You will find...

What are you looking for this Christmas season?

 

Peace?

 

Health?

 

Rest?

 

The blessings of family time?

 

C.S. Lewis left timely advice for all of us during this season.

 

Stay tuned for my fifth favorite and discover how to find what you seek.

 

I’m so happy to be posting and linking up with my Friday’s Fave Five friends as we revisit the blessings of the week.

 

My favorites:

 

1. A great semester. You haven’t heard much from me because I’ve been steeped in books, studying my way through my first full semester toward a Ph.D. This semester has deepened my life in so many ways—intellectually, spiritually, relationally. And the carryover into my classroom has been invaluable. I’m so thankful I have the opportunity to undertake this study!

 

2. Family time. Thanksgiving was great, but a couple of our boys weren't with us. At Christmas we plan to have the whole family (minus one granddaughter from India—see #3) under one roof. Just cannot wait for this!

 

3. Anticipation. We are awaiting the unraveling of some red tape that will bring our granddaughter home to Kentucky from India. This waiting is SO hard. As soon as the proper documents come through, my son and his sweet wife will be traveling, and it can’t come soon enough. It has been a long journey and the days near the end seem so much longer. You can read (and see a sweet picture) on my daughter-in-law’s blog here.

 

4. A new year! This one has been great, but we’re looking ahead. Things under our roof have contracted a bit. This was the first Christmas that our card was signed with only two names, as all the boys are out on their own. Things are changing, and it’s with hope and excitement that we look ahead to a new year. Who knows what the Lord will send our way?

 

5. A quote, as promised. How to find what you seek this season?

 

“Look for Christ and you will find Him. And with Him, everything else.” (C.S. Lewis)

 

When He is what we seek, when we find our rest and fulfillment in Him…then, we can rest.

 

Praying Christmas rest for you this week,

A Glimpse of My Worth

Friday April 18, 2014 

What am I worth?

And how in the world can I relate to a God who sits in the heavens?

 Easter, the cross—they proclaim my worth.

Stay tuned for my fifth favorite, a quote that reminds me how an age-old story rings clear and true today.


I’m linking up with the ladies of Friday’s Fave Five, as we recount our blessings for the week. I’ve been away for a while, busy with life. So this will cover more than this week!

My favorites:

1. Oklahoma! Our fine arts students did an incredible job of performing Oklahoma, and a good time was had by all. They simply outdid themselves—as did our new director, Rachel Cox. I was honored to be her assistant, but I did little, in reality. The coolest thing about this? Ten years ago she was my student, and now she’s my colleague. The Drama department is in capable hands. She’s the best. So proud of her and our students.

2. Some time off. We have our Easter Break now, and I’m enjoying every second of it. It’s a little harbinger of summer, which is not too far away for us. And part of what I’m enjoying is the end of research paper grading! This big project is over for this year, thank heavens. I’m enjoying reading, writing…all of those good things.

3. A night at the theatre. My sweet husband got us tickets to The Screwtape Letters. It was awesome. Entertaining, thought-provoking, a great night out.

4. An opportunity for ministry. I write for The MOB Society (for moms of boys), and I’m enjoying being part of their Titus Two Team. We answer questions sent in by moms every Saturday. Last week a question about losing it with your kids prompted our leader to open a Facebook page called “No More Angry MOB,” and in one day, over 1000 moms had joined. The dialogue on the page is heart-rending as moms begin to realize they’re not alone in their struggles, as they search for ways to raise their children with a sense of the gospel, as they pour out their hearts and seek practical solutions for the challenges of motherhood. It’s a real blessing. If you are—or know of—a mom who would be interested, you can read more here in “How Do I Stop Yelling?”.

5. A quote that reminds me of what’s important about Easter:

“The Cross provides a stunning glimpse of my value in the sight of an omniscient God. The suffering and death of Christ is the price tag that God has set to secure my everlasting life WITH HIM. How much more valuable could I be in the sight of God -- whose appraisal is the only one that matters? There is no room for pride; there is no room for despair; there is ONLY room for humble worship and gratitude!” (Sam Kastensmidt)

Hoping you sense your worth to Him today,

Literature and Life

Monday November 11, 2013

Once again, I read about a book and I thought of life.

Mine.

A friend sent me a link yesterday to a post on Touchstone – a journal of Mere Christianity.

The article talked about Charles Williams, who was at the core of the Inklings. He’s lesser known than Tolkein or C.S. Lewis, but his writings sound intriguing.

Each of his seven novels begins with rather ordinary life in England in the 1930s. Then “something crops up,” Howard writes in this post, “…and we are off and running.”

