June 2010
11 posts
Naming the Animals
I’ve always thought it weird that the first thing we teach babies is to name the animals. I mean, really, is that at all practical for a kid in the suburbs for whom a duck sighting is seriously big news? Why don’t we teach them to identify food items they might want so badly they’re willing to throw a tantrum. I, for one, would benefit from that kind of baby knowledge.
I was...
Why Everyone Needs a Wife
I’m reading A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom right now. It’s exactly what you’d think it would be, a historical account of the plight of the wife. Fascinating. Maybe I’m biased, being a wife and all.
Last night I found this in the chapter on the medieval period:
“In many German towns and cities, one of the requirements for full mastership in a guild was to...
A Tree by a River
Having grown up in Florida beside the gulf, I’ve never understood the “tree planted by streams of water” image in Psalm 1. We don’t have trees by our water. Our water is salty and aggressive. But inland, we have massive trees thanks to wet soil.
Here in Texas though, things are different. Texas trees are short. Blame hardly any rain and empty expanses of land that...
“When I shop, the world gets better, and the world is better, but then it’s...”
– Confessions of a Shopaholic
I watched this movie again last night and felt all weird and sad when I heard this line. Because it’s a little true for me. Things are better when I’m shopping, when I find the perfect thing at the best price. I feel so good.
But then I go home and I wear...
London's Lament
God.
GOD.
You make it hot
For me. For Eve.
We no like it hot.
This morning, pulling into a parking lot, I took the keys out of the ignition and, in a moment of stillness, heard these words from my eldest daughter, a two-year-old.
At first I wasn’t sure I’d heard what I thought I’d heard. Did she just say “God”? But then she yelled it, “GOD!” and I...
I Want It
Today I felt like Esau.
I took the girls to downtown Austin this morning on the metro rail. Which was fun and exciting but a serious commitment since the train drops off at 9:00 a.m. and doesn’t start running again until 3:45p.m. We spent most of the day at the Austin Children’s Museum milking cows, building houses, being silly. The fun lasted all day—no naps.
After that VERY long day, driving...
Engineering Service
I decided yesterday morning to be on the lookout for someone to help, as many needy someones as I could cram into a day. I decided that on the longest day of the year I would do all I could to shine God’s light into the lives of others. Chase daylight.
But then I went into Target, crossed seven items off a list and hopped back into the car, beaming because I’d purchased a perfect new...
The Me I Want To Be
I finished The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg last week, a sprawling almost encyclopedic book about allowing the Holy Spirit to make you into your best self. Ortberg describes the ideal life as one that’s “in the flow,” drawing from John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
It’s a good...
Memorable Scenes
Justin talked about “making memorable scenes” at church Wednesday night, a concept he got from Donald Miller. He talked about how forgettable life can be and how important it is to safeguard our moments from being forgotten by making them unforgettable. I liked the line about “life off the couch.”
What I thought was so cool about this lesson, beyond the fact that...
Telling Stories
I grew up in a family of widely acclaimed storytellers—my grandfather the patriarch to a brood of loud, hand-flailing, comedians and dramatists. Growing up I hungrily listened to stories about high school romances, crazy neighbors, and camp adventures. I’d listen to the same stories again and again, and then I’d ask for more. Everyone did.
My grandfather’s stories about...
We're Here.
So, we’re here in Round Rock, Texas. The movers arrived on Tuesday (after we’d been in our apartment for almost a week) and the internet guy came last night. I’ve unpacked most of the boxes, and Justin’s been hard at work crafting a sermon series for the next few Sundays. The girls seem to be adjusting spectacularly well—although London still refuses to call this our...
