I am watching my husband play basketball, sitting on metal bleachers in the YMCA gymnasium when I hear her calling my name; old enough in body to be my mother, young enough in mind to be my child. She looks up at me earnestly and we half-shout at each other to be heard above the noise of the annual Fire Department vs. Special Olympics basketball game. (In all the years of playing, the firefighters have been mysteriously unable pull off a ... Read More about Before Epic, Be Kind
Inspirational
“You are loved with an everlasting love…”
“‘You are loved with an everlasting love,’ that’s what the Bible says, ‘and underneath are the everlasting arms.'”If you, like me, grew up listening to “Gateway to Joy” on the radio every morning, you knew the next line was going to be, “This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot.” That soft, deep voice would proceed to tell you what she would be talking about with you today. And it was always biblical, profound, and pertinent.My mom, grandma, ... Read More about “You are loved with an everlasting love…”
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
The Lens of Freedom
She was basically invisible. And, when people did notice, she was looked at with disdain. Society shunned her. They only saw her mistakes and it was their own constructs that kept her ostracized and unwanted. She was imprisoned by shame and guilt and fear and old habits that followed her around like a five o'clock shadow.She was the woman at the well.By the time she encounters Jesus, she is used to being slighted and cast off. She has ... Read More about The Lens of Freedom
Choosing Joy in the Rain
I looked at blue skies and knew the clouds were coming soon. I marveled at a shadow cast across my floor and wondered how long it would last. I saw an autumn scene and saw only gray, ignoring the greens and browns and reds of the trees. I saw the world half empty, the glass barely even watered.Moving from the deep south into the Canadian Raincouver created in me a loathing of the rain, a tendency to see the negative without acknowledging ... Read More about Choosing Joy in the Rain
riding out the “storms of guilt”
I’m really good at keeping the commandments. You know the ones: you shall not murder, shall not covet, shall not misspell someone’s name, shall not miscommunicate, shall not go more than two days without washing your hair, shall not take a wrong turn, shall not eat junk food, shall not sleep in, shall not wear white after Labor Day, shall not forget a friend’s birthday. These are the laws our religion was founded on and I take them very, very ... Read More about riding out the “storms of guilt”
skip the identity crisis & choose freedom
If I could write a letter to myself ten years younger, I wouldn't write wistfully: you have zero gray hair! you aren't yet jaded by burnout! you have so much enthusiasm! I know now how much joy will come wrapped up in the painful lessons of life and I will almost pity the shallow happiness of my early twenties. I wouldn't lecture, but I'd have some hard questions for my younger self to answer. . . (a letter to my younger ... Read More about skip the identity crisis & choose freedom
What is Weightier than Guilt?
I read something in Scripture that surprised me this morning. That happens less often than I'd like to admit, because God's Word should surprise me more often. Sometimes I think my surprise barometer is broken. Between the beckoning magazine rack, newspaper, social media feeds, I hear a lot of things each day that should probably surprise me, but often my reaction is skepticism (or worse, cynicism).Because I've noticed this, I try to trim out ... Read More about What is Weightier than Guilt?
It’s Not a Small World: Lessons from the Ballpark
It’s a small world after all…I can't remember the first time I heard that well-known song from Disney's iconic ride.My earliest childhood memories are running up and down Main Street USA, in Disneyland. At the time, my father, Jerry Narron, was a catcher for the (then) California Angels. The team received free Disneyland passes, where we played as a young family probably once a week. The fun of my childhood, however, was primarily found ... Read More about It’s Not a Small World: Lessons from the Ballpark
Guilt vs. Grace
Earlier this year I was struggling with guilt. I mean, really struggling. Nearly every day there was some sort of failure in my life, something I wished I’d done better, some area I didn’t measure up to my own standard.I got impatient with my toddler.I didn’t keep the toys picked up.I let the bathroom get dirty.I was frustrated with my husband for no good reason.All those things happen on a regular basis if you’re a sinner ... Read More about Guilt vs. Grace
Breaking Free from the Clutches of Unauthorized Guilt
My mother-in-law gave me a beautiful Dutch oven for Christmas. Because I had been watching consecutive episodes of Food Network shows, I felt expert in using such fine cooking equipment.Until I read the instructions.Cast iron is intimidating. You can’t put it in the dishwasher. Can’t let it air dry. Can’t allow it to change temperatures too quickly. I read the instructions twice before daring to use the thing.I wish when I had been a ... Read More about Breaking Free from the Clutches of Unauthorized Guilt
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)
