I’m rotating four people through my prayers right now, for one not serious but miserable infection, one very serious infection, one emergency surgery, and one planned outpatient surgery. So I thought I would try to dissect my prayers for these people, in case you need some ideas for how to pray for yourself or for your own folks who have… Read More
For All The Sickies at Christmastime
‘Tis the week before Christmas, and I am all settled in at urgent care for a long wait, because a cough has nestled deep in my chest. Momma in her kerchief. (At least that’s where her bright, shiny nose is, but I’m not shooting for a mashup of Christmas stories.) The nurse finally calls me back and tells me I’m… Read More
Hope for the Great Crowd of Sick People
We had been in the ER since 3:00 a.m. The nurse had called, from my brother-in-law’s cell phone, to tell us he had been in a head-on collision (we found out later the other drive had been drunk.) We got dressed in a daze and raced to the hospital. Luke was relatively okay, except for a face full of minor… Read More
As Bad as Everything Is, Imagine this Hope
I fell apart over a gift bag yesterday. But let me back up… First there was the switchback drive up Big Mountain Road, looking out over Whitefish, Montana, which apparently is listed as one of the most beautiful cities in which to enjoy fall colors. Then I arrived at a mansion with the car load of writers I had picked… Read More
When the Perfectionist Tries To Know God
For a few years now, I’ve been teaching a class at church called PLACE, which helps people discover how God has shaped them to be of service in the body of Christ. Last night we started a new, four-week class, and I taught the first session on personality. While everyone took a personality inventory I flipped through the workbook, which… Read More
Do You Believe God Can Do Anything?
I have a guest writer today. Erin is a good friend of mine and is soon to be a cousin-in-law to my daughter. God has been completely transforming Erin over the last few years, and it has been thrilling to watch. She recently told me a story that touched me so much I asked her if she would come on… Read More
That Uncontrollable Emotion
Someone may have to shampoo my hair for me today, because I spent a long time bent over in the garden yesterday, weeding rows of potatoes and spinach. My arms and shoulders are sore. Gardening makes Tim Keller’s words, in Counterfeit Gods, more meaningful to me today: When you “pull your emotions up by the roots,” as it were, you will… Read More
You’re Not the Only Messy One
I am a hub. As a pastor’s wife, I count it my highest honor to receive women’s stories. I seem to be a safe landing place for all the whispered secrets of a woman’s life. Recently I met with a woman and tucked another rose in the bouquet of stories filling my heart. This is what I need you to know,… Read More