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Canine Spirituality

In her collection of poems, “Overland to the Islands,” poet Denise Levertov reflects on the “intently haphazard” way of the dog. Let’s go—much as that dog goes, intently haphazard. The Mexican light on a day that ‘smells like autumn in Connecticut’...

Having Better Disagreements

You’ve no doubt noticed that there’s a lot of disagreement between people in our world. This is nothing new. But is it just me, or are we getting worse at handling disagreements? Here are ten questions to ask yourself if you would like to improve the quality of the...

Developing Capable Children

As many of our children are returning (or have already returned!) to school in the coming weeks, I want to share seven strategies for developing capable children from the book “Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World” by H. Stephen Glenn and Jane...

Resistance

Last week I invited you to reflect on the value of an assist. Setting others up for success, facilitating the progress of others, and enabling others to go farther are all hallmarks of the assist. In Scripture, assists can include an alabaster jar of ointment, a...

The Value of an Assist

One of my favorite plays in basketball is the assist, which describes what happens when one player passes the ball to another just before that player scores. If the shot-maker is like a parent, then the assist-maker is like a grandparent, without whom the shot would...

Stubborn Prayer

There are few things that feel better than answered prayer. A crisis arises. An illness flares. A conflict erupts. You go to prayer, asking God to intervene, to heal, to restore. And in due course, the crisis is averted, the patient recovers, the conflict is resolved....

Carefully Calibrated Distance

Every now and then, someone says something that is so true and so obvious, yet so shocking, that I can’t get it out of my head. Like a rock in my shoe, such a thought continues to irritate, trouble, and stimulate my thinking.  One such truth that has haunted me for...

The Power of an “Attaboy!”

“… And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”  Hebrews 10:24 During the two years we lived in Texas, I faithfully attended a bi-weekly Christian men’s meeting that assembled at 6:00 a.m. in a local basketball gym.  It was an active...

Three Things Never to Say to Someone Grieving a Loss

[Editor’s note: Today’s guest article, by author Brian Orme, reminds us that it’s possible to share something that is “true” and still fail to be helpful. Empathy is often the missing ingredient when we seek to comfort those grieving a loss.]  When it comes to grief...
Welcome Haylie Douglas

Welcome Haylie Douglas

We’re delighted to welcome and ordain Haylie Douglas today as our new children’s minister. We have been praying for this day for many months and are so grateful for God’s answer through Haylie. I invited Haylie to answer a variety of get-acquainted questions and hope...