March 14th was Pi Day—a day that, in the past, was hardly worth noting. In previous years, either Max or I would say “Oh hey it’s Pi Day. Too bad we don’t have any pie.” and that would be the end of it. This year, we planned ahead. My husband wanted to try his hand […]
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We claim we want to know God more, we say that we want to grow in our faith, but words are cheap. We don’t always back our good intentions with action. It’s all too easy to become complacent in our spiritual journeys, pointing to God’s unconditional love for us instead of doing the work to […]
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A few years ago, an incredible exhibit came to the New Children’s Museum here in San Diego. One part treehouse, one part labyrinth, it’s called The Wonder Sound and it was designed by Wes Bruce. When my boys and I first stumbled upon it, my eyes widened in delight. The structure is full of whimsy, […]
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Shrink it and pink it! This has been a common strategy in marketing campaigns geared towards women over the years. It has backfired on a number of occasions, most notably in Bic’s pink and purple pens “for her” which were 70% more expensive than their non-gendered pens.* The pink and purple pens elicited many snarky […]
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Jesus’ disciples were a lot like moms: exhausted and constantly surrounded by needy people. As I read the story of the feeding of the five thousand last week, I saw what was happening behind the scenes instead of the typical flannel graph telling of the miracle. Jesus had just sent out his twelve disciples two […]
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My life-changing phone call wasn’t a diagnosis, and it wasn’t a death. It was a woman who dutifully informed me that my program of study had run out of funding and would be closing immediately. “But…what am I supposed to do now?” I blubbered, only a year away from college graduation. “You can schedule an […]
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My word of the year in 2020 was “savor.” It made sense in January, in my rushed and busy-doing-good life to slow down enough to savor the small, good things of my day. And then March happened and the world shut down. All four of us were sick and we lounged around the house, resting, […]
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December is the longest month for kids. The anticipation of Christmas morning, of finally tearing into all those pretty packages under the tree has them wishing they could fast forward the days. Instead, the first thing my boys do when they come downstairs in the morning is to flip the numbered blocks on their homemade […]
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One of my favorite parts of this season is waking up before anyone else, and coming downstairs to be greeted by the glow of the Christmas tree. I sit across from it in my darkened living room and admire the halo of colored lights as I sip my coffee. The morning is new. The day […]
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Growing up as a missionary kid in France had its perks, and the local bakery (or boulangerie) was one of them. Bread is a staple in French culture, and each town or village boasted at least one boulangerie. Its primary purpose was to provide a variety of freshly baked breads, for which the locals shopped […]
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