Three years ago, I interviewed Michael Phillips about his lifework of reintroducing George MacDonald's writings to the world. Naturally, thinking and writing on the topic made me homesick for the familiar stories, and so I began to reread. While curled up in my Jerusalem home, vicariously roaming the hills of Scotland, I noticed that everyone seemed to be eating oatcakes. Feeling a little jealous and a little hungry, back I went to my online ... Read More about George MacDonald and the Quest for Scottish Oatcakes
Reviving the Work of George MacDonald
Michael Phillips is the author of at least 60 novels and 20 non-fiction books. A California native, he and his wife Judy raised three sons. They also ran their own press and bookshop, motivated largely by a desire to bring the works of the Scottish Victorian writer George MacDonald, the "Father of the Inklings," back into circulation. Thirty years later, their labor of love has borne rich fruit. All MacDonald's works are widely available in many ... Read More about Reviving the Work of George MacDonald
when you don’t feel like singleness is a gift
At several key points in my life, a book has come along just when I needed it. In the last few months, there have been two: my friend Natasha Metzler's Emma and the Reasons, and Kingdom Single by Tony Evans. Some books tell you that singleness is valuable, a gift even: these books helped me to feel it. Having lived 18 years past the age at which I originally hoped to be married, I've had plenty of time to read, write, and discuss the topic of ... Read More about when you don’t feel like singleness is a gift
Novel Encouragement for Singles
Unexpected life-detours can be hard -- whether you thought you'd have ten children by now and you're not sure how to do this singleness thing, or you planned to be single for awhile and now you've lost your vision.As a thirty-something woman who is still waiting for marriage, what has made an enormous difference to me? Having a vision of what singlehood can be. I've read it in the Bible. I've seen it walked out in friends' lives, or in ... Read More about Novel Encouragement for Singles
Paralyzed by Shyness, Freed by Jesus
This would work a whole lot better if you were sitting in my living room. As I pester you with tea choices (black, green, or herbal?), heat the teakettle, and pour you a fragrant cupful in a brightly flowered Polish mug, I’d be bubbly and a little too talkative, with lots of hand motions and tales of travel and teaching and friends on three continents. If we were face to face, it would be obvious what a miracle our whole conversation is, when I ... Read More about Paralyzed by Shyness, Freed by Jesus
Why I See Hymns as a Time Capsule of Trust
The other day, my brother stopped plowing snow to tell me that the setting sun had just dropped into line with the ice-clad treetops. Outside our kitchen window, branches sparkled with diamonds against a melba and dove-grey sky. I grabbed my camera, while my brother shucked his enormous boots for me to borrow. I ran out clumsily, coat-less, still in my apron – and moved to worship.“God, you are amazing,” I blurted aloud. “You created this ... Read More about Why I See Hymns as a Time Capsule of Trust
Real-Life Love Stories to Give You Hope While You Wait
Why do I love reading love stories that really happened? Is it the part of me that enjoys real butter, homemade bread, chicken soup from scratch . . . or the fact that a little suffering creates a great big desire for authenticity? Most of all, I think it’s the fact that true stories show me another facet of our Heavenly Father. They help me glimpse how He works, and Who He is.A year ago, my dad’s baby sister – the aunt who’s a lot like ... Read More about Real-Life Love Stories to Give You Hope While You Wait
To Joey, With Love: A Movie Review
About four years ago, Joey and Rory Feek, a Country and bluegrass duo – and real-life husband and wife – were set to film a music video at their farmhouse in Tennessee. But last minute, someone made an unexpected decision: Rory was not going to sing in the video.The song they were filming was a simple ballad, written by their close friend about caring for her ailing mother. But in this rendition, Joey would play the part of the ailing one, ... Read More about To Joey, With Love: A Movie Review
How to Find Your Vocation
Your vocation: what is it?It isn’t exactly the same as your career or job, says Jeff Goins, though it may include them. Its scope is life-long: it is the theme you will return to again and again, however many times your specific job description might change. The fact that I've gone from teaching English abroad to housekeeping for wealthy summer neighbors in the rural United States doesn't have to rock my sense of calling: I just choose ... Read More about How to Find Your Vocation
How to Find the Fountain of Youth
When I was an awkward, anxious twenty-something who felt hopelessly crippled by shyness, it dawned on me one day that even a stick-in-the-mud might actually be transformed into the kind of person who joyfully welcomes new people, new adventures, and new growth in my heart.It might be possible to be born “old” and steadily grow younger.As Exhibit A, I had my maternal grandmother, the most young-at-heart person I knew.Despite the ... Read More about How to Find the Fountain of Youth
Blameless (a book review)
Where do you suppose shame comes from?I posed this question to a women's Bible class recently, and one young woman replied, "From Adam and Eve."From two leaf-clad sinners, trembling with shame in the bushes because they'd just distrusted the most loving Person in their life...and all for a bite of fruit. (Oh, tragedy: to live in shame, instead of walking in the garden with God.)So shame comes from sin.Sometimes, at least.Have ... Read More about Blameless (a book review)
Culture in Crisis
In August 2014, Thomas Umstattd, Jr. published his blog post, “Why Courtship is Fundamentally Flawed.” It sparked a firestorm, racking up more than 1,500 comments, provoking numerous rebuttals from other bloggers, and inspiring a Kickstarter campaign that led (just one year later) to a book entitled Courtship in Crisis: The Case for Traditional Dating.I read Thomas’s original blog post with interest, which quickly turned to indignation. Why ... Read More about Culture in Crisis