Howard continues: "The characters divide themselves, unbeknownst to themselves, into those who wish to make a grab for the thing in the interest of knowledge, power, or ecstasy, and those who, like Simeon and Anna, or, supremely, the Blessed Virgin in our own story, place themselves obediently and humbly at the disposal of whatever The Mercy (Williams never says ‘God’) might wish to ask of them in the situation."

And I saw my face.

We (just as the characters) divide ourselves into two camps:

• "Those who wish to make a grab for the thing in the interest of knowledge”
[What's going to happen? Can I handle it?] and

• “Those who...place themselves obediently and humbly at the disposal of whatever The Mercy might wish to ask of them in the situation."

I wonder over the situations facing me and I make a grab—mainly in the interest of knowledge. I think I have to know.

I wonder what will happen. How I will face it. When it will happen. How long something will continue, and when it will be over.

Oh, to be the one who places herself “obediently and humbly at the disposal of whatever The Mercy might wish to ask!”

May I be that one today.



I'm linking up with Laura, Michelle, and Jen today.

Slow Fade

Monday May 6, 2013

The gradual slip.

The slow fade.

The gentle slope.

Could it be happening to me?



Downfall doesn’t come in a day; it happens gradually, slowly, without bells and whistles.

Solomon seemed to have it all, and a slow fade had to be the last thing on his mind.

Extolled as the wisest man in the world, and likely the wealthiest, he even had a promise from God. Despite his humble request for wisdom, it seems he forgot the last part of that conversation with God. The part where God said, “If you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands…”

Solomon’s demonstration of wisdom came as two women approached him with one child; Solomon passed this one with flying colors. But as the years passed, more women came into his life and he forgot God’s decrees and commands.

1 Kings 11 tells us, “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women…they were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, ‘You shall not intermarry with them because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray…So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD.”

Solomon’s seven hundred wives of royal birth are further testimony to his turning away from God. These marriages were likely political alliances to help Solomon protect his kingdom. Who do you suppose Solomon should have been looking toward to help him protect the kingdom? I imagine God was just waiting for Solomon to turn to Him instead.

Solomon’s heart was divided, and that led to compromise.

Where do I look to protect my borders—my family, my bank account, my health?

Is my heart turned wholly toward God? Do I give Him my fears? My future?

“There are some things I have to take care of. Things I need to worry about,” I may exclaim. “These are just little things, nothing spectacular—certainly not as big as 700 wives and 300 concubines.”

With those words, I may have just set foot upon that gentle slope.

In The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, the title character teaches Wormwood, an inexperienced tempter, how to undermine faith and tries to school him in working against the Enemy (God). At one point, he advises Wormwood:

“You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge man away from the Light and out into the Nothing…Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

We all wander out onto the gentle slope from time to time.

With no signposts, no milestones, we may not even notice the gradual decline.

I’m asking today—wave me down, Lord. Send up flares if you have to.

Call me back, Father—away from the Nothing and back into the Light.


I'm linking up with Laura, Michelle, and Jen today.

Photo credit

Friday Wonder

Friday April 19, 2013


Nature speaks the language of wonder.

Get me out in it, and cares melt away;
everything looks different.

I need more of the carefree wonder that accompanies childhood…and my #5 favorite today, a quote, reminds me of that.

I’m linking up today with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five, where we recount our blessings of the week.

Here are my favorites:

1. A simple dinner out. Nothing fancy, just time with my husband. Love it. Looking forward to movie night tonight, too.

2. Books—here’s to having plenty and watching others enjoy them, too. There’s a pile by my bed and even more stockpiled on my Kindle Fire. It’s nice to have a backlog of books. And watching others? I love teaching a book that kids really like. I had a blissful week where my Honors kids were laughing their way through Cyrano de Bergerac and my regular kids were glued to Lord of the Flies. Love it when THEY love the book!

3. Old photos. While my son was here a week ago, we spent lots of time looking through old pictures for some they plan to use on tables at the wedding reception this summer. It was great fun. We had an organized list, but we kept getting sidetracked! My son said looked at the piles and boxes of pictures and said, “I wonder if we’ll ever have this. We don’t seem to print anything; they just sit inside the camera.” There’s something about holding a photo in your hand…

4. Support and encouragement. My son and daughter-in-law are watching their adoption fund grow ever so slowly, and some days, it’s easy to get discouraged. Notes of encouragement, prayer, and surprise donations continue to make us all thankful. We know this is in the Lord’s hands and in His time, He’ll make everything come together. “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 3:22-23) My sweet daughter-in-law posted these great words of encouragement by John Piper.

*A little bonus encouragement came from my speaking engagement with a great group of moms last Friday. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. It was great fun. I’d love to do it again!

5. A quote:

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” (C.S. Lewis)

What things to put away—the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up!

