When I was in 2nd grade, Miss Nelson used to have us go around the classroom by rows, reading aloud. My desk was next to a row of bookshelves, and I would pull a way more interesting grown-up book from the shelves and hide it inside the classroom readers that featured the compelling stories of Dick, Jane, Sally (oh, that Sally!), Spot and Puff. While the rest of the class soldiered on through this exercise, I worked my way through... Read more

I happened to start my new job two days before a combo retreat and leadership training sesssion, which meant I got to attend the event. It was held here. I have driven by the place no less than 7.5 bazillion times (OK, that might be a bit of a stretch) and had no idea there was another world beyond the dense tangle of trees and shrubs snuggled up against the state highway bordering the property on the south. The slim... Read more

http://www.theparablelife.com Spiffy! Read more

When I hear people talking about the stories Jesus told, I listen. I’ve spent the last few years focused on them. Yes, I’ve studied them, read lots of commentaries and sermons, delighted in contemplating them and written 2 books about them…but the true joy for me is simply immersing myself in these stories. These stories are my birthright (and yours) as a beloved child of the King. They describe His life and must define mine. This morning at church, the... Read more

Just when you think you can imagine how things are going to work in your life… …your child brings home a flea-bitten stray dog. …the doorbell rings at 2:30 a.m. …you discover a hidden stash in your son’s sock drawer …you open the envelope …you lose your balance …words jump off the page and upend your thinking …the doctor walks into the room holding your file open …you overhear a conversation you weren’t meant to hear …your husband leaves …or... Read more

I have a lot to learn about play. Again. When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me to go outside and play. Before I could come up with a reason why I couldn’t, she’d shove me out the door and lock it behind me. Literally. I was the kid who would have gladly spent my summer vacation holed up in my room, reading. The most joyous moments of my elementary-school playtime were spent working my way through... Read more

I went to the bank yesterday to deposit the check representing the money I inherited from my mom. People take checks to the bank all the time – or, if they’re like me, to the drive-up cash machine, filling out an envelope while using their steering wheel as a desk. But this check was different, and not just because I actually went and handled the transaction with a human instead of a colorful machine. I held in my hand a... Read more

Here’s the question: If you are a pastor, worship leader or staff member who receives a paycheck for your service to your congregation, would you try to find a way to do your job if the paycheck evaporated? There are some of you who’ve planted churches or started ministries, and you know what it like to do ministry AND be a barista. There are others who’ve been a part of churches who’ve experienced internal problems, and the offering doesn’t cover... Read more

Even my overactive imagination could not invent this story. This is my version of abundant life – a fun true story to celebrate the first day of summer arriving at last: I’ve only been camping once, and I didn’t even make it through an entire night under the stars. My friend Michele (one “L”, so you can tell us apart) suggested that we take our kids camping, just us two moms. Our husbands were busy working, and our respective summers... Read more

I wrote about her last October. Judie lived a beautiful, abundant life. Her dying desires were the same desires that had defined her life: She longed for her children to walk with Christ, and for the rest of us to love one another the way Christ loves us. She passed away last night. Please pray for her husband, her eight teen and young adult kids, family and large community of friends. She was my hero. Read more