Is the church:  (A) series of bunkers, sheds and silos storing already-harvested grain  or  (B) an organic, open network of interconnected relationships? Of course, we know the answer is supposed to be [B].  However, [A] has often defined our functional reality. Dwight Friesen has written a book designed to expand our imaginations about the kingdom-shaped web of connections into which God is weaving His children. In the hands of a less-insightful analyst, Thy Kingdom Connected: What the Church Can Learn... Read more

I’ve been blogging for over four years now. In that time, I’ve had two addresses, four jobs and three cars. I’ve written two books, lost a parent, added a new grandson to the family tree, been to Israel twice, joined Curves twice (sigh), and have attended three different churches.  What hasn’t changed in my life? Besides the unwavering love of my Savior and the grace-gift of a patient, patient husband, there has been at least one other unchanging reality for... Read more

Another book review today!  I have to put my own bias out here: I am not a fan of “relationship” books. After working in a bookstore off and on for 4 years, I concluded that this was a one-note genre. All the books seemed to have the same basic advice and tone, no matter what the title or who the author happened to be.  That said, I didn’t have high hopes when I received a review copy of Paula Rinehart’s... Read more

This is what a first draft looks like.  After a forty year hiatus, I took up knitting recently. I have no lofty goals for this new hobby – no wooly cable-knit sweater-cap combos. I just want to create a few handmade scarves to give as gifts to family and friends. Think etsy with training wheels.  A friend who is a gifted knitter spent a morning reacquainting me with the basics. (Thanks, Marie!) The “scarf” above – and I use the... Read more

 Just weeks after the wedding last March, my new brother-in-law Larry was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent chemo and radiation throughout the remainder of 2009, and his docs told him there was no evidence of his cancer at the conclusion of his course of treatment. Just before Christmas, he contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized. Last week, they placed him on a ventilator. The couple remains committed to trusting their Savior no matter what happens, no matter what their location or... Read more

Sometimes an overarching metaphor organizing a work of non-fiction can feel a little trite or forced. I admit that when I picked up Jason Dukes’ Live Sent: You are a letter and skimmed the chapter titles, I predicted the book would be a lightweight approach to the subject of missional living. I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Dukes, a pastor, presents a valuable and eminently practical exploration of what it means to be sent by God into the life to which... Read more

Who Owns The World? The Surprising Truth About Every Piece of Land on The Planet is an encyclopedic accounting of land ownership on our globe. It is packed with fascinating facts: Did you know that Queen Elizabeth owns 1/6th of all the land on earth? Did you know that the largest private landowner in the U.S. is Ted Turner, who owns 1,800,000 acres of land? (Yes, all those zeroes belong in that number.) Have you ever heard of the British... Read more

I originally posted the basic content (below) during 2007 – and have tweaked it a bit for 2010. I love to volunteer to help, to serve, to minister, to use the gifts God has given me to bless others. You’ll note that the word “volunteer” is a verb in this sentence.    I hate to be called a volunteer. Noun.   When I was on staff at a mid-sized evangelical church, we spent a lot of time trying to figure... Read more

I need Thee every hour Most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; every hour I need Thee…. Please pray for health and safety for the beautiful people of Haiti – and for wisdom for those organizing rescue and relief (and eventually, rebuilding) operations in the country. And give what you can, to a charity or ministry you know is trustworthy. Read more

A friend asked me if I wanted to join her at a night of corporate worship at a church a decade ago in a nearby town. My friend and I were “church nomads” at that point, and we both missed the dynamic of gathering with others to worship. Neither of us knew anyone at the church, and I think we both expected a couple of hours of singing. The end. As we walked into the church building, there was a... Read more