• Grace in Daily Life

    Only Christ Satisfies

    My wonderful pastor recently reminded me of something I shared with him months ago … I was having a stressed-out, exhausting day and to try to “soothe my harried soul”, I began picking up and organizing. (Some of you might find that strange, but for those of you–like me–who find a trip to OfficeMax or the Container Store to be fun fun fun, you know what I mean.) Anyway, as I was straightening and organizing and working on my “lists of lists”, it hit me that maybe, perhaps, just maybe, I should pray. You know, actually turn to the Lord instead of to organizing to try to regain some calm…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    When Someone Mistreats You

    Earlier this week, I was hurt by a friend. My hope and expectation was that she would demonstrate her care for me by asking about my life, giving me a quick call, or just dropping me a note to say hello. Instead, it seemed as though every interaction I had with her was “task related.” That is, she would ask me about something, for something, or just reply to kind of a work-related request of my own. Of course, it’s nice to have people treat us well by taking an interest in our lives. But when that “good good” becomes an idolatrous demand (“You’d better treat me well or else…