I watched a movie with my daughter tonight. It’s a favorite of hers, and a very old story. It was first known as Taming of the Shrew, and then Kiss Me Kate and for the more recent generation, Ten Things I Hate About You.

Julia Stiles plays “Kat”. I like Julia Stiles, she’s just cute in a very frank and fresh way. The actor playing opposite her was adorable too. He had a winning smile and a charming accent. I gave myself over to the story set in high school, enjoying familiar music (more my time than my daughter’s), knowing where the plot was going and not expecting any surprises. Read more »

In the beginning…Eve is the first woman. Eve was deceived, she and Adam disobeyed God. Sin and death were the result.

But God knew and had a plan, and part of the amazing goodness of this plan was that he allowed our salvation, our hope, our redemption to come into the world the same way sin and death came into the world: through a woman.

Having a baby boy at Christmas was a remarkable opportunity to wonder about Mary and her privilege, her honor, her responsibility, her journey. Read more »

God the Father sent Jesus. Jesus knew the plan ahead of time. When the time came Jesus asked, Is there another way?

He wrestled with his father and then moved out in obedience. And he did some pretty stupid stuff. Read more »

Doug told us last Sunday Jesus wants us to be stupid, which is pretty evident if you listen to some of the stuff he says, Jesus that is, not Doug. Read more »

Doug was pretty funny Sunday, don’t you think? He told us he thinks Jesus wants us to be stupid. Nice.

Just how stupid does Jesus want us to be? Read more »

Did you read a Glance at Grace, April edition? Good, so you know Doug wrote about the church as a hospital not a museum….

So the idea of church as a hospital… Jesus answered some folks who were criticizing the company he kept by saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Ever wonder why the people in church sometimes seem nastier than the people outside the church? We’re the sick. We’re sinners. We’re here because we’re broken, sick, we need help, healing. Read more »

Jesus asked, What do you want?
… to see
…we brought you our friend so that he might walk
…I’ve bled for 12 years
…my child is sick
…my brother is dead
…we are oppressed by the heathen Romans!

He answered, Your sins are forgiven. Read more »

We are faced with many choices, many opportunities. It could be exhilarating to imagine and explore all the possibilities before us, but often it is daunting.

If you struggle with perfectionism, if you fight fear, then the choices before you morph into a minefield. Where should I go? What is the next step? Will my next step lead me down the path of righteousness or will my foot be blown off?

Could someone please just show me where to go and what to do? Read more »

I have been considering my destination and the path that must be traveled. A path that is often very difficult. A rough road. Read more »

My last blog, Mapping a New Route, finished with my heart’s desire for kids, yours, mine, but not just them, it’s my heart’s desire for everyone really. That we would live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.

So you might label my ultimate destination as Hope. Or perhaps completion in Christ. And I want to find the roads that will lead us there. Read more »