The latest from my blog
I write on all sorts of topics such as Celebration & Wonder, Community & Discipleship, Intimacy with Christ, and Redemption & Grace. I share my random thoughts in Miscellaneous Musings.
I’m glad you’ve joined me!
Lye Or Hyssop?
We tend to translate the world and the Word through the lens of who we are. In my case, I am both a soap-maker and a backwoodsy-sort-of herbalist. In one realm, I am a professional, and in the other, I have an extensive library and an insatiable curiosity. I am...
On Overcoming Bitterness
Do you remember the play/movie “Little Shop of Horrors”? If I remember correctly (it’s been a few decades since I’ve seen it), there was a man who owned a Venus Fly Trap, and had to keep murdering people to keep his plant fed. The plant consumed his life and all his...
The Infamous Paw Paw Wreck
I stood on the outside of my soap table, crying out for God's mercy with a friend, who had come to my booth for refuge from the turmoil in her soul. She, among many others, had just witnessed the unmistakable sound of a massive car accident just outside the Paw Paw...
My Hard Pivot
Many of you may not know it, but I sometimes struggle with depression. I have learned, over the course of a lifetime, and a quarter-century of being led by the Holy Spirit, how to fight it, but also how to spot the warning flares in the road.
Squatting with Kids
They were coming to Him for relationship, rather than to capitalize on the Healer and Miracle-worker. They wanted to crawl into His lap and hear His blessing spoken into their ear.
Who I am Becoming
I think a lot about practicing who I want to become. You can see it on elderly faces... the deeply etched lines of complaining or gratitude. The naturally formed smile, practiced over decades of a life. But it's not only smiling or frowning, complaining or giving...
Joseph’s Unfurled Hands
Did you know Joseph was sold for less than the redemption price of a slave (Exodus 21:32)? (For the record, Jesus was sold for the exact price of a dead slave.). Not only was he sold for two-thirds the price of a dead slave... He was sold by his own brothers! He was...
Communion Precedes the Tithe
I peered over the pages of a well-worn story, noticing something I'd previously overlooked. Genesis 14 is the first encounter we have of one of Scripture's most puzzling characters, Melchizedek. In Hebrews, He is expounded upon, and sounds something like God...
Once A Room 3 Kid
There's someone I've wanted to introduce you to for awhile now, and tonight seems like just the night to do so. Her name is Mrs. Ahner (sounds like "honor" which seems pretty fitting to me). She was my second grade teacher. We are still friends! I have aged quite...
The Narrative Arc of the Bible
In the beginning of the Book is a story of God speaking a garden into existence, then handcrafting man to dwell in it. So that God could enjoy communion with the man and his wife. The conclusion of the story of God is a palace, which He also crafted to dwell in with His bride.
Open-Handedness
If you live with your hands open, you will not cling too tightly to what you have, so you will be free to give it away, but you are also opening your hands to the blessings God wants to pour into them.
A Cross and a Tomb
It is almost unbearable to rehash the story of Christ's death. Even after decades of reading this story, I instinctually groan when the chief priests and the Pharisees called Him "that deceiver" (Matthew 27:63). Because it's such a blasphemous lie! It is nearly...