By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their…

I was completely freaking out today before our Redeeming Church Conflicts manuscript came back from our editor with all sorts of substantive changes/suggestions and a (short!) November 3rd deadline. That’s when I REALLY started to freak out. I thought for sure I’d have to cancel going to the CCEF Conference this weekend because I’d need the time to work. And how could I possibly find even PAID babysitters to help me?? Totally. Freaking. Out. And then there’s Cap’n Dave. Let me just paraphrase a portion of his (calm. cool. collected.) response to my I’M FREAKING OUT email: “I have worked through the first 50 pages and have answered the editor’s…

Scene 1. This morning, Tara stands relatively paralyzed over a mound of clothes, toiletries, camping gear, and lists upon lists. Fred leaves for work. Anxiety starts to rise and paralysis remains. Scene 2. Auntie Dianne calls and says, “I have some unexpected free time. May I take the girls to the park so that you can be uninterrupted as you pack and run errands?” A sudden rush of HOPE comes over Tara’s heart. Little by little, ziplock bags begin to be filled and labeled. Check marks on lists start to rival to-do’s on lists. Tara thinks, “Maybe. Just maybe. I can get this done before Fred comes home from work.”…

Today was an interesting day emotionally. In one way, it was extremely stressful and at times, depressingly sad. I’m coming off of two nights of poor sleep (so my mind is tempted to race) plus I was up super early trying to figure out major financial issues we’re facing. I’m feeling the weight of unpacking, plowing through mail and bills and to-do’s, all with an eye on the month of May which has some HUGE deadlines for me. I haven’t seen a friend here in town in weeks, so I had this (really dumb) fleeting thought of, “Do I even HAVE any friends?” I’m starting a new regimen of physical…

I had one of my “unprepared for a speaking event” dreams last night—I’m sure in part because I am serving at a staff meeting for our local crisis pregnancy center next week and in part because the inaugural launch of my new women’s retreat on fear is coming up very soon. These dreams are really something else. Extremely stressful and embarrassing while I’m going through them, but kind of funny in hindsight once I wake up and (WHEW!) realize they were only dreams. (Thank. God. Thank. You. God!) To scratch one of the to-do’s off of my subconscious worry wort area, I decided to use my early morning time to…

Scotty Smith gives us a great diagnostic re: signs we are growing in grace: – Less theological arrogance & greater appreciation for diversity in the Body of Christ – You work much harder at remembering names and forgetting slights (and everybody notices it but you) – Movement away from destructive cynicism towards redemptive engagement (because anybody can spew) – You’re less like a drive-by-shooting with criticisms & more of a healing presence – You receive feedback non-defensively and give it clearly & lovingly – People don’t feel like they have to walk on egg shells around you as much   – You say, ‘I’ll be prayin’ for ya’, and you…

There are many profound things that I could share from our time at the CCEF Conference on marriage this past week. But what is blazing in my mind as we rejoin the real world (cuddling with babies, changing diapers, starting laundry) was a simple moment of real grace from Fred to me that happened during the conference … I was out of lipstick. Totally out. My Clinique Surprise was down to metal and my dry lips were feeling it all the more in dry airplanes, hotels, and convention centers. So Fred said, “No problem. Let’s run to the mall during the first lunch break and get you some lipstick.” And…

Feeling tired in body (I seem to have taken Ella’s little virus with me to Indiana) and praying for the strength to serve well this evening, I read through some of the archives of Wrestling with an Angel and found so many things worth reading and re-reading. Let me share just two quotes with you and then I need to do a little more prep: “My (Greg’s) personal adaptation of Theodore Roosevelt’s great quote: ‘It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of the deeds could have done them better. The true victory is awarded to…

“The great religious struggle is not fought on a spectacular battleground, but within the ordinary human heart, when every morning we awake and feel the  pressures of the day crowding in on us, and we must decide what sort of immortals we wish to be.” C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (HT: Christian Cryder)  

Wisdom re: simplifying life from Dave Kraft (author of Leaders Who Last): – Turn down opportunities that might be a good use of who I am but not the best use of who I am. Just last week I said no to two people who offered me a great chance to do something. – Never say yes to anything over the phone, but buy time to think and pray about it. – Practice the theology of enough. I have no list of things that fall into the category of: I would be happy if______. – Ask God to deliver me from an unhealthy appetite for acclaim, approval, position, power, and…