Last Saturday I was invited to be the retreat leader for a Sunday School class from a large church in Dallas. One of the members has a lovely vacation home in the wilds of east Texas near Chandler. I was to arrive by 9 am, have breakfast with the group, and lead a daylong session on the parables of Jesus. The class leader offered the opportunity to ride with one of the class members since it was a little tricky to find, but I like... Read more
My yoga teacher says the same thing at the end of every class every Monday night at 9 pm. After we’ve all lay prone in the dark with our hands at our sides for several minutes, she has us sit up in the lotus position and she reminds us “Take yoga with you this week, don’t leave it here in class. Especially when you feel stressed, remember your posture and your breathing.” That’s good advice. Every week I pledge to try... Read more
It’s almost graduation weekend at the University where I teach. A high value is always placed on quality landscaping and a pleasing aesthetic for the campus, but especially so when parents and alumni gather. Then the campus needs to be in prime condition, pleasing to the eye. And I am not against this by any means. I think to myself every day that I walk from the parking garage to my office how fortunate I am to work in such... Read more
We like to present a tidy appearance to the world, but we all have closets. Matthew’s Jesus would have us clean our closets, not have an inner “safe room” that is filled with selfish motives and shallow goals. Read more
One of my students, trained as an attorney, told me of an article she recently read in a journal for Alabama lawyers. It was written by a judge and dealt with the top ten things attorneys should never say to judges. The first is “With all due respect, your honor.” Because it is a prelude to disagreeing or objecting, not respect. The second is “I’m not prepared today because…..” I don’t know what the other 8 are. Two is enough. Read more
They stride into Jerusalem like a person wandering bare footed into a snake pit, asking “Where’s the baby king?” Like someone strolling into a public park looking for the guy they’re going to buy a bike from on Craig’s list, stumbling into a drug deal. Read more
One night this past week I had a very vivid dream. I was running- where I didn’t know, I just knew that I had to get there fast. I was running down a long stretch of road, and I was clutching a golden nugget in my hand. It slipped from my grasp as I ran. Read more
Thirty years ago when my husband and I got married in York, Pennsylvania, I asked a friend from seminary to read Scripture. She and I had both just graduated from Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C. I remember that she drove all the way from Texas to the wedding and read l Corinthians 13 like there was no tomorrow! After that, we lost touch. I caught wisps of her life- I’m still not sure how, since this was in the... Read more
Walkabout As a recovering workaholic I’m trying to schedule more spontaneous, leisure activities into my week. I know irony. Scheduled spontaneity. Anyway, a friend and I had talked about walking a couple times a week now that the relentlessly oppressive summer heat in Texas has given way to October coolness. She, by her own admission, is a recovering workaholic too. The only time we could come up with to walk was 6 am on Thursdays. This past Thursday morning I... Read more
As I stood there looking at the black bear warning sign, I pictured me being confronted by a black bear. I wondered- what would I do? I would smile at the bear, gesture for it to hold off on making its next move for just a moment, pull out my I phone and look up “What to do when confronted by a black bear.” Maybe it would have been better to look that up before I started the hike. Read more
Knack For Noticing
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