As we were learning about the Vikings this week, I was struck anew by just how big our God is. In our history lessons, we often run into stories of people groups who believe in multiple gods and the Vikings were among these multi-deistic cultures. Each god that these groups create has a special… Continue reading Even If
Today is World Kindness Day. While it does seem as though there is a day of celebration declared for everything, how can one argue with the idea of a day dedicated to kindness? We did not do anything specific to commemorate the day, but it did make me think about a special kindness that I… Continue reading How to Change the World
It’s just that it was so unexpected. I mean, I know to watch out for those little black critters disrupting my picnic lunch, but they don’t normally make their appearance in the middle of a company meeting. The building appeared clean and well-maintained leaving no indication that bugs may be lurking. It started with… Continue reading The Ants Went Marching…
Many of my favorite moments are spent immersed in nature. Our parsonage property is surrounded on three sides by woods and I have loved getting to know this piece of creation through the seasons. I find myself learning and frequently making new discoveries in our little patch of nature. One plant I have become familiar… Continue reading Spring Into Life
I have been walking through Holy Week with scars on the palms of my hands this year. It’s nothing serious – just an incident involving a morning run and a crack in the sidewalk and hands scraped along concrete. It has not been pretty, but there is something meaningful about walking through Holy week with… Continue reading Scarred Hands
Today was a day of breaking things in our house – some days are just like that around here. First, a dish hit our sink the wrong way during washing. Then, a carton of eggs pummeled to the floor while someone was making cookies. It feels significant that things would break on Ash Wednesday and… Continue reading Brokenness
During an afternoon walk this week, I found the trees to be absolutely breathtaking. The top branches were coated in ice and as the sun shone through, it appeared as though diamonds or crystals were sparkling on each limb. I instinctively grabbed my camera, but even as I did, I knew there was no way… Continue reading A Poor Reflection
We had a science project fail this week and it reminded me of one year in middle school when my experiment failed right before the school science fair. I scrambled to do a new project at the last minute and while I managed to put together a decent substitute, it was definitely not my best… Continue reading How to Be a Failure
Our recent celebration of Toby’s 12th birthday caused me to reflect on his earliest days. On the morning Toby was born, I looked out the window to find large excavation equipment in our backyard. We lived right behind the church where Ian was pastoring, and that was the day they broke ground on a new… Continue reading He Knows the Plans…
I followed Ian into the church yesterday to look at some items for a few upcoming projects. The piano came into view as soon as I walked into the building. Since I find the temptation of an open hymn book on a piano impossible to resist, I sat down and played through a hymn. As… Continue reading Some Things Never Change
Quiet Meanderings 