I’m a Michigan girl through and through. All of my 51 years except for one have been lived through the cycle of four distinct seasons. I was born loving the feel of the sun on my skin. Summer in Michigan is amazing. Just about anywhere in Pure Michigan is within driving distance of a lake,…
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. (Ps. 77:11 NIV) At the end of each year, I spend a few mornings thinking through what has been and what could be. It is a time of reflection and projection. With pen in hand, I list the…
In her book Evidence Not Seen, Darlene Deibler Rose describes something incredible that happened when she was a prisoner at the Japanese Kempeitai prison in New Guinea during World War II. After weeks of horrific living conditions, interrogation, and living in constant fear of execution, Darlene witnessed a fellow female prisoner receive a bunch of…
In early January 2007, my study group was discussing what it meant to be radically available to God. The idea was that you have to give up everything for God, that you have to listen to what He is calling you to do. Somebody asked me what I thought about it. “I’m going to be…
As autumn arrives, I reflect on the past year and how beauty has saved me. What comes to mind first is not the church (though I am grateful for her fellowship and sacraments), but the accidental garden in our front yard. The goodness of God is cloaked in mystery, which became apparent in the unexpected…
I used to think only some people were creative. I was thinking in a binary, like the stereotype that boys are good at math and girls are good at English. This binary said that creative people are unorganized dreamers, while practical people get things done. But like all binaries, this one left no room for…