Mind and heart

I’ve been reflecting lately on my conversion experience as a child. I’m not so sure that what I was converted to is superior to what I was converted from. Sometimes it seems like I’ve spent most of my life trying to get back to my pre-conversion faith.

As far back as I can remember, I loved [...]

Seeds

We’re on our second try planting beans in the garden. It’s so nice that the girls are old enough to want to help, and to be able to! My eldest did all the hoeing and planting on this round. She got them all planted, then our neighbor came over and mentioned that his friend has [...]

Remembering

Yesterday, the girls and I went to a park with our bikes and welcomed the spring. It looks like Younger Daughter will be ready to say goodbye to the training wheels this year. She’s looking strong and feeling more bold. Last year, she could go without them, but was only willing to try for a [...]

Easter

Yesterday, I got out our Easter countdown basket and spread out the contents. Since Older Daughter was in kindergarten four years ago, I’ve put an item or two in an Easter basket every night of this week, and the following morning we read the corresponding Bible story and talk about its significance. Every year we [...]

Finishing Revelation

…they couldn’t all want Archetypes coming down on them, not if they were like most of the religious people he had met. They also probably liked their religion taken mild — a pious hope, a devout ejaculation, a general sympathetic sense of a kindly universe — but nothing upsetting or bewildering, no agony, no darkness, [...]

Two jars

I missed the Poetry Friday round-up yesterday. Fridays are so busy for us that I haven’t been able to participate much this year. But my friend Ruth has an interesting post on tears in the “new normal” since the earthquake in Haiti.

My first thought was of this Jill Briscoe poem, which I’m familiar with through [...]

A prayer

Father of compassion and God of all comfort,

Comfort those in pain –

Comfort those who suffer injury and those who suffer loss

You who have known sorrow and grief.

When you walked this earth and saw injury, you had compassion

making the lame to walk and the blind to see.

You did not blame the victim for the affliction,

or condemn [...]

Dialogue

I read the story of Lazarus this morning, and this poem came to mind. We think of martyrs as those who die for their faith. The early centuries of Christianity include so many examples of believers withstanding this ultimate test. In Lazarus’ case, Lewis invites us to think of a different kind of courage, and [...]

The fullness of time

4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5, ESV)

Our Jesse tree reflects this phrase “the fullness of time,” both in its heavy-laden boughs, [...]

Healing and hiding

This morning, I read a story that’s always intrigued me: the woman with the hemorrhage who came through the pressing crowds and touched Jesus’ robes. I’m using a harmony of the gospels these days, but the account in Mark 5 serves for a reference.

What I noticed today was the way that Jesus asked who had [...]