IN ORDINARY TIME BLOG
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“Speak to Us Smooth Things”
For 5 days, we kept our eyes to the sky and our ears tuned to the Weather Channel. We dusted off our hurricane vocabulary and liberally sprinkled our conversations with isobars and wind speeds, storm surges and a new addition — post-tropical cyclone. The forecast was dire: high winds, lashing rain, flooding and rip currents.…
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Christian Life, Discipleship, humility, sacrificial love, servanthood, serving God, Uncategorized, Writing
Saints in the Shadows
In this life, there are headliners and there are backup singers. The headliners get the fame and the spotlight and the melody. Then there are those who stand in the shadows, off to the side, adding harmony and rhythm and counterpoint to the song. Their names aren’t on the marquee; they don’t have groupies and…
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Simply Beautiful
I’m over at The Mudroom today talking about what it means to be Simply Beautiful. Enjoy! http://mudroomblog.com/simply-beautiful/
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A Threefold Cord
“Never visit anyone empty-handed.” This was one of my mother’s inviolable rules of etiquette. When you rang the doorbell, you’d better be packing — a nice babka from the corner bakery, a book or magazine, or flowers from your garden. I broke this rule recently. I didn’t have any choice. The friend I visited is…
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Christian Life, Discipleship, faith, forgiveness, God’s mercy, humility, prayer, Uncategorized, Writing
The Potter, the Clay and the Stone
The potter sits at his wheel with his ashen hands cupping a squat chunk of clay. It looks unremarkable, giving clues neither to its potential for beauty nor the obstruction hidden within. He plunges his fingers into the center of the spinning clod and the walls of a vessel begin to rise. As it…
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Lost and Found
When we last left our unlikely pilgrim, she was contemplating the nature of sacrifice in a cow pasture in Spain. Inspired by Romans 12:1, she set out to “present (her) body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” by walking the last 80 miles of El Camino de Compostela, an ancient pilgrimage…
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Uphill, Both Ways
A year ago, I hadn’t even heard of this little village. And now, I’m staring into the indifferent eyes of a cow, so exhausted (and perhaps a little delirious) that I’m wondering if I shouldn’t just sit down and stay here forever. I could learn how to make delicious cheese from my new friend’s milk,…
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Anniversary
Today is the anniversary of the first time I cried. I was probably hungry, or in need of a clean diaper. Perhaps it was the bright lights, the shock of being smacked by the doctor, or the odd sense that my body was no longer tethered, protected, safe. It surely wasn’t the last time.…
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“I totally forgot to pray for J. last night! I prayed for dogs and not for J.!!” Such was the chagrined email I received from the leader of our weekly Bible study. The night before, after our study time, we opened up the floor for prayer requests. We prayed for a niece’s surgery.…
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(Un)Welcome
Or, Why I Stopped Being Such a Good Hostess One Sunday I stood in the back of an empty sanctuary. I was the “substitute preacher” that day, and was taking a few moments to center myself before worship began. I closed my eyes and began to shake my head emphatically from side to…
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Christian Life, Church Calendar, Discipleship, Easter, faith, servanthood, serving God, Uncategorized, Writing
Resurrection Monday
On the morning after a lovely Easter dinner, I faced a kitchen full of dishes, pans, serving platters and glassware to put away. I put on some music and got to work. When I was done, I was delighted that the kitchen had been restored to order. I said with great triumph (to a cat…
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Christian Life, God’s mercy, Good Friday, Lent, sacrifice, sacrificial love, salvation, Savior, Uncategorized, Writing
To Die For
Have you ever watched someone you love when you think they’re not looking and think, “Yes, if it would mean your happiness, if it would save your life, I’d die for you.” Maybe you have believed so strongly in the righteousness of a cause that you were willing to risk your very life for it.…