The Cost of Slowing Down
While some families seem to thrive when they have plenty to do and lots of people to see, ours is quieter, more homeward bound.
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The Biggest Story Family Devotional
On the Blog Curse, chevrons, and beginnings Ages ago, when all of us moms had family blogs and the predominate color schemes were chocolate and teal—and chevrons were on everything—a friend and I had tea together while our combined half-dozen kids scattered Duplos around her house. “Have you ever noticed,” she asked, reflecting on her own…
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Something Better Coming
On death, hope, and the Resurrection Recently, I wrote about the loss of a very good friend and about her legacy. My daughters didn’t get to meet her, but they love her because she loved them—Leslie always asked about them and even sent the occasional birthday gift their way, so she was a sweet presence…
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The Mythmakers
On John Hendrix and why you should read all of his books I never know where to begin when reviewing a John Hendrix book. They are consistently among my favorites, and yet, there’s something undefinable about them. When I finish I’m left not so much with thoughts as with a breathless, hand-wavy feeling, something ephemeral…
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Joni Eareckson Tada
On picture book biographies and imagining adulthood When our kids were little, I found it hard to imagine them as big kids, let alone teens or—gasp!—adults. But they’re prone to point out things like, oh, that our second-born daughter will be old enough to vote in the next presidential election, or that when our youngest…
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The Chronicles of Prydain
On in-flight reading and exploring Prydain There’s an art to choosing the right book for a plane ride. There’s a separate but related art to choosing the right book for a plane ride shared with a voracious teen reader who can’t pack as many books as she’ll read over the trip. The chosen book must…
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Ox Lion Eagle Man
On board books, big theology, and hitting the mark: One of the tragedies of no longer having toddlers in the house is that I no longer have anyone to read board books to. Which makes it hard to justify buying board books—but do I let that stop me? Of course not. We have babies and toddlers over…
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Indescribable
On redback jumping spiders and the glory of God Not long ago, a single spider could clear any room of our house. (I take no pride in saying that I was often the first one to leave.) One report of a spider in the play room and no one would go up there again until…
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The Porcelain Room
On a recent trip to the Seattle Art Museum, our eight-year-old grew restless. One can only look at so many paintings of segmented, shimmering lemon wedges, her posture said clearly—only so many flat-featured depictions of Jesus and Mary. But her mouth said, more than a few times in that otherwise quiet museum, “I’m ready to…
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The Two Princesses of Bamarre
On “brave princess fatigue” and its remedy Occasionally, I find myself suffering from what I call “brave princess fatigue,” a condition caused by reading book after book about princesses who are not in need of some sort of rescue—heaven forbid!—but are, rather, hardy warriors themselves. I weary of these stories not because I object to…
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I Think I Think A Lot
Bedtime at our house involves a fair amount of bustling, some snuggling, some tooth-brushing, and a lot of talking—so much talking. I like to joke that I’m a part-time counselor these days, now that all four girls are fluent conversationalists facing challenges that grow right along with them. Often the things they worry about step politely…
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The Previous Lives of Used Books
On bookmarks, dogears, and underlined passages Years ago, I approached a local bookseller as he sat behind his counter, vigorously scrubbing the cover of a well-trampled book with some sauce that took the grit off—voila!—like magic. “What is it?” I asked, probably bouncing a baby in a carrier and possibly holding a toddler by one…
