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Category Archives: Life
Teckla’s Holy Puttering
These days Teckla is unable to do much. Reading has become impossible because she can’t keep her place on the page—and increasingly she simply doesn’t remember what the words represent. Conversations have disappeared, even though I still chatter away. Most … Continue reading
Stratification and Scarification
Last fall I gathered some seeds of white wild indigo (Baptisia bracteate). I live in the suburbs with beautiful trees and acres of lawn—but with almost no native plants. The HOA doesn’t allow anything but lawn but does all the … Continue reading
And the Things of Earth Will Grow Strangely Bright
All the church brats will know that my title is not how the hymn goes. Helen Lemmel, the author, actually wrote: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus/Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim/In … Continue reading
Short-time!
“Short-time! Short-time!” is what we yelled at my son, Dallas, when his wrestling match was winding down and he was behind on points. I remember yelling this and then watching him duck under his opponent’s left arm, take him down, … Continue reading
For Elements of Joy: Fire
If the winds of joy are mysterious, the fire of joy is mystical. It is the joy of friendship with Jesus—communion with his presence deep in our spirit. It is Jesus—not just theology or biblical propositions about Him. We abide … Continue reading
The Four Elements of Joy: Wind
The joy that comes like the wind is a mystery. We cannot command it or work it up. Like the wind, such joy comes from “out of the blue.” And sometimes just as mysteriously it leaves. If happiness is like … Continue reading
The Four Elements of Joy: Earth
At first, or perhaps any glance, I am not the right person to write about joy. In the last five years my oldest son has died, Teckla and I both battled cancer, and Teckla has been diagnosed with dementia. Added … Continue reading
Sunday Morning Light and the Sweet Rhythms of Church Kid Life
Here in Kansas we are snowed-in after a day and half of flurries, but now sunlight slides across the snow. All is bright and white. Teckla and I have been sitting on the couch looking out the window at the … Continue reading
Eating Eternity
I was surprised by how much I liked rock-climbing. In graduate school, a classmate took me to a 30-foot boulder at the edge of Pullman. With practice I got better and better. I learned the grace of holding on to … Continue reading
For a Long Time
This is our second autumn in Kansas. We have a wonderful assortment of oak, ash, and maple trees whose leaves flash every color from purple to scarlet. Yesterday we saw a bright red oak catching the setting sun in its … Continue reading
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