What is your place of abiding?
“Jesus came for a far more radically transforming purpose than to serve as a role model. Jesus came to invite us into a living relationship with him, to abide, live and move in his spirit, as the branch abides in the living vine. Just as the bird does not imitate the air or the fish […]
The Pygmalion Effect: Believing in them can help them succeed
It’s not just myth. Expecting them to succeed can increase the chances they will. It’s called the Pygmalion effect and it’s real. Here’s how it played out for me. *** “Wish me luck! I’m headed out to play nine,” I call to Penny, the assistant golf pro, as I turn toward the door. The day […]
Coming Out of My Own Closet
Two hours down and I have only gotten through half the stuff in my closet. At the urging and with the help of my youngest daughter who conveyed handfuls of items to try on, each piece of clothing received a yea, a nay or a “second chance.” The pile of “no’s” grew precipitously, demanding a second bin even […]
My Creative Process
Here goes: Begin with “You are loved, whether you produce anything today or not.” Your offering is already acceptable. You have brought yourself to this day. Surround yourself with the things you enjoy, people you love and the things you love to do. Begin. If it flows, continue. If not, set it aside and begin again. […]
When Chemistry became Biology
What are we made of? the stuff of starsthe elements of the periodic tableconcocted of chemicals that explode,ions that interact,molecules that relate. We are the stuff of life.No more, no lessand yet. Yet,we think, and moveand have our being. Somehow we animated,went from sketch to living color.Our chemistry became biology,we moved from dead in our […]
If we let them
When they’re young, children need to learn how. How to tie a shoe. How to make their letters. How to ride the bus. How to strike the ball. How to throw the pass. How to swing the bat. How to greet a friend. How to get themselves to sleep. How to decline politely. These, they […]
walk the walk and let ’em talk
After three long days of sitting in scientific meetings telling me Americans don’t get enough exercise, I skip out the front door of the convention center and into a city I don’t know and turn right. Weaving my way around pedestrians, past store fronts, around tree stumps, over uneven cobblestones, I swing wide to navigate past a woman […]
God Bless America: The verse we have forgotten
Did you know that God Bless America doesn’t start with the words God Bless America? There is a verse preceding the chorus we know as the song. It is a preamble, if you will, or a statement of intention about the words to be sung. This is how God Bless America really begins: “While the storm […]
There’s an Invisible Man Under My Sticky Notes!
Is there an invisible man in your life? Hiding under your bed Behind your curtains In the shower Under the covers Behind the wheel of your car? These are all places I’ve gone looking. Not really searching But definitely seeking. Where thoughts can drift and ideas jump out at you. Sometimes they startle and you […]
Good Grief, Multiplied
A dear friend has died. She gave her life to her family, her friends, her church, her God. She had given everything but the last of herself, and now she has given that. In his book, Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen says, “In the giving we are chosen, blessed and broken not simply for our own […]