Words: On Fear, Contentment and Life
I've yet to meet anyone who is totally confident in their abilities as a "creative". Whether it's painting, making music, designing living spaces, creating a great meal or writing, every creative individual I know faces a moment of fear (perhaps many of them) when they think that maybe they don't have what it takes. I've offered a guest post...
Exercising My Creativity with a Bullet Journal (and Getting Organized in the Process)
When a girl with a lifelong passion for pen and paper collides with a fun and practical way to use said pen and paper, a new hobby is born. A week into it, and I can see that keeping a Bullet Journal (BuJo to the growing number of enthusiasts) will become more than a hobby. If I use it right, it could be a major tool in my quest to live more...
What If Christians Got It Right When They Got It Wrong?
Nothing's as it should be in my world today. It's raining when it should be snowing. The house is quiet and the day is dark; there should be laughter and light. It's almost Christmas, after all! Everything's wrong. Yet, somehow it's right. The darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere comes days before Christians (and even those who...
When What You Need is a Facelift
I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror as I passed by recently and I did a double-take. Who is that woman, the one with the glum expression, the drooping face, the sad eyes? Taking stock of the image most people see when I'm not "on", when I'm lost in myself, I was struck by how much of my inner condition is reflected in the expression...
Giving Thanks for Family Stories
There's still turkey in the fridge, but Thanksgiving has officially given way to Christmas. I've done some cyber-shopping and boxes of ornaments and lights will be opened so the halls can be decked some time this week. But until then, I'm lingering over memories of Thanksgiving. For as long as I can remember, we've piled our turkey, sweet...
New Neighbors and a Change in the Landscape
When I stand on my front porch, I can't see a single house. Trees, soybeans and corn stubble populate the landscape. I like it that way. But around the curve to the north, there's lots of activity. I have new neighbors. A small dairy farm up the road has been sold to an Amish family. Earlier in the week, with a light drizzle wetting my car...
What’s Brewing? On Hipsters, Conservatives and the Power of Coffee
Coffee's just coffee -- right? Maybe. I spent the weekend in Nashville, Tennessee recently, visiting three of our four sons. Yes, all three left Indiana to live in that great little city to the south and I love going there. Nashville has a unique flavor that has very little to do with country music. There's just this wonderful creative vibe...
A Product of the Company We Keep
Waves tumble across the surface of Lake Michigan, creating a constant thrum that provides background music for an afternoon of writing. It’s taken me a few days to derive comfort from this intrusive sound in what is an otherwise a peaceful setting. Water striking a sandy beach isn’t a common sight in my world of soybean fields and slow-moving...
When We Build Fences :: 31 Days of Selah
Who doesn't regret something in their lives? You can't be in this world, have any sort of history, and not have regret. Over choices you made. Or didn't make. Over people you hurt. Or didn't love enough. Over misunderstandings, missteps, mistakes. It's tempting to hang onto the regret, to coddle the remorse we feel, to believe that living with...
In the Matrix of Doubt and Fear :: 31 Days of Selah
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15 God speaks to me through many avenues -- nature, music, the written word, people's lives. Is it the same for you? I read scripture and pray and listen for God's voice, but often it isn't...
