The new year dawns. I’m awake early, a few quiet moments alone in a house still full of family. I’m remembering and reflecting. Looking back at a year of hints and discovery. Taking my first tentative steps into a year of unknowns. A couple of weeks ago, heading into the throes of Christmas, I’d come up with a word: FRUITFUL I took note, ruminated a bit, let it sit for a while in the back of my mind. As the festivities of the season ramped up, I remained aware, thinking this

The beloved fantasy author, J. R. R. Tolkien invented a word: Eucatastrophe. Even spell-check knows it, which is quite impressive. The word is a combination of the Greek prefix  eu — meaning good—and catastrophe, which is not exactly what you might imagine. Catastrophe  in a literary sense is like an epic plot twist. So—a good plot-twist. Or, in the words of Tolkien, “a sudden, joyous turn.”  I’d been borrowing Tolkien’s invented word for this month’s speaking engagements, th

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash God surprises are the best. Quick story… The past several weeks my church has been going through the Beatitudes, and it has been stirring something in me. I’ve found myself meditating often on Jesus’ words, and it has awakened the teacher in me. A couple of weeks ago I was awake in the middle of the night mentally writing my own little sermon of sorts. I asked God, “Who are you giving me this message for?” A few days later I received an em

The first time I prayed the psalm I was hiding in a bathroom stall in the basement of a Methodist church. Something was not right in my spirit. And maybe something was a bit off kilter in that church as well. What I remember most is tears dripping ugly off my nose as I silently uttered my poetic lament:  Oh God, you are my God,     earnestly I seek you; My soul thirsts for you,     my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land     where there is no water… For most of my adul

More than once recently I’ve heard people refer to my blog posts as “newsletters.” Which makes me both chuckle and cringe. Duly noted: I...

“Why is this the first time we’re doing this?” Kyle wondered out loud, sipping morning coffee by a lakeside fire. Nearly five years we’ve...

It was an ordinary moment in the middle of a regular weekday when I heard the Spirit’s whisper. Unexpected. Out of nowhere. No context....

Photo by Yannick Pulver on Unsplash I have a friend who uses this metaphorical expression: “I probably wrote my own novel about that...

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged....

I am a reluctant reader of Proverbs. Which is merely to say, I gravitate toward the Psalms, with all their poetry and literary patterns,...

Lately I’ve been swimming in the waters of the Holy Spirit—full immersion. In life and in story. In teaching and learning. Preparing...

Early spring photo of our house taken by "Lake Life" friends Steve & Sue Hage from their airplane! I remember a time, maybe twenty years...

It’s Easter Monday and I’m still pondering Jesus’ final words from the cross— “It is finished.”  Last week, on Good Friday, I received a...

Photo by John Price on Unsplash “Wake up. Wake up, Church. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up…” I was watching Gather25 . Twenty-four...

The rented condo where Kyle and I have been staying this month is in Huntington Beach, close to our son’s family. It’s also a short walk...

Our California grandson celebrated his first New Year on our Minnesota lake! I am imagining, just now, you and me, or maybe a few of us,...

Maisy and Nash may have outgrown their belief in Santa. As well as the Elves of Christmas Pajamas.  You know. The little fairyfolks who...

Something happened a few weeks ago that I haven’t stopped thinking about. Something rather unexpected, and well outside the box of my...

I woke up feeling stressed for my people, and as the morning has unfolded it has only gotten worse. I hoped to complete a blog post....

I woke this morning, on a Monday, still savoring Sunday, and I felt the Spirit’s prompting to write it down. So that’s what I’m doing....