When we follow the Holy Spirit, we are always looking for the creative third space.  I heard a woman say this on podcast a while back, and she was speaking my language. She spoke of current context, polarizing issues, picking a side, either/or. But we, who follow the Spirit—we live in a different space altogether.  If you know me at all, it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear me say, I do not have political allegiance. No actually—I don’t. I might in fact be the least political p

The first Sunday of the new year I greeted the morning with equal parts relief and sadness. My house was quiet. It was also clean. The day before I’d opted out of a social obligation on the grounds of a cold, which was true enough. I was exhausted. After ten solid days of holiday events and bunks overflowing with family, I was quite desperate for time alone. Time to put my house in order. Not a “boxing day” in the tradition sense. (I like to savor the beauty of Christmas on t

My father-in-law and I had a lot in common. Both firstborn. Introverts. Students of the Bible. Lovers of nature. Both of us extremely conscientious, to a fault. I could relate to many of Erle’s passions, as well as his struggles. I understood the weight of pressure he felt. Pressure to please and achieve, to perfect and perform.  The day Erle died I witnessed an exchange between my husband and his brother that was especially profound. Kyle said, “This is what I imagine happen

Today's post was written by my husband, Kyle, in memory of his dad. Erle K. Anderson passed away on Friday, December 5, 2025, at age 88. Alzheimer's disease is a great robber of memories. Not only the memory of the one suffering, but sadly, our own memories of the man who was. I’d like to take a few minutes to help us all remember who my dad was and how he influenced us. D ad often referred to himself in the 3 rd person as E. Kermit. I think this was his way of sort of step

January 2023 We celebrate Advent as a way of acting out a story of waiting, allowing ourselves to imagine, over and over, the Christmas narrative, found within the pages of Scripture. And even as we pretend-wait for the baby Messiah—we find ourselves longing also for His someday return.  Waiting has taken on a different tenor for our family this year. We’re waiting for my husband’s father—our beloved Pop—to pass from this earthly existence into his eternal home. Kyle’s dad ha

The holidays officially kick off next week, and like many, I teeter on the fulcrum of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Raised old-school enough to think it boarder-line sacrilegious to even consider replacing pumpkins with nativity before it’s time. And yet. There are practical considerations.  For one, I’m not really hosting the turkey this year. Aside from a Thursday evening dinner for four, preordered from—should I even admit this?—a favorite local restaurant; all other feasts

There’s more to the story. More for a future blog post… The thing is, I never dreamt I’d be telling “the rest of the story” in my very...

Just over a month ago my mom was to have a heart procedure to replace her tricuspid valve. She expected an overnight stay in the...

Some of you are aware of what’s been going on with my mom. Many have been asking, and praying. So the purpose of this post is partly...

I am a firstborn of five. I have five adult sons. My firstborn son has four children. And there’s a good chance the next gen is just...

Photo by Manoj Balotia on Unsplash I went out in the kayak a little while ago, last hour of sunlight, perfectly still evening water....

This week I stumbled upon this throwback Easter story, and I thought I’d re-post it. This would have been written close to a decade ago,...

GO MOMMY!! (And go T-Wolves, too!) IT’S A BREEN SWEEP!! A TWODOUBLER!! TOTAL MADNESS!! March Madness, that is. And this year was epic....

Celebrating the Dedication of our newest granddaughter, Lola Leigh “Author and professor Bobby Clinton argues that both Scripture and...

“What’s it like having daughters-in-law?” This question came up during lunch, sitting in the sun in Southern California. (I alluded to...

I absolutely love my neighbors. Here at Green Lake, where I am surrounded by trees and water, where evenings bring a panoramic glory of...

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit...

Quoia Nils I’ve been enjoying plenty of time for writing, here in southern California. Mornings, especially. Most days I spend a few...

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a...

What a sweet word God gave me at the start of 2024. The start of our thirty-fifth year of marriage. A year of many blessings, but...