Psalm 119 praise
♪ “God is omnipotent. All-powerful, mighty and strong. Unstoppable all the day long.” I listened on repeat during the 20-minute drive, the truth forming a firm foundation for me to place my disordered thoughts. The day was hard, but God’s competent control and care over all things was firmly secure.
Battling weeds of discouragement
♪My attitude can easily fixate on discouragement. Grumbling about the never-ending futility of capturing weeds and losing sight of the higher purpose. Not so with Caleb.
Prepositions in faith
♪Do you remember learning about “above,” “beyond,” “in,” “of,” and the other approximately 150 prepositions that belong in the English language?
Have you ever heard of Horatius Bonar?
♪Have you ever heard of Horatius Bonar? He was a pastor in the early 1800s who wrote 600 hymns and poems. I tried to find a relatable comparison in my life. I figure that in 13 years of marriage, I’ve probably written close to 600 grocery lists.
Road trip naps
♪I’ve slept through some of the best scenery in North America. Or, at least, that’s what my husband says. We’ve traveled along Oregon’s coastline, through the Rocky Mountains, in the Sonoran Desert, and along the Mississippi River.
From pantry darkness to marvelous light
♪ Either my pantry is shrinking or my kids are growing. I’m not referring to their caloric intake (though that does involve a pantry shrinkage of a different sort). I’m talking about the tiny pantry space itself, which multi-tasks as our official glow-in-the-dark testing station.
Tenacious faith in grief and sorrow
The bathroom floor seemed an appropriate place for a meltdown. My sympathetic friend waited for me to gather my thoughts. Though separated by a province, we were connected by phone and heart.
Half-finished projects
♪ I was thinking about Adam and Eve while I pushed my wheelbarrow full of dirt and weeds to my discard pile. What was tending the garden like for them?
Taking the slow road
♪ The snow had slowly melted, the sun shone, and the yesteryear’s leaves were brown and crispy, ready to be dislodged from the soon-to-be green lawn. We incentivized the children and sent them off as small conquerors of leafy kingdoms. The first day went well.
The path to joy leads us through adversity
♪ AT THE BEGINNING of this year, I read that DaySpring, the greeting card company, had a Word of the Year Quiz on their website. By selecting a few personal descriptors and Bible verses that resonated with me, I could find a pre-baked, pithy word to construct my life around for the next 365 days (366 with the leap year).
Midwinter Meditations on Scripture’s Sweet Promises
Winter’s first semester was warm, erring on the side of balmy. Albertans tentatively accepted the lingering fall weather, painfully aware they’d been fooled before by the sudden arrival of a tsunamic dump of snow or a frigid pop quiz.
The rules of the game
“16 million,” my son places his rent card on the discard pile. Grandpa’s brow furrows. “How did you get that?” My son points to his colorful wild cards.
The zeal of the Lord
When Phineas witnessed an Israelite blatantly transgressing God’s law for holiness, he acted with righteous passion. God said, “He was as zealous for my honor among [the Israelites] as I am” (Numbers 25:11). And God promised, “He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God” (v. 13).
A Bird’s View
Confession: I’m suspicious of most rodents and fowl. I know that my bird-watching friends will be exasperated that I lumped the predator with the prey. I’m not an ornithologist (that’s someone who studies birds … I looked it up), but I do find both species rather erratic. They silently stare at you, then start darting or fluttering at an alarming, instinctual rate.
Our serving Saviour
I’ve known Philippians 2 since I was a tiny human. Familiar and quotable, Christ “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death” and was triumphantly exalted “to the highest place” (vv. 8–9).
A coin collection and ‘divine love’
My son recently started a coin collection. My husband, Zach, who has collected coins since he was a little boy spent time explaining to Creedence how to grade his coins. They flipped through a coin reference book. “That one is almost enough to buy a house!” I exclaimed, hearing the value of a tiny piece of metal.
The Strand on God’s timeline
I called it The Strand. And we were not friends. The Strand arrived unannounced on the top of my head, shiny and unwelcome among the darker occupants. I was unamused.
Piano lessons
Recently, I decided that my two children were ready to learn piano. I sat at the piano with my children beside me. Oh, the painful slowness! I imagine this is how I seem as I struggle with my unbelief.
It started with the zucchinis
I seasonally forget how much time a garden harvest demands from me every summer. Preserving vegetables, making jam, searching for ways to use zucchini. My garden yields enjoyment, but confiscates time.
Prayer is beyond anti-spam legislation
Before I hit delete on an email (which surprisingly even I do on occasion), I first look for the unsubscribe link. As I’ve considered my predicament, I’ve thought about how prayer is beyond legislation.