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Margin. The empty border around the edges. Breathing room. White space. Something I’m lacking right now. I scheduled myself to the edge—again. I rationalized it by telling myself it was temporary. Only a few weeks. Only a few semesters. Right. I find myself working from dark to dark. I watch my husband and kids cover…

The sun came out today. First time in forever and I couldn’t get enough of it. (Hence the sunburn.) I felt like I’d had a double shot of espresso. Other friends said the same. Turned out we’d suffered from the same condition. The blues. The grumps. The down in the dumps. But as the sun…

There’s a scene in Star Wars when Obi-wan says, “Empty your mind, Luke,” to which my husband and I always echo, “Luke, be stupid.” Stupid, because our minds are designed to be full—not empty. My spiritual discipline for this month is meditation. Unlike Eastern meditation which calls for an empty mind, Christian meditation involves a…

In 2 Peter 1, the apostle gives us a building block list of add-ons. Of note is the first, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness.” (2 Peter 1:5 NIV) Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we…

Photon torpedoes blast. Sirens blare. The crew of the Starship Enterprise prepares for an attack. As the alien force hammers away, the bridge shakes and shudders. Thank goodness for seatbelts. The first concern? Are the shields are still up and how much damage they have sustained? Vital information. Without them, the Enterprise and her crew…

“Fear is not an emotion. It is an entity.” –Jimmy Evans, pastor of Trinity Fellowship in Amarillo, TX, founder of Marriage Today It was a light bulb moment as I sat at our church’s women’s conference. Jimmy Evans backed up his statement with the following verse, “For God has not given us a spirit of…

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the…

“Even the sparrow has found a home; and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.” (Psalm 84:3 NIV) A mama robin has set up shop in our backyard. Her nest balances on a thin rail of our patio…

We’ll attend three weddings this summer. Three. Children of friends and friends of our children. I can’t wait. Jesus attended weddings too, and I found a lesson in one such scene. One in how to define obedience. At the wedding in Cana, Mom Mary nudges Jesus to take action when the wine runs out. You…

Mary and Judas. Very different these two, but you wouldn’t know how different until the crucifixion was at hand. That’s when it all spilled. “Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus…