approval are conditional...do not define me. Those who genuinely misunderstand me, and those who do so willfully...do not define me. Those who find me intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually deficient, whether they are right or not...these do not define me. Those who condescend, who pontificate without listening, correct and lecture…
Reflection on the Woman at the Well
Lately I’ve thought about that process more—how she became a loner.
Fragments on Memory-Ours and God’s (or “God Sees. God Hears.”)
I've needed so much hope, and honestly as someone who has struggled with depression for years and then the health issues of the past few months, it's been quite hard. Some of my biggest fears are being forgotten or not believed, of having no voice or significance, of being disposable. That may be rather self-absorbed, but God knows we are dust, and His promises assure us of His faithfulness. The past few months, years really, but especially the past few months have been filled with reminders of Who He Is, that He is the only God, His name is Jealous, and there is no other Savior. He will fight for me (though not always in the way I want). It is as if anything that is not Him, even good things, is being stripped away.
The Truest Things I Know…
A few days ago, I remembered that about 2,000 years ago the people who said they followed God were divided into multiple religious and political factions. (Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Essenes; Jews, Samaritans, Romans--and I know I'm leaving lots of people out.) Whatever each group was right about or wrong about, it was serious, painful business. Then God came and dwelt among them and lovingly blew all of their ideas to bits... The truest things I know about Trump or Biden or Pence or Harris (listed first chronologically, then by president-vice president) are the truest things I know about the people I work with, my students, the guy sitting in the opposite pew, the irritating person standing in the middle of the aisle at Wal-Mart sharing their personal business over the phone so loud you can hear them three aisles over, my family, my friends, my neighbors, myself...
Found a date–with Rich Mullins (No, I didn’t break up with Jack or Tollers. This is called the communion of the saints.)
Image taken from firstthings.com Last night I finished Andrew Peterson's Adorning the Dark (which I encourage you to read), and he's as love-struck with Rich Mullins as I've been with C.S. Lewis. I'm pretty he sure mentions the guy at least once in every chapter, just like I've probably mentioned Lewis in most of my…
July Meditations for December
I mentioned earlier in the year that sometimes I go through old journal entries and find prayers and words that I'm not not sure how I had the strength to say then and certainly don't as I read them--but I know they are true and the Lord tells us to remember past redemptions. Here is…
On Love for Country, Love for Neighbor
We need an appropriate ordering to our souls as well as our loves.
Gossip, Backbiting, and Whispering
Am I being an empathetic listener, or am I enabling gossip? Am I only seeking counsel? Or am I trying to eavesdrop or putting others in the position to gossip? Am I listening to someone with the gift of discernment? Or is it self-righteous slander? Character assassination? Or creating division? Is it just venting? Just…
An Apology to Men
Over the past year, I’ve been reminded of some heart-breaking ways that our culture, even pockets in Christian culture, deem fit to treat men. I was reminded of my own contributions years ago when I went through my own man-hating stage. Yes, it may have come from some wounds, but it was far from the…
