Creative Juices

Where do creative juices come from? This is my question as I plod along a very familiar path. Foot by ever-loving foot, sneaker meets pavement. The feet move slower than molasses but the brain is another story. Literally. My brain whirrs with ideas, putting things together that I never thought knew each other. Suggesting solutions. […]

Hand Washing as Prayer

How kinesthetic is this act of hand washing? Of soap and water sudsing, hands a-rubbing, fingers folding, interlocking, palms compressing and releasing, slipping one past the other, slick even slippery, signaling finally that it’s time to rinse. What if, instead of counting obediently 1,2,3… instead of singing happy birthday mindlessly… we prayed intentionally? The Lord’s […]

No need to let go completely, just loosen your grip

Tension. It’s the greatest scourge of our times. Not anxiety, not worry, and not fear. As destructive as these are and as frequently as we are chastised for feeling them or cautioned about employing them, they are not what’s keeping us from moving forward in our days. What’s really upending us is tension. Tensing is […]

Hold that finish!

“Behind every good _____, there’s a good ________,” they say. But I say, after every good stroke, there is a good follow through. After every good kick, after every good serve, after every good swing, after every good putt, after every good throw, there is a good follow through. It’s not an accident that a […]

The moment of trust

Steady, Steady as she goes Climb aboard. Pedal, foot to the pedal Daddy’s got you.   Whoaaaa, Wobblinggg, Wheww, got my balance.   Roll, Rolling, easy does it.   Fast, Faster, this is easy! Look at me!  Tip, Tipping, Daddy, where are you?   Steer, Handle bars steering   Squeeze, Breaks are slowing   Turn, […]

I am special because ________.

Saw this today: ” I am special because … I am really good at playing soccer.” A mother’s shout-out from her teacher-parent conference, complete with an image of her young child, kindergarten age, with a quotation bubble completing this phrase. His smiling face hovered atop a cutout body, colored with red and green Crayola crayons. […]

Fit for the Kingdom

What makes us fit? A good fit?Our shape? Size? Color? Language? Nationality?Our behavior? Net worth? Service record?Our church membership? Community service? Volunteer hours?Our education? Employment? Contribution? Is itHow many lives we’ve touched?How many stories we’ve listened to?How many hands we’ve held?How many sacrifices we’ve made?How many gifts we’ve given?What we’ve done? What we’ve left undone? […]