BLOG––Encouraged by Faith

What is the mightiest tool I possess? A keyboard? A recipe for spaghetti puttanesca? A seemingly pointless Master’s degree in Slavic studies? These meager resources seem insufficient to tackle the task at hand––namely, raising three boys from childhood to boyhood, and...

When I was in my early 20s, I almost moved to Florida. At the last minute, I changed my mind, repelled by an abundance of older residents whose lives did not show any evidence of transformation or improvement. Despite their maturity, so many seemed short on character and wisdom.  It was...

This has not been my most successful year. My family has experienced a great deal of stress, some preventable, some out of our hands. My prayer life has suffered. I can’t seem to push past shallow, two-minute pleas at my most distracted moments of the day. I am floundering in my...

Most people actually do quite a lot of work without monetary compensation. It’s true. Mothers raise babies, students and retirees outnumber employed people and there are always unemployed people seeking work as well. How do their lights shine?  You are the light of the world. A city...

Sitting in the worship service, looking around at others, I may only see ordinary people, but if I look closer, with eyes of gratitude, I may catch a glimpse of a higher truth. I am part of something truer than what my tired eyes are taking in. God has transformed his people into impressive...

Many of us will be going back to work this week after the holidays. It takes mindfulness and practice to fully commit to serving God at our jobs. How do you stay focused on this objective?

Working God’s plan My husband is fast approaching retirement. Many of his cronies are calling it quits. When we were younger, there was always a wedding to attend. Now it’s all about retirement parties—predictable celebrations filled with glorious remembrances of triumph and...

  After picking up Chinese takeout recently, our kids were reading their fortunes. I don't remember exactly what Evan's fortune said, but it had to do with success (as fortune cookies often do). He asked us, "What is success?" What followed felt like a Spirit-led conversation...

Just a little over a month and a half ago, my sense of smell returned for the first time in a year. I pulled the top off a pot of steaming broccoli and opened the oven to remove baked salmon and I ... could ... smell ... them!!!!!!   I was reduced to tears––as I...

During the Christmas season, my mind naturally drifts toward the account of Christ’s birth in Luke 2, and the lines from Isaiah, Micah and Amos. The belief in the incarnation of Christ is at the very heart of the Christian faith, and without it, we would not have the death nor...