I don’t usually share my prayer writing, but in the spirit of Michelle’s 31 days of authenticity. . . here we go! 10.1.13I believe that God shows up first.  God’s been here before I even thought about it or knew that it was a pronoun, or knew that it was a word.  God’s preemptive; a…

“You might not want to eat that fourteenth Oreo.” “You should stop at that colleague’s office today.”“You should sign up for that volunteer event at church.” We all have “voices” inside our heads.  Think you don’t?  Pretty sure you’re arguing with yourself about it right now.  To shore up the uncomfortable nature of these cues,…

Yesterday I walked out with my muddy shoes to dig the last of the potatoes and realized. . . it’s over.  The brown dried plants and barren mud seemed extra quiet, like a concert yard littered cans after the booming music clears and dancing bodies have exited en masse.  One lone pumpkin is all that’s…

I thought the joy of Doritos Locos Tacos coming together couldn’t be rivaled.  When two things I love–that are separate–find a way of marrying, it just rocks my socks. Similarly, thi Saturday I couldn’t wait for two of my favorites, On Being, and Nadia Bolz-Weber to get together for a radio-show recording first date.  The…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to change the world.  Maybe not so much change the world, as somehow matter in it.  Or maybe even more specifically, to have mattered to someone. A friend told me recently that in a large group setting a speaker asked how many in attendance could list…

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Genesis 3:6 I was pregnant the first time the…

One of the best parts about this summer has been the moment when my toddler, Charli realizes that dad is home from work.  The excitement bounces out of her little body as she bops up and down saying, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”  She grabs his leg, hugs him close, and kisses his cheek.  While it’s fun…

The above cornerstone makes the intent clear of the St. Benedict Center in Schuyler, Nebraska.  I just got back from a couple of days there at the board retreat for the state affiliate of the National Writing Project.  It’s core value sounds like James to me, “The Best Teachers of Writing are Writers Themselves.”  This organization believes that…