I was 10 years old... too old for a babysitter (I thought) but too young to be left alone in the evening, (so my parents thought.) They went to dinner parties at least three times a week, leaving me with our senior border collie, Shep, who barked at nothing and emitted gross smells of which... Continue Reading →
God’s Marching Orders
Cheryl (pseudonym) and I glanced at the wall clock in the Sunday School room. Fifteen minutes to go until the parents would return and retrieve their charges. In toddler time, that can feel like fifteen hours. We had completed our story time, our snack, our singing and free play. The craft was done and the... Continue Reading →
Sheltering in Grace
When I was 17 I hitchhiked through Europe with my brother. It was the 1970s and, as strange as it sounds, my parents seemed OK with this. My brother's hair was well past his shoulders and I was doing my best to look like Peggy Lipton from the Mod Squad or Susan Day from the... Continue Reading →
Lessons from Kacie, the Cranky Shih Tzu
We call her Kacie-Facie. Or simply The Face. I mean, how could you not? Just look at her! Fifteen years ago, on a sunny day in early May, Alex and I drove to a Denny's parking lot, off the highway, midway between the Indiana breeder and our Chicago home. We had done our research. According... Continue Reading →
The Green Bible
In 1969 a suburban Chicago businessman named Kenneth Taylor devoted his daily train commute to paraphrasing the Bible into modern accessible text. It was called the Living Bible and my copy was green. I slept with this book, hugging it as one would a stuffed animal or squishy pillow. At 13, I was too old... Continue Reading →
God in a Bookstore
Mr. Thayer's lecture was veering from the Revolutionary War to incidentals from his childhood. The hands on the wall clock refused to move. I was being held captive in 5th grade history, the last period of the day. The only positive was the window. I scanned the parking lot for our station wagon. Today my... Continue Reading →
Got a Closet? The Spiritual Practices of People of Faith
I love asking people of faith about their practices. Cathy says she is reading through the whole Bible with the Moody Bible Commentary by her side. She also reads a daily devotional called Jesus Calling. Susie writes verses on index cards and places them on her car's dashboard and the bathroom mirror. She is memorizing... Continue Reading →
Precious
You are precious in my eyes. And honored. And I love you. Isaiah 43:4a When I first read this verse I did a double take. How is it I never heard it before? Surely this was a loose paraphrase of the ancient text. And surely God was referring to the nation of Israel, 700... Continue Reading →
Legacy Living
Ten round kindergarten faces stare at my mother, eyes saucer-big. She's waving her hands in the air lamenting with the bride's father that the wine has run out. Then she's Mary pleading to her son for a miracle - Jesus reluctant at first, but finally producing the best wine Cana can offer. Mom deftly drops... Continue Reading →
Bedspread Prayers
I was sneaking into the kitchen for a nighttime bowl of Cheerios when I noticed the door to my parents' bedroom was slightly ajar. That's when I caught sight of the two of them, my stately mother and proud father, their backs to me, kneeling by the bed - their faces prone on the daisy... Continue Reading →
Home: Lost and Found
For my 11th birthday my parents got me a suitcase. It was probably designer labeled. All I remember is it was large and red and foretold of trips to come. The following summer my suitcase and I spent 8 weeks at a summer camp in Maine. That first night the chirpy counselors gave us postcards... Continue Reading →
Encouragement Verses
My niece is sending the following verses to her son as he embarks on his Ranger training in rural Georgia. We may not be facing Ranger-like tests, but when we grow faint-hearted, weary, tired, may these promises bring us hope and encouragement. "Do you not know? Have you not heard that the Lord, the everlasting... Continue Reading →
Living Bigger
"I think I ruined my friend's retirement plan," the speaker joked. "My friend had been aggressively planning for the day when he could quit his job and do nothing but play golf. Now, I love golf. But how much golf can you actually play? I decided to challenge his plan. So, when you get to Heaven,... Continue Reading →
A Prayer Game Changer
In the midst of praying, a voice murmurs, "Really, now... you actually believe God cares about THIS? And really, now, has God truly forgiven you for THAT?" My prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. One would think I could squelch this voice - being a decades long follower of Jesus. Lately, however, I've discovered... Continue Reading →
Buying All the Chairs
In the movie, Phenomenon, George, played by John Travolta, is attracted to Lace (Keira Sedgwick) who makes rocking chairs out of branches and twigs and tries to sell them at the local store. The chairs are uncomfortable and don't sell. So George, unbeknownst to Lace, goes to the store once a week to buy a... Continue Reading →
