Listening to an orchestra is one of my happy places. Except I don’t listen to an orchestra. I listen to French horns and trumpets, snare drums and cellos, timpani, violins, flutes, trombones, oboes. Music is richer when you hear each instrument that makes it, tuning in to their individual parts, listening to their unique sounds, […]
Tuning In to the Orchestra of Relationships Read More »
Whether it rises from a congregation in a chapel or drifts in multiple languages across the carnage of no man’s land, Silent Night is a Christmas carol that wields with its soothing melody and reverent words a remarkable power to unify. Whether that unity lasts, though, depends on us. Bits and pieces of stories I’ve
Err in your methods or measurements for a loaf of sourdough bread and what went into the oven a promising ball of dough might come out a brick. Ever feel like prayer works the same way? That without precisely 50 grams of humility, 75 grams of submission, 200 grams of faith, 167 grams of gratitude,
Is Effective Prayer Like a Loaf of Sourdough? Read More »
Meltdowns. They don’t just happen at nuclear power plants. When life jostles your equilibrium and stretches your nerves like a brittle rubber band around a bundle of circumstances it’s too small for, it doesn’t take much to turn you into an emotional Chernobyl. One wrong word, one hiccup in your plans, one miniscule irritation and–BOOM!
Handling a Challenge with Balance Read More »
Gratitude is not a four-letter word. We’re so saturated with platitudes about it that, especially when life leaves much to be desired, it feels like one. Anyone in a crisis is prone to flip “The attitude determines the altitude!” off their shoulder like a bug. And then glare at it. I have. But that doesn’t
“For the Beauty of the Earth” Read More »
“Can you hear me now? Good. Can you hear me now? Good.” Little did I know watching those Verizon commercials as a teenager that the journey of choosing God–and it is a journey, not a pit stop–would play out exactly like them. “Do you choose me now? Good. Do you choose me now? Good.” At
Choosing God When It Feels Like He’s Not Choosing You Read More »
If the answers you expect when you pray could fill a vessel like water fills a pitcher or like wheat fills a sack, if you could physically handle a literal quantity, what size of container would you bring to collect them? I think I come to my prayers with a cereal bowl. On a good
What Do You Expect When You Pray? Read More »
What’s the hardest thing God ever asked of you? To bury a loved one? Endure sickness? Wait? I could list a few experiences he’s allowed me that have been and still are no picnic. But in all the storms, his most exacting command is not to endure the waves that crash over me. It’s to
“Master, the Tempest is Raging” Read More »
Many Christians display in their homes their answer to Joshua’s admonition to choose whom you will serve. It’s the same answer Joshua gave. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” At our house, we declare it on the doormat outside our front door. Perhaps at your house it’s hanging on a
Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve Read More »
Paul counsels that we be not unequally yoked with unbelievers. It’s most often applied to marriage, and this post isn’t breaking the mold. I’m aware I’ve never been yoked, equally or otherwise, with a spouse, so don’t worry. I’m not about to tell you how to be equally yoked with yours. These are just thoughts
Equally Yoked: An Unmarried Pianist’s Perspective Read More »
