verb (used with object) to take or receive (something offered); receive with approval or favor: to accept a proposal. Me Like it’s that easy. Like the something offered is something I want, because I know there is no accepting only part of You. Can’t you see how full my arms are already? You Even as … Continue reading Accept
I know a lady who is waiting to die. She has been waiting to die for a long time now. She decided, years ago, that she was done living. She was tired. She had had enough. She just didn’t care anymore, and she was done. She just wants to be with Jesus, as she puts … Continue reading How we are all waiting to die
i. There are ways and ways of seeing. What you choose determines what you know. Like a woman sitting, talking to a Man in the heat of the day. Some see an enemy, some a threat, some a harlot. The woman herself, a nobody. But she is a chalice, a spark. She is seen. … Continue reading Senses
One of my favorite scenes from The Hobbit is at the beginning of the story. Bilbo is comfortably ensconced in his hobbit-hole, safe in his routines, his full pantry, his book, pipe, and chair by the fire. Unexpectedly there is a knock on his door, and then another, and then another, and on and on. Into … Continue reading A Dangerous Business
You were the only two ever to know true paradise. What was it like to wake every morning with no fear at all, to go throughout your day with only joy, wonder, beauty, pleasure in your work? What was it like to know your man only in harmony, as your beloved, your best friend? Till … Continue reading Scared
“Watch to see where God is working and join Him.” Reading this sentence from Experiencing God as a bright-eyed college student excited me. Yes! Here I am! Pick me! Send me! My head was filled with visions of missionary work, maybe living in a hut, maybe toiling over a Bible translation late at night, maybe working … Continue reading Join
“I worry too much. Autumn trees ask me not to worry. They, like Jesus, suggest trust rather than worry. So often in autumn I want to go lean my head against a tree and ask what it feels like to lose so much, to be so empty, so detached, to take off one’s shoes that … Continue reading Listen
You stand between your people and a raging sea. An army chases you. The crowd shouts, demanding, panicked, angry. They wail. They accuse you. Yesterday you were their hero. Today you wonder if they might toss you in those frigid waves. You stand at the edge of a pit, looking down into deep shadows. Feline … Continue reading The Problem of the Gift
We ask hesitantly, in the dark, ashamed. We ask brazenly, shaking fists, enraged. We feel guilty. Or demanding. Or justified. We seem to think God is shocked at our why, taken by surprise. Perhaps a little miffed. But I wonder if this is true. Most of us have had experience with children asking endless whys. … Continue reading Why
View from the Valley 