“I decided to walk out to the edge of the sea and head north to look for seals, knowing that if I did that, and whether I saw seals or not, all kinds of other things would cross my path. I knew that, because they always do. “ – Jim Crumley, The Nature of Autumn,…
Category: Life
Progress
“Slow progress is still progress.” “Your direction is more important than your speed.” “Slow progress is better than no progress.” These are just a few of the quotes I’ve heard most recently that relate to keeping perspective when it comes to growth. I’m not going to rain on that parade; I’m just going to add…
Bleak and Barren
January might possibly be the bleakest month of all the year. It certainly is often a let-down after the chaos and busyness of December. As I referenced in an earlier post, “Secular Christmas, with its enthusiastic sparkles, dumps us into the cold gray of January. Christian joy is much weightier, more durable”.* It’s not just…
Sorest Need
“To comprehend a nectar / Requires sorest need”. Thus ends the first stanza of Emily Dickinson’s “first” poem, in quotes because it’s simply the one most often printed first in anthologies.* I recently came across such an anthology as I sorted through a box of books waiting for my attention after our move, and promptly…
Four Things I’ve Been Loving Lately
This book: The Weary World Rejoices, edited by Melissa Kruger and published by The Gospel Coalition. Yes, it’s for Advent, and I do realize that season is over until next winter, but I’m going to talk about it now because it’s never too early to start planning ahead. It brought a depth of meaning to…
Come and See
Come and see what God has done. That invitation, to witness the mighty works of the Lord, echoes down to us throughout history. We’re offered that invitation in every incident recorded in Scripture. Come and see. See how He made a people for Himself, see how He cares for His people. See how He preserved…
A Different Take on Joy
“Secular Christmas, with its enthusiastic sparkles, dumps us into the cold gray of January. Christian joy is much weightier, more durable”.* Whew. Fitting indeed is the Lord’s timing, governing just precisely which day and at which time on that day I would read that particular entry in the Advent book I chose – almost on…
Advent’s Longing
As we’ve turned the corner after Thanksgiving and are careening towards Christmas and the beginning of the new year, I wanted to take some time to think through the longing of Advent as specifically seen and expressed in “O Come O Come Emmanuel” (which is arguably the best traditional Christmas song that exists). In our…
The Heritage of Those Who Fear Your Name
There are certain passages of Scripture that never fail to bring to mind particular individuals. Psalm 94:19 always reminds me of an older woman who shared with me how precious that verse became to her after the tragic death of her granddaughter. When I read Psalm 40, I think of a teenager at church, who…
Another Round of the Holidays
It’s getting to be that time again, the one known to many not so much as “the most wonderful time of the year”, but rather “the most stressful time of the year”. The 5 weeks or so stretching from Thanksgiving through to the first of the new year can be some of the most challenging…