It’s been six months in the making but today we launch the Bible in Three for others to hear! I thought I’d share a few thoughts on how and why the Bible in Three came about. Several years ago, I felt this nudge to create a podcast. I didn’t know what I would talk about or how it would happen but I just felt it was something I needed to do. About a year ago I had the opportunity to be a part of our church’s podcast But Wait, There’s More. It was really rewarding to sit across from my…
Beth Moore and Our Own Knotted Up Lives
I was first introduced to a Beth Moore Bible study as a young mom nursing my firstborn. I could barely do the homework, let alone arrive on time for class, but I sure could listen to her videos as she encouraged and equipped women and made God’s word accessible. Fast forward a few years, and I recall my heart ripping in two—and it still does when I think about it—when she was told to “go home.” Her dignified response was telling. I did not surrender to a calling of man when I was 18 years old. I surrendered to a…
A Bouquet of Flowers
“I have an idea.” That’s how most of my out the box proposals begin. Whether it’s banking the savings our grocery store receipt boasts for a family vacation or insisting we put the television away for the summer to “create more than we consume”, I’m never short of on what if scenarios. This time, however, I was approaching my friend, the painter and visual artist. “Teach me to see,” was my ask. Me—a writer who claimed to paint pictures with words but struggled to stand in front of a painting for more than sixty seconds—was asking for an extended art…
Reflections of a Pre-Teen Bible Study
A year ago, my daughter Charlee and I participated in an online Bible Study for pre-teen girls. Each Monday for eight weeks we would log on to listen to some amazing women help girls and their moms study the Bible. Though the entire experience was rewarding, the moment that moves me a year later is when we they encouraged us to pray together mom and daughter. As I looked down at my daughter, freckles dancing across the bridge of her nose, her eyes scrunched tightly, her hands sincerely clasped. This moment stirred something within me that took a year to…
Wonder
Yesterday, I witnessed wonder-in-action through my friend Linda. I saw her ponder how an artist would procure art supplies before such resources were easily available. My mind didn’t know to think that way. Haven’t we always had tubes of paint and canvases aplenty? No time to contemplate my naïveté, because Linda’s wonder was replaced by curiosity. We stood before a canvas so tall and wide that not even my best point and shoot iPhone skills could capture the entire canvas. “Where do you start?” She vocalized. Hmm. I guess I never thought about the fore-vision required for art. The questions…
This I Know
When did weakness become our enemy? I’m not sure. Did it happen when excellence Became our friend? We sing, “Lord I need you. Oh I need you…Every hour I need you.” Then we close our hymnals and walk out the door. Our needs forgotten Or simply metaphor. When did the “all-sufficient-one” become reserved for our greatest needs? I’m not sure. Did it happen when we moved from Spirit-led to strategy? We gave science and reason a front seat And left faith behind. Coming to Jesus for our needs And a little bread and wine. When did communion with God become…