Some days I am far too grown up…and I long for the wonder of childhood. My sustenance then? Little moments of wonder.

Wishing you wonder this week,

Light from Darkness

Friday November 30, 2012

I’ve been away ever so long – from this spot, that is.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you, and it will be fun to check in with my FFF friends again.

So much to be thankful for after a great Thanksgiving. I’m linking up with Susanne for Friday’s Fave Five today. Click on over to join us!

Here are my favorites from the last couple of weeks:

1. Seeing family. What a blessing that we could see three of our four sons and visit my mom, my college roomie, and see my sister, too. We had the entire Thanksgiving week, so we drove and drove. It was great.

2. Having family across the country. One son was all the way across the country, but we’re so thankful he had an extension of the Groves family to celebrate with in California! So nice to know he was happy and with family. We’ll get to see him at Christmas.

3. Christmas music. My absolute favorite of the season. I wait until Thanksgiving, but then all bets are off – it’s all Christmas music, all the time. And this Thanksgiving, my youngest son and hubby installed something great in my car that makes listening even easier. It’s great!

4. My students. I’m really proud of them right now…some great essays written and some great projects just shared. I even got some praise out of non-readers for the books they read! And the cast of our Madrigal dinner? They make my day as we rehearse after school. In fact, they crack me up. Love them.

5. A quote:

“The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” (C.S. Lewis)

None of us chooses those hard things—defeat, suffering, struggle, loss, and a hard way out. But what blessings on the other side of them! We’re seeing that firsthand in our son Andrew right now, who’s living this testimony, and it’s spilling over on those around him. We serve a God who redeems those times, who brings light from darkness.

Wishing you lots of light this week,

Empty Vessels

Friday July 20, 2012

It’s been a busy week! We’re gearing up to take Andrew, our son, back to Kentucky soon, so there’s lots to do. But it’s a happy busy.

I'm linking up today with Susanne of Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.

Here are my favorites for this week:

1. Sweet neighbors. We run in and out to physical therapy and doctor appointments and don’t spend a lot of time standing out in the heat to talk. I miss that. But we have some neighbors who have been so sweet during this time. One shared with my husband today that she saw Andrew walking to the car with a cane and just had to go share his recovery with a friend on the phone. She reminded us that she’d been praying for Andrew. Means so much.

2. Family! Bundled up in the trip will be an opportunity to travel with another of our sons and to see Aiden, his sweet mom, my mom, and some close family friends. It’ll be great. So much to look forward to.

3. Good news for a writer friend. She’s not ready to share publicly yet, but things are looking very good for a book contract. She is one of those writers who really works at her craft, and she's so incredibly talented. I’m so excited for her! I’ll share more as soon as I can.

4. A husband who says, “How can I help you?” Just tonight as I was cleaning up the kitchen, he asked. He’s always been such a servant, a man of action. We heard a great sermon last Sunday about having an attitude of service in the family—I posted on it earlier this week.

5. This quote:

“God gives His gifts where He finds the vessel empty enough to receive them.” (C.S. Lewis)

Sometimes our lives are so filled up…with just stuff. It seems so important and, in a second, we see it’s just really not. We don’t always ask for those times—ask to be emptied. But I’m thinking we really should. When all the “stuff” is stripped away, it’s just amazing to me what we see of Him. That’s my big thanks for the last six months.

Wishing you a happy week,


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Defined by...

April 23, 2012

Who am I, really?

Big question. Most of us answer it with information about what we do.

“I’m a mom who stays home with my kids.”

“I work for a law firm downtown.”

“I’m a teacher, writer... (you fill in the blank).”

Stop and think for a moment. What would be your first answer to “Who are you?” What would you put after your name?

There’s nothing wrong with associating ourselves with our role, our activity. The problem comes when we attach all kinds of expectations and manmade plans to those roles.

When we buy into that, we settle for a small, narrow, limited vision.

Who knows better—thinks bigger—than we do? Who can really see the panorama of life? Our Creator.

When we try to control our lives and define ourselves by our own small expectations, all we succeed in doing is limiting God. And we miss His biggest and best blessings for us.

Sometimes we have plans. And they change. Life changes. So, how do we let go?

Think of life like a tapestry. When you look at the underneath of a beautiful piece of embroidery or a large tapestry, you see a hodgepodge of threads that shows no resemblance to the finished product. When you flip it over, however, you immediately recognize the image, you appreciate the beauty of the handiwork.

Realize that we often stare at the underneath of life. Only our Heavenly Father has the big picture, the panoramic view. He’s crafting the image from His perspective, and we don’t see what He sees.

We get so caught up in time – right here, right now. We expect things to happen on our timetable, our way, according to our expectations.

The words of C.S.Lewis remind us: “Our lives are rooted not only in time, but in eternity.”

