Reading the gospels, we encounter a Jesus who loved questions. It was a consistent approach in His conversations, whether with the sick, the religious elite, or his best friends. Sometimes he’d even answer questions with another question! If Jesus employed them, surely questions can be a helpful spiritual tool to get to the heart of [...]
Hearing God’s voice is a popular topic of sermons, books, conversations, prayers and journal pages. Each person has their own journey when it comes to hearing God, based in theology and mostly experience. In my experience, this is a complex issue which the Sunday-School-answers don’t address deeply. Here are a series of questions that may [...]
One century ago this week, the 19th amendment was ratified in Nashville, Tennessee, securing American women the right to vote. Do you know the story? It's time to celebrate with a little history! The following is a brief summary that barely scratches the surface of this amazing chapter in American and Tennessee history. On a [...]
Last night, I attended a community discussion on racial issues prompted by the murder of George Floyd and last weekend’s demonstrations. The crowd was large in size and in whiteness. We had the privilege of listening to a few black neighbors talk courageously about how they feel right now, and what it’s like to be [...]
Jay gave me this print for Christmas, and just yesterday I framed it. It’s the history of the routes of the Mississippi River along the banks of Tennessee and Mississippi. You see, before the Corps of Engineers set an unchanging path for the mighty river, it used to have its way with the silty bottomland. [...]
“Waiting until this is over and we can get back to normal.” I’ve been using this kind of language a lot these days - how about you? It’s slowly occurring to me that we might not get back to “normal” by a certain “date.” That after a while, once the storm has passed, we will [...]
It's hard to describe exactly what's going on these days. Have you been able to put into words the way the shelter-in-place is affecting you? All these terrible news reports happening not on the other side of the world, but in the city where your sister lives, in your own state, possibly in your own [...]
In times of difficulty and uncertainty, when circumstances are anywhere from wobbly to downright threatening, I've found God's peace by doing one of two things... Going higher, or going lower. Our circumstances are real, yes, but in our spirits we can access another elevation that helps carry us through the current circumstance. Picture a storm [...]
What's the meaning of your name? Do you resonate with that meaning? The name Rachel means "little lamb." A recent epiphany changed the way I relate to this Biblical name, and the way I see myself.
They talk about “in the trenches” of motherhood… well, ten years ago I was dug in deep. My boys were ages two and three. Full-time mothering had pushed me to the end of myself, body, soul and spirit. Jake, my second-born, had a way of putting me over the edge Every. Single. Day. Those years [...]
