Someone was kind enough to send me this poem after hearing the teaching from Wednesday at Willow’s Midweek. The imagery captures space so well, so I wanted to share it here. Fire What makes a fire burn is space between the logs, a breathing space. Too much of a good thing, too many logs … Continue reading
Speaking at Willow Midweek – Chasing Wisdom
Hi there! Just popping in with an update! Last night I had the privilege of teaching at Willow’s Midweek service–how fun is that?! We’re in a series called Chasing Wisdom, studying Proverbs, and I looked at the character Woman Wisdom, especially in Proverbs 8. All the messages from the series, including mine, are uploaded here if you’d … Continue reading
The Life Giving Practice of Family Sabbath, and 4 Ways We Make it Work
A little over a year ago, we recommitted ourselves to practicing Sabbath–a day with nowhere we have to go and nothing we have to do, where we remember that we are not God and we are not defined by our work. I am someone who needs this reminder so badly. At dinner a few months … Continue reading
Time with The Practice
I was so grateful to spend last Sunday night with the Practice Tribe. This community has been a gift to us and it was such a pleasure to offer the message on our 4th beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” You can here the talk and … Continue reading
Instead of “Application”, Respond
I’ve been writing a bit about some of the shifts we’ve made in recent years in our children’s ministry’s curriculum, such as dropping “Application Oriented”. What we’re doing instead has been so much richer, and I wanted to talk about that today: Insofar as Christian faith is not an ‘it’ to be lived out, but rather a … Continue reading
Taking Stock
Ages ago I loved Becca’s post over at While You Were Napping, and I’ve kept the template ever since. This was surprisingly hard to fill in, I found, which was a clue that I probably need to do it more often, just for myself. Making: Plans for a date with Curtis. We are celebrating our birthdays … Continue reading
On Oranges and Impatience–Or, why it’s time to stop teaching kids to ‘apply’ the Bible
I began serving in my church’s children’s ministry when I was 16. I was a 2nd grade girls small group leader, as well as a Large Group teacher. My first lesson I ever taught was about patience, and I ate an orange without peeling it as an example of how impatience can spoil something good. … Continue reading
Hi, Hawaii!
I can’t believe what a joy it was to spend last week with the folks at Hawaiian Islands Ministries conference. I can’t believe what a joy it was to sleep in a hotel, eat meals, exercise ALL ALONE. Praise hands emoji. If you are visiting the blog because you were at one of my breakouts, welcome! … Continue reading
For My Mom, In Her Retirement
A month ago, my mom retired from her role as Dean of Continuing Education at a community college in southern California. On Friday she arrived in Chicagoland, and Riley is over the moon. (So am I.) Each of my parent’s retirements have made me reflect on my own life and career, and before it slips away, I want … Continue reading
How Toddlers and Real Simple Magazine are Helping Me Reflect on Charleston
Last Monday, I took my son to the library. They have a large playspace there and while he was at the top of the tunnel slide a slightly older boy clobbered him. The boy climbed right over top of Riley’s head in an effort to get into the slide. When I saw what happened and went … Continue reading
