Still Waters

"Mom, tell me about the time when..." 

How often I've heard this from my daughter in her growing-up years, and how many times I asked that of my own mom. We all love a true story, don't we? 

Blogging is such a great medium for sharing the immediacy of our lives--what we did today, what we're thinking about, etc.  It's gives readers a sense of real-time connection with the writer, instead of the distance we feel with articles or books, for example. 

I like that, but sometimes I wonder about the larger context of those writers' lives. Where did they grow up? What was their family like? Each of us has a story, one that made us who we are, a story that God Himself wrote with love and design. Fascinating, inspiring, no two alike. 

So I've decided that from time to time I'll share something here of my own story. It's good for me to remember the great goodness of the Lord in every step of my life, good to give Him the credit for a faithfulness that I don…

I love history…and I love biographies. So it has been a treat to begin this year with a daily devotional that brings them both together, The One Year Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten.

Each day’s reading takes me to some spot on the 2,000-year timeline since the Church began, and ties that day’s date to a significant event in Christian history. While mostly narrative, I think the authors do a good job of balancing historical context and personal story.

I like that though the book covers many of the better-know figures of Christian history (Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, etc.), there are many I’ve never heard of. For example, today’s reading (January 23), tells of Lott Carey, a black slave in 1780 Virginia who became a Christian, was able to purchase his freedom, and on this date in 1821, sailed to Liberia as the first black missionary to Africa.

I don’t know about you, but I find it so moving to read stories like this about real people. It’s wonderful to step bac…

As a new year begins, I'm always eager to set goals and make plans--it's very exciting to have a fresh action list that will aim my efforts and keep me on track.
Normally, I start by journaling in a sort of free-write style about the past year--reviewing high points & praises, failures, patterns, observations, needs. I like to do this with a free journaling program I downloaded on my computer, which allows me both the privacy I want and the speed to really get my thoughts out there.
Then from that I come up with an action list and goals for the coming year. I print out a final copy and keep in my calendar notebook so that I can refer to it often. The whole process works well and gives me a clear sense of purpose and direction.
However, I think this year will be a bit different. Less detailed, with more focus on the inner issues of my heart.
If I've learned anything from this very challenging and busy year, it's been that God wants me to follow His plan for my days, not…

January...2015. I can hardly believe how the months fly by! 

Yes, and in case you're counting, it's been months since I've posted here. My apologies, dear reader. I have missed my blog world and keeping up with the friends I have made here. I have written dozens of posts in my mind, but they just haven't made it to the keyboard. I hit the ground running in the morning and find it hard to get past the day's to-do list to do the 'fun' stuff.  However...one of my resolutions for the new year is to get back to blogging--I'll do my best to make it so!
I have rarely had a year in my life as busy and full-to-the-brim as the one just past. The short list includes:
a short vacation to California to meet some of our wonderful blog-world friendsfinishing thirteen years of homeschooling and getting all my ducks in a row to get our daughter Leesie graduateda trip back to Colorado for her to graduate with her lifelong friends, for us to see friendsa wonderful two-weeks&…