There are a lot of big things in life: big decisions, big challenges, big changes, big hopes, big dreams, big disappointments, big opportunities. And honestly, sometimes “its hard to see the trees through the forest” when it comes down to the nitty gritty of day to day life. But just like the forests of this…
Archive | April, 2011
Limited Space
Greetings from the Sparrow’s Nest! That’s what Evan and I call our cozy little apartment. While I dearly love living in this tiny “playhouse” of a place, making things fit can be a challenge at times. I’m sure I’m not the only one facing this challenge, so I thought I’d share a few ideas that…
Where Edmund was looking
“‘You have a traitor there, Aslan,’ said the Witch. Of course everyone present knew that she meant Edmund. But Edmund had got past thinking of himself after all that he’d been through and after the talk he’d had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the Witch said.”
~C.S. Lewis; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
I’m guessing that many of the readers here have read The Chronicles of Narnia and therefore know the context of this quote. The White Witch comes to demand Edmund’s life from Aslan. As stated, Edmund is a traitor and as such, by rights, his blood belongs to the Witch. The night before the Witch’s audience with Aslan, Edmund had been rescued from almost being murdered by the Witch, and that morning had a conversation with Aslan that “no one ever heard…[but] Edmund never forgot”.
Hope in the Desert
Like a clamoring child, we grope and grasp for something like a mirage. We are then left standing in what many of us thought would be an oasis, but which bears only incomprehensible hurt…because we followed a mirage.
We may have awakened love in the wrong season, but God in His mercy does not leave us standing there empty and scarred.
Leaning on Him
I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy: the excruciating pain, humiliation, and worry that comes along with having ulcerative colitis. Having this disease for 3 years was long enough, but the day before my surgery, the pain increased. I was laying on the bathroom floor, embracing the cold tile on my hot forehead while shaking violently from the unbearable pain. As they rushed me to the emergency room, I became numb.
As my body started to give up, so did my will to keep living. Was life really worth going through with this kind of pain? Why on earth would a loving God allow me to suffer this much just as I was beginning to have some hope of being healthy?
novelizing
Once upon a time, I was required to design a short seminar. Not surprisingly, I chose the topic of writing. So I read (and read), taking some forty pages of notes that translated into an entire mini-course, handouts and all.
I never actually taught that seminar.
But as I reread my notes today, I discovered that God had surprised me. The principles I write by, the ones I repeat to students, clients, and long-suffering friends: yes, those wise words? Many of them come from the novelists and wordsmiths whose books I read and seemingly forgot.
A Different Look at Proverbs 31
by Mary Aldrich Over a Women’s Bible Study on Proverbs 31 recently, we discussed ideas of how to make each verse more meaningful to us in our lives now. I got the idea to write a modern day application of the passage and what it means to me, using the acrostic idea present in the…
sweet spring
I get a sneak peek of spring each year. We usually go visit my family right before planting season begins here on the farm. In their moist and mild climate, the daffodils are blooming to greet us, the grass is green, and the sheep are lambing. We come home to the last vestiges of snow…
Reading with the YLCF
Well, it’s been a great month for book lovers here at the YLCF! Thanks to all of you who participated in carnivals and giveaways, suggested titles, shared lovely pictures of books, and read our musings. The end of the March of Books is a little sad for me, since reading and fellowship are two of my favorite activities, and they are combined so well here.
The good news is, it’s not over! We’ve started a group over at GoodReads, and we plan to have more recommendations, reviews, and discussions there. We even hope to have a “book of the month” (more or less, depending on how it goes) that we can read and discuss together…
