I stare out the window at hundreds of dead leaves on my neighbor’s sycamore, clinging, fluttering, spiraling down. Life is so much more messy and beautiful than if I were in charge. Take seasons, for example. If it were up to me, I would probably schedule the trees a little more precisely as to when they turn color and drop their leaves. They would fall all at once, stripping every branch clean and making for easy yard cleanup. It’s all about the to-do list, right? Not so much. God is not utilitarian; He is an artist. Creation is less God’s project to maintain and more His symphony Continue Reading
Increase Your Joy This Thanksgiving
Our children are some of the best gifts we will ever receive … but we often miss the joy that could be ours as parents. As I tried on clothes in the changing rooms of a department store recently, I couldn’t help but tune in to the conversation between a mother and little girl in a nearby stall. “Oh, come on. Stop doing that…I’m not going to dress you for the rest of your life, you know. Don’t do it that way. Oh, hurry up. I told you, stop that!” were some tidbits from Mom. Predictably, the little girl’s replies to her irate mother became more defensive and high-pitched every minute. “I’m Continue Reading
Why I Don’t Send Positive Thoughts
Have you seen the blurb about hurting people who need encouragement, and how we should create an “intention avalanche” and “send positive thoughts” their way? It’s absolutely true we all need encouragement -- but I’m pretty sure I’m not able to pick up thoughts others may “send” my way. (I’m not good at mind-reading.) Nor do I wish to depend on the power of human intentions, however good they may be. Why? Using the “power of intention” and “positive thoughts” as a remedy for difficulty or despair means placing our faith in people instead of in God. It’s contrary to what we see Continue Reading
How to Have a Meaningful Thanksgiving
Ah, the aroma of roast turkey wafting from the kitchen, the gathering of family to feast together … Thanksgiving, the time when hopefully we give thanks for all the good gifts we have received. Sometimes people talk about being thankful, but without any mention of God. They may feel a vague sense of gratefulness, a generic gratitude for the good things in their life… but to whom? To a force? To circumstance? To the man on the moon? It doesn’t really make sense to be thankful if there is no object for your thankfulness. Imagine you purchase a nice gift to give me on my birthday and you Continue Reading