I padded quietly through the house, trying to avoid running into invisible chairs or tripping over the cat. She has a talent for walking literally under my feet, moving exactly where I was going to next step. The coffee maker, on a timer, had started 15 minutes earlier and was sputtering through the last few…
Category: Miscellaneous
Rest
Rest. We as a culture can barely define it. We’ve mostly prioritized the opposite of rest, glorifying the overworked, overscheduled, overcommitted, hyper-busy to the point where anyone with down time is caricatured as a lazy, irresponsible slacker who has likely forgotten a significant number of responsibilities. Hyperbole? Hopefully, but I fear it’s all too accurate…
A Plot Reserved for Weeds
“He who wants to keep his garden tidy does not reserve a plot for weeds.” – Dag Hammarskjold (as quoted by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). I read that quote at some point in the last couple days, and it came to mind again as I was pulling weeds from…
A Plea for Compassion
I rarely touch anything that could be construed as a controversial topic, political debate, or current event in general, not just here, but in all my interactions. Most of the arguments I’ve come across are just that – arguments, especially on the internet. There’s no real effort to convince or persuade, and most are not…
Thoughts Provoked By Gaudy Night
I originally started this several months ago. The themes have lingered still, and it’s been an encouragement to me, actually, to revisit, review, and refine my more immediate response. I recently binged a bit on Dorothy Sayers’ Gaudy Night, at least as much as I’m able to this time of year, and although I’ve finished…
Thoughts From the Forest
When the burdens of heart are weighty, When conflict and questions surround And the gloom of soul will not be banished By dawn of day or light of Word And all around seems dark, Then beckons the sunlight: “Come.” And so I come, Leaving behind the din of city, The clamor of neighbor and passersby,…
Perspective
This week’s thoughts are brought to you courtesy once again of our nightly tradition of hymns at bedtime. This time, my attention was caught by the second verse of Annie S. Hawks’ “I Need Thee Every Hour”: I need Thee every hour, Stay Thou nearby; Temptations lose their pow’r When Thou art nigh. I need…
Dangerous Prayer
New City Catechism, question #40: “What should we pray?” Answer: “The whole Word of God directs and inspires us in what we should pray, including the prayer Jesus Himself taught us.” Scripture abounds with exhortations to pray, and examples for us to follow. We see there a variety of types of prayer: prayers that lament…
Spring
Spring. It’s actually not my favorite season; that for sure is summer. Spring is so inconsistent weatherwise, and most of the warm days are also rainy. At least here in NEO, the temperature swings are crazy, and there’s a decent chance of snow really up until mid-April. (Most years, anyway; this winter has been so…
In His Image: Patience – Part 3
This is part three of three covering a short talk on the topic of how we should reflect the patience of the Lord. Part one can be found here, and part two here. When are we most tempted to be impatient, particularly with God? It seems to often be during times of perceived injustice, when…