When we realize the tapestry is best seen only from His perspective, we can turn our expectations over to Him.

You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
(2 Sam. 22:29-31)

So, bottom line…who am I really? What defines me?

I belong to Him.


Joining Laura, Jen, and Michelle with words from the heart.

Reflections on the Daylight

Monday April 9, 2012

“What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs” (Matthew 10:27).

At the time, I couldn’t think; I could scarcely breathe, at least without sobbing.

It was dark and frightening…but I know One who holds the light, who brings the light, who is the light.

Holding onto my husband and others who loved me helped, but their light was nothing compared to His.

Now the darkness has receded a bit … or maybe that’s just His light shining through, coloring everything.

I’m posting on lessons learned in that darkness over at the MOB (Moms of Boys Society) today, with an eye toward boy moms in particular. You’re welcome to click on over there, too.

Here’s some of the fruit from that time:

1. Cherish every day with your family—good, tough, frustrating. They’re all good.

2. Nurture family love so it’s there automatically when you need it desperately.

3. Realize that life can change quickly. It will take you by surprise, but live close enough to your Heavenly Father that you can lean on Him.

4. Thank God for every little thing. (Yes, Ann Voskamp!) Those little things come to mean so much, and thanking Him reminds you that He’s the Source of it all.

I’m reading The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and one character in particular reminds me to thank Him for everything. This character is a grumbling woman who, according to author Louis Markos, “with each grumble, with each outbreak of renewed unthankfulness to the God who created her and died to save her…sacrifices another piece of her humanity.”

With every grumble, with each outburst of ungrateful complaint, she becomes less of what He created her to be. That’s not what I want to be.

The other side of the coin is perpetual thankfulness; that’s where I want to live. And when darkness is closing in, thankfulness focuses us on the light. I want to keep living in that light. That’s my challenge.

What about you? What have you heard in the dark?


Joining Laura, Jen, and Michelle with words from the heart.

February Blessings: Friday's Fave Five

Friday February 11, 2011

Time for a rundown of my favorite things from this week. Once again, a great time to look back and count your blessings! Thanks to Susanne from Living to Tell the Story for hosting. Visit Susanne and join us.

Here are five of my week’s blessings:

1. Friends I can confide in. I love working with people I love, and several of them are great listeners. We listen to each other, encourage each other, pray for each other. It’s awesome.

2. My Chipper dog. I’m a dog person, and we got Chipper about 16 years ago. He’s slowing down quite a bit, but he’s in pretty good shape for his age. I’m happy to find him waiting at home for me every day. This house is very quiet sometimes, and Chip is a great companion.

3. Pictures of my grandson Aiden. He’s 5 months old now! Look at that smile.

4. A sweet husband who’s helping me tend our garden. You can read about that here.

5. A quote. If you’ve read here for awhile, you know I’m a lover of literature. I came across this quote recently and I loved it.

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. (C.S. Lewis)

Literature adds to reality, irrigating our deserts. It’s really true for me. I love a good book and its lessons. I hope you do, too!

Rest, A Son's Voice, and Worth: Friday's Fave Five

Friday April 2, 2010
Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five. It’s all about looking back at the week’s blessings. If you’re a blogger who would like to join us and link up on your blog, see Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

My five faves for this week?

1. Rest in spring. Oh, the beautiful weather! We all enjoy it, but only if we take the time. I have time in spades right now, and I’m relishing it. Here’s a quote from J. Lubbuck that sums it up for me.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer (spring) day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky is by no means a waste of time.

2. A day to sleep late. That would have been yesterday, and it was heavenly. I didn’t even set the alarm. How long has it been since I did that? It was great.

3. A call from Germany. My son is on a choir trip to Austria and Germany and I got a call from him Wednesday night. It was just great to hear his voice! He’s having a great time and I’m glad he could go, but I’ll be glad to get him back in the nest.

4. A C.S. Lewis quote. “There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Lewis was, of course, talking about heaven, encouraging us to set our sights and hearts toward the Creator. And because of the empty tomb, we have much better things ahead than any we leave behind. As we learn to lean on Him more each day, His grace makes even the earthly days ahead easier to bear. Because He lives, I can view this quote in heavenly and earthly terms – there are better things ahead.

5. A mom’s worth. Mom, what we do is important. We take little souls and nurture them, teach them, discipline them, and we get so much in return. What we do lasts a lifetime and beyond. I ran across a quote by G.K. Chesterton this week that underscores the importance of the foundation we work to lay each day:

Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: He has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life.

Those early lessons – the memories from the nursery – will serve our children well into their adulthood.

What are your favorites from this week? Leave a comment and share your blessings.

Happy weekend -- Happy Easter.