On a day when I'm considering how to simplify, you might wonder why I have not just one blog button but two in place.I'm inviting you to join me as I embark on a “Slow-Down Fast”: a season dedicated to humbly and boldly simplifying and slowing (schedule, habits, activities, thought-patterns) in order to experience a more focused and intimate relationship with God in my … [Read more...]
There & Back Again: Slow-Down Fast & Simplify
When Cheryl Smith, one of my friends and colleagues at TheHighCalling.org, launched her "Simplify" project, I knew it was a good fit. "Simplicity." That's me.My wardrobe is simple, my meals are simple, my decor (what little there is) is simple, my schedule is—usually—simple. Hairstyle, jewelry, nails, shoes: simple, simple, simple. Even my writing style is simple. If you … [Read more...]
MMM 2011 Progress Report #4
Welcome to Mega Memory Month (MMM) Progress Report #4.Please note that if I counted correctly, we have one week left, my friends.I thought I’d mention it, you know, to send you into a memorizing frenzy, cramming it in last minute. I'll send you some Mountain Dew if you think you're going to do an all-nighter.Don't forget: next Monday is our Final Celebration! Plan ahead … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: The Heavenly Onion
(smaller button below) Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe.If you want, you could join the book club at TheHighCalling.org and post your responses to the essays in The Spirit of Food; because, you see, we’re pretty relaxed over here. Posts like that are … [Read more...]
MMM 2011 Progress Report #1
Welcome to Mega Memory Month (MMM) Progress Report #1.This is intended to be a place and time to encourage one another—we're in this together, right?But if you're thinking what I'm thinking, you may be wondering: January just got started...how much progress can a person make in two days?Every word is progress, friends. Every single word.For that matter, just getting … [Read more...]
Mega Memory Month 2011: Finishing Well (revisiting John 15)
Whether it's a year (Happy 2011!), a project, a commitment or a lifetime, I long to finish well.So as I launch Mega Memory Month 2011 (MMM), I start to worry a little.Will I finish well?It's interesting to look back at some of the the passages and poems I've undertaken: Colossians 1; Philippians 2: 1-11; Psalm 121; John 14 & 15; Frost's "The Road Not Taken" and … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: The Spirit of Food (THC Book Club Discussion-Week One)
(smaller button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe.If you want, you could simply describe Christmas leftovers and New Year's Eve snack plans OR join the book club at TheHighCalling.org; because, you see, we’re pretty relaxed over here. Posts like … [Read more...]
Mega Memory Month 2011 Headquarters
(I make my own buttons. Can you tell? Smaller version and html code available below)It's back and bigger than ever:Mega Memory Month 2011!As we launch the new year, we're also launching Mega Memory Month 2011.Mega Memory Month (MMM) began back in 2008, when I invited people to join me in a month-long memorization extravaganza. Over the years I've hosted MMM during the … [Read more...]
Notes from the Father
On Sunday, we lit the first candle of our Advent wreath and talked about the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled and how hard it must have been for God's people to piece it all together.I wrote out some prophecies on paper, folded them up, and asked the older two kids to create a simple scavenger hunt. The younger two raced off in search of the messages, which they found and … [Read more...]
Wendell Berry Road Trip (Part 1 of 3)
A friend of mine moved to the university town where I was a student. A week-and-a-half ago, she sent me an e-mail with this subject line: "Wendell Berry here all week" Wendell Berry? Right in my own state...at my alma mater? Sure enough. Last Tuesday night he was to read from his work; Wednesday was an interview of some kind; Thursday he would do another reading; … [Read more...]
Haste vs. Hurry
"Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry,because I never undertake more work than I can go throughwith calmness of spirit."~John Wesley (as quoted in Ordering Your Private World)Why was Wesley okay with "haste," but avoided "hurry"? What's the difference?How can we accomplish our work with "calmness of spirit"?Work Cited:MacDonald, Gordon. Ordering Your Private … [Read more...]
A life all turbulence and noise
A life all turbulence and noise may seem,To him that leads it, wise and to be praised;But wisdom is a pearl with most successSought in still water, and beneath clear skies.~ William Cowper, The Task (1785). Book III. The Garden … [Read more...]
Race to Nowhere
Looks like thought-provoking viewing for frenzied parents: … [Read more...]
Love is Patient, Love is Pink
Today's Reflection by Mark D. Roberts (via The High Calling) is entitled, "I'm Glad Love Is Patient, But Could You Please Hurry Up and Change?"His lead grabbed this Not So Fast girl:I recently read a fascinating book by James Gleick. It's called Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything (Pantheon, 1999). Gleick shows how our lives have been sped up by technology … [Read more...]
Slow Summer’s End
We stayed overnight with friends at their tranquil retreat home.My friend and I sipped tea on the porch watching this butterfly mistake my daughter's swim shorts for a flower.Hummingbirds whirred and chattered at the feeders.My kids fished at the pond.I could have stayed another day or two.Or a month. … [Read more...]
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