We used to live in a small town in Virginia just off the Chesapeake Bay. Many a day when William got home from work we would be ready with bathing suits on and lifejackets in hand. Taking along dip nets and pails, we would jump into our little john boat and head out the mouth […]
A Modern Admonition for Sons (…or parents?)
Oh, young man, I want you to rise up early and seek the face of God. To reach over to your bedside table, still bleary with sleep and grope for God’s word, hungry to put just one line of it into your awakening soul. I want you to hear the voice of the holy Spirit […]
Reflections on Wanting To Be Right
The other day my eldest son, who is rarely critical, told me that I always wanted to be right about everything. It wasn’t said in an accusatory or confrontational way but in passing, as part of a natural conversation—which made me sit up and take notice all the more. Not a vehement rebuttal to one […]
Confessions, Chaos and the Path that Leads to Peace
My house felt like an absolute mess. Toys were scattered around the floors, doors to the outside stood open with flies coming in to forage, grass and dirt littered the floor, and random cups, plates and shoes were all strewn about. AAARRRGGGHHHHH!! It felt like chaos! For several hours we had enjoyed the fellowship of […]
Holy Imagination
None of us can deny the power of a good story. From Ferdinand the Bull to Gone with the Wind, from Scheherazade’s Arabian Knights to the Bible’s own Prodigal Son, stories have a staying power that captivates us, the scenes of which are easily played back again on the screens of our imaginations. While the […]