I’ve heard it said that artists are inherently egotistical… that at the foundation of all art is the artist’s belief that what he’s putting forward is worth the time and attention of others. But I think it is at least as often the case that the writer/artist/songwriter has to overcome great personal doubt and self-accusation….
Who is the Captive: Your Thoughts Or You?
Last week, I noticed I was feeling anxious. I’d been running the budget numbers again, trying to do accurate projections for what would happen when. We’re trying to sort out what we should do with our house, and when/if we should list it. Normal things to think through in a time of transition. But I…
9 Reasons We LOVE Having Chickens
1. THEY ARE PRECIOUS AS BABIES. PRECIOUS!!! We built a pen out of the cardboard box from a deck box. We taped it to the floor in a trapezoidal shape so they wouldn’t have any 90-degree corners to run into (and get suffocated by the others, which apparently can sometimes be a problem with small…
It (Whatever It Is) Takes a Willingness to Fail
This week, a friend admired my DIY chicken coop and said, “Wow, you really ARE Supermom, aren’t you?” She meant it kindly and this post really isn’t about that. But that situation got me thinking: I’m not Supermom. I’m a semi-normal (is anyone really normal?) person with 24 hrs in a day. I get grumpy…
Content With Little, Content With Much
When we moved overseas in 2006, we sold or gave away virtually everything we owned. Personal items, baby books, and a few items we couldn’t sell and really liked went to my parents’ garage. Everything else? (Imagine me snapping.) Gone, just like that. We moved to a somewhat-grimy, moldy-bathroomed, garishly-embroidered-floral-couched apartment in the middle of nowhere…
Releasing Our Dreams; Finding God’s Adventure
Years ago, when I worked for Governor Huckabee, oh the dreams that I had! Having worked for the States of Arkansas and Texas, ladies, I was determined. I’d work my way up through the political ranks, and one day, be a Senator. And to tell the truth, when I get put out with political goings-on,…
The Sovereignty of God in the Waiting Room of Life
In life, we’ve been in limbo a number of times, and it’s where we currently sit. The waiting rooms of life happen to us all, and often without warning. Waiting for the tests to reveal, “What is this illness ravaging my body?” Waiting for the right employer to offer a position. Waiting for a proposal from…
How Will You Infuse Joy Into TODAY?
It’s a rhythmic truth breathed throughout Scripture: “You return man to dust; …they are like a dream, like grass …in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.” ~Psalm 90:3-6 (author: Moses) “He knows our frame He remembers that we are DUST. As for man, his days are like GRASS; he flourishes…
6 TIPS for JOYFULLY Hosting a Small Group
We’ve opened our homes to small groups for over ten years: We’ve hosted short-term groups (i.e., a single-book study that only met for that one topic, and then disbanded) For four years, when we lived in Istanbul, we were the primary host home for a house church that met, week in, week out with a…
Become a Better Writer: READ
It’s all about intake and outflow. To become a better writer, one must become a better READER. Consider Frederick Douglass– without formal education, he devotedly read and analyzed speeches by successful public speakers of his day. Then, he practiced. A LOT. He is still consistently listed as one of the greatest thinkers and speakers that America…