• Uncategorized

    Cooler Master NotePal

    This post has absolutely nothing to do with peacemaking or Shalom or gospel relationships or anything like those topics. This is a simple product recommendation because OH MY STARS! If you have a laptop that tends to char your lap with its heat (like I do), this may end up being the best $20 you spend this year … Fred just purchased for me the Cooler Master NotePal X2 Laptop Cooling Pad with 140mm Blue LED Fan and I absolutely LOVE IT. We actually purchased it for purely practical reasons–even when propped up on books to try to keep the air circulating, my laptop kept fritzing out due to being overheated.…

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  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    The Reason Why Human Community Has Unraveled Everywhere

    From Tim Keller’s The Community of Jesus: In effect, God is saying, “The reason why human community has unraveled everywhere; the reason individuals are at war with individuals and families are at war with families and nations  are at war with nations; the reason all of that is happening is because when your relationship with me unraveled, all other relationships unraveled. And when a relationship with me is restored, that restores all other human relationships.”  

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  • Sin & Repentance

    Making a Career of Nothing

    My notes from Cornelius Plantinga’s Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin: To what extent are we making a career of Nothing (wandering through malls, killing time, making small talk, watching tv until we know the characters better than our own children)? This sin robs the community of  our gifts and energies and shapes our lives into a yawn at the God and Savior of the world. “The person who will not bestir herself, the person who hands herself over to Nothing, in effect says to God: you have made nothing of interest and redeemed no one of consequence, including me.”  

  • Redeeming Church Conflicts,  Relationships & Peacemaking

    The Life of God in the Soul of the Church: The Root and Fruit of Spiritual Fellowship

    I just finished reading Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile’s new book cover to cover (couldn’t put it down!) and I strongly commend it to you: The Life of God in the Soul of the Church: The Root and Fruit of Spiritual Fellowship This is the review I put up on Amazon:   “Pastor Anyabwile has been one of my favorite contemporary churchmen ever since I first read his books and blog, listened to his sermons, and heard him speak at a Peacemaker Ministries conference. I am truly grateful to his family, his beloved church family at First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman, and IX Marks, for making his wisdom and insights available…

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  • Uncategorized

    The Root of Humility is Knowledge

    JC Ryle, Commentary on Luke: Do you want to know the root and spring of humility? One word describes it. The root of humility is right knowledge. The person who really knows himself and his own heart, who knows God and his infinite majesty and holiness, who knows Christ and the price at which he was redeemed, that person will never be a proud person.  He will count himself, like Jacob, unworthy of the least of all God’s mercies. He will say of himself, like Job, ”I am unworthy.” He will cry, like Paul, “I am the worst of sinners” He will consider others better than himself (Philippians 2:3). (HT: Z) 

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  • Uncategorized

    Spanish Version of “Living the Gospel in Relationships”?

    We are so grateful that my first book, Peacemaking Women, exists in Spanish and we’ve received a number of requests for my video series to be dubbed into Spanish too. The only thing stopping this project is finances—so we are applying for a grant to fund it. As a part of the grant application, we’re supposed to include stories of how people are impacted by the materials, so I was wondering if any of you might have a testimony or story about how Spanish biblical peacemaking principles have helped you personally, and/or your family, community, church, etc. (Or why they are needed.) If so, please drop me an email and let me…

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  • Hope in Suffering

    One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally …

    Given the seriousness of my mother’s diagnoses, we are all tentatively doing our best to say important things and discuss difficult topics. Like death. And life. And love too of course. Last night, I looked up one of the very first poems I memorized as a new Christian: John Donne’s Death be Not Proud. It is still as poignant today as the day I first read it as a teenager. But its power is really best experienced by reading it out loud. I encourage you to do so. Especially the last four words. They have rung out in my heart for 25+ years now: Death be not proud, though some have…

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  • Uncategorized

    Thanks for your continued prayers …

    I really appreciate the texts and emails and comments you have left for me letting me know you’re praying for me and for my family as we are facing some hard conversations (and eventually some hard decisions) about home healthcare, assisted care, etc. etc. The honeymoon phase (hah!) of the immediate medical crisis week has passed and we’re all trying to just get as much accomplished as we can, while staying patient and kind toward one another too. You know family stuff! Parts are great. Parts are hard. Nothing like family to bring out the best and the worst in us. Happily, I’ve had HOURS AND HOURS of organizing and…

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