Some scriptures just seem to overpromise. Like the one about how believers can run and not grow weary, how we can soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31). I can’t remember ever running (or believing for something long-term) without getting super exhausted. And heart failure makes it nearly … [Read more...] about In the Shadow of a Stump
fatigue
Finding MidRace Joy in a Marathon Pandemic
It was the perfect sunny day in April to watch the Boston Marathon. I left our Airbnb early, figured out the subway stop, and waited my turn to be at the front of the barricade lining Boylston Street, several blocks from Copley Square where it was only about 10 people deep. I didn’t have a chance … [Read more...] about Finding MidRace Joy in a Marathon Pandemic
Locust Years
Locusts don’t invade wheat farms in southcentral Kansas. At least they didn’t when I was growing up there. But plenty of other pests did. And grasshoppers sure could make a mess of a family garden overnight. Now as a resident of wooded northwest Arkansas, I’ve learned a placid deer family can … [Read more...] about Locust Years
To Manage a Mountain
Warm, barefoot summers in Kansas I avoided them at all cost. Those feisty red ants had hills stationed throughout the farmstead. If a kid wasn’t looking where she was going, she got a painful reminder that she was infringing on their territory. Still, I spent hours observing those little guys at … [Read more...] about To Manage a Mountain
Tweaking Tradition, Part 2
Christmas is thundering closer. But something just doesn’t feel right. We just spent five days traveling to the Cleveland Clinic for my heart failure evaluation. Not a journey I wanted to make the week before Christmas. But this is where God has us now, and it’s been a mixed bag with lots of … [Read more...] about Tweaking Tradition, Part 2
Tweaking Tradition, Part 1
Tradition is not a neutral word. Like college football, or Jesus, or anything political, it evokes a strong emotion, reflecting how traditions have played out in our lives. I, too, have had a love-hate relationship with traditions over the past few years. The following article was first … [Read more...] about Tweaking Tradition, Part 1