Archives, Pondering, Songs of Assent, Wheaton

Handmaiden Humility

I haven't given much thought to the face of Wisdom's handmaiden, Humility. But I encountered her so vividly last week that her subtle and beautiful features shine with clarity after leaving "Worship Camp." Perhaps I can give you a glimpse of her lovely face. My teaching partner, Reggie Kidd, and I have just completed teaching… Continue reading Handmaiden Humility

Biography, Pondering, Songs of Assent

Hidden Freedom (Part 2)

Every Independence Day we celebrate our country's freedom to act, speak and live as we choose but that does not mean we are truly free. I propose that the most central, albeit hidden, bondage is the captivity of our minds. In my last blog I listed four different kinds of unruly thoughts that can capture… Continue reading Hidden Freedom (Part 2)

Biography, Pondering, Songs of Assent, Wheaton

I Will Not Forget These Stories

My teaching colleague and I arrive first in the classroom on this particular morning. She engages many of her students as they shuffle into her World Religions course at a local community college. At one point five beautiful Muslim girls come in together--heads covered with lovely scarves, chattering away to each other and to their… Continue reading I Will Not Forget These Stories

Archives, Pondering, Songs of Assent

Mary’s Path

Her story began in earnest with a clarion call from an angel. “Don’t be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” But not too many chapters in, the plot got more complicated. An old man in the temple recognized this unique family for who they were, rejoiced that the Lord has allowed him “to see thy salvation” and then… Continue reading Mary’s Path

Archives, Biography, Orlando, Pondering, Songs of Assent

Light unto My Path

As a young child of the 60’s, I loved the “Sword Drills” in my Baptist Church. We would grasp on to our Bibles with tense expectancy until the teacher would call out a verse to find. And off we would go, scrambling to find the golden page that won us points, a certain amount of notoriety, and, at… Continue reading Light unto My Path

Archives, Biography, Orlando, Pondering, Sons of Korah

Rollercoaster on a Wave: Part 2

The rocky northern Atlantic coast, while majestic, is not a swimmer’s paradise. The rocks on the “open side” are particularly high and jagged, and the water that crashes against them is deadly cold. On Monhegan, an island off the coast of Maine, no one who has fallen into the icy water on the open side of the island has ever… Continue reading Rollercoaster on a Wave: Part 2

Archives, Biography, Pondering, Songs of Assent, Wheaton

The Wisdom of a Scribe

Today I had two encounters about speaking the truth in love. In both conversations the parties were wrestling with the burden of carrying wisdom that others were not yet ready to hear. What is the good of wisdom if it is not immediately transferable? We read Jesus’ brief parable: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of… Continue reading The Wisdom of a Scribe

Archives, Biography, Pondering, Songs of Assent, Wheaton

Our Sun and Shield

This morning I sat out in my garden–well, to be accurate, I sat bundled up in my garden, with a crocheted shawl flung around my head, a tartan plaid enveloping my shoulders and a old fleecy blanket tucked around my knees. But I was IN my garden, hearing the birds, feeling the wind, enjoying the beauty of a long-yearned… Continue reading Our Sun and Shield