Thinking about faith, and what it is, and why it matters. The world as we perceive would not exist if not for faith. We cannot live in community without faith. I’m not sure we can live at all without it. We have to have faith in certain basic things, don’t we? I pondered a bit; … [Read more…]
There is a secret garden far away with clear water flowing over smooth stones into a small pond. Today I saw a moment of video from the garden, because the gardener shared it online. I’d seen still images of the place before, but I hadn’t listened to it. Today I heard water singing and dancing … [Read more…]
“Why?” is a perfectly reasonable question. Fortunately, I ask it often, so when one of my students inevitably wonders, I generally have a good answer ready. Any subject can inspire such a query, but solving for the unknown (“x”) is almost guaranteed to have the effect eventually. Today my beginning algebra student asks, “What do … [Read more…]
“I’ve been to a lot of airports. But I haven’t flown much.” I wrote that nearly four years ago. It’s about to be published in my book, From Fortress to Freedom, in a chapter called “Staying Behind.” I re-read it today while proofreading the manuscript for the book. In the past two days, I’ve dropped … [Read more…]
In January 2011, God used a simple compliment to change my life. I had long struggled to be good in the eyes of God and man. In my immature, perfectionist way, I had developed strict rules and high standards designed to protect me from harm. I effectively built a fortress around myself, a safe but … [Read more…]
On this, the morning my second son left for his senior year of college, I am three days past his Grandma Jane’s funeral. We were all together, celebrating the joy of a life well-lived. Chins up, smiling, hugging, comforting. Being comforted, too, by our memories and her friends. On this morning, saying farewell again, when … [Read more…]
It sounds obvious, and therefore simple, so it should be easy to implement. I don’t have to defend my character. God can take care of that. So I just stop, right? Or even better, I don’t start. I don’t have to make someone realize what a great person I am. God can take care of … [Read more…]
Exhale? But what if there’s no air left to inhale? Isn’t it better to hold my breath, concentrate on staying alive without breathing? There’s too much in the air, too much discouragement, too much pain, too much disappointment, too much negativism. It’s so polluted, I’d rather not breathe. I guess it doesn’t make sense, though, … [Read more…]
Maybe because I’m currently reading Moby Dick, I want to call this one a sailor moon. The air is crisp tonight, the wind fresh and sharp. I can imagine this moon sailing over a vast dark ocean, presiding over the battle between the seasons. Yesterday the heat seemed to be winning, but today was grey … [Read more…]
Last Friday’s prompt for Five Minute Friday was “grateful.” I was surprised by how difficult it was for me to write on that. Finally, today, on Wednesday, I was able to find words to respond to the prompt. Five minutes; here goes: Grateful? Gracious, I hadn’t thought of it recently. Grace – we say thank … [Read more…]