Tag: walking with Christ

— Abiding in the Vine, Dwelling in the Land, Texas Living, Walking With Christ —

A Slightly Different Pattern

April 26, 2025

Wedding silver decades wornScattered in church kitchensThrown away by kids unknownLife in beautiful trenchesSunday lunchesEaster brunchesBirthday bunchesHospitality honed and sownDown four forks, five spoonsknives all here but onesalad pitchforks holding tooWedding set undoneBreakfast scramblesDinner ramblesDessert bramblesFamily looms and bloomsSame pattern from my memoryThe brand was Reed & BartonConfident in my scrutinyI ordered six new cartonsMassachusetts… Read More A Slightly Different Pattern

— Family Life, Poetry —

Gigi

May 17, 2024

Sheets for veils”Here Comes the Bride”Ignition offFor downhill ridesSaving pennies70’s styleBirth year quarters In grandchild pilesFlea markets Solo ServeRestaurant waitressOn her last nerveBack porch smokingHorned rimsVegas or LondonOn a whimThin sliced breadPepperidge FarmHam and cheeseToaster-oven warmedPolyester pantsTurquoise ringBarbie clothesOn her sewing machineCheer bloomers, tooGingham checkedRoyal blue taffetaHomecoming dressHot tea, two bagsCarnation creamWhipped butter spreadToast in… Read More Gigi

— Home, Uncategorized —

The Gift of Home

November 3, 2021

Robert and I are somewhere in southeast Texas right now, a middle-of-nowhere sort of place equidistant from Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. It’s really beautiful here. Not the majestic-fall-foliage beauty of New England that we’ve grown so accustomed to, but the back-road, brushy, barbed-wire beauty that is still very familiar to us. We walked a… Read More The Gift of Home

— Abiding in the Vine, Motherhood —

Missional Motherhood: Grace

May 6, 2021

Sitting around a cafe table in our local Barnes & Noble, we were drinking coffee and talking about life and motherhood. The conversation was upbeat and there was laughter. Some of the laughter probably served only to keep the tears from falling, but I guess that’s not the worst defense mechanism. These were not only… Read More Missional Motherhood: Grace

— Abiding in the Vine, New Year —

True New Year Renewal

January 2, 2019

Somehow, as a family of five (with a steady stream of houseguests), we’ve managed to live in a house with only one bathroom for over sixteen years. In 2018 we decided to change that. It wasn’t really a resolution for the new year, but it was a goal of ours to transform a dingy basement… Read More True New Year Renewal

— Abiding in the Vine, Advent —

Advent Joy: Thinking On His Flesh (And Not Mine)

December 17, 2018

85 year old country music legend (and fellow Texan) had this to say regarding the life of the mind:  “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” ~ Willie Nelson While Willie may rely on some herbal help with a happy mind, his ideas about the thought life are not… Read More Advent Joy: Thinking On His Flesh (And Not Mine)

— Advent, Holidays —

Advent Hope: Waiting For That Day

December 7, 2018

A friend called on Wednesday. The first words out of her mouth described the death by overdose of another friend’s 23 year old son – a bright and capable college senior. Our already difficult conversation was interrupted by another call. It was my friend’s own daughter, whose choices against God are causing a great deal… Read More Advent Hope: Waiting For That Day

— Abiding in the Vine —

Grace in the Law of the Sabbath: A Reminder

November 7, 2018

My friend, Jenny, posted this blog post of mine from 2011 on Facebook last week, and I hardly recognized myself when I re-read it. I’m finding it harder than ever to rest these days…to actually obey this commandment, which is one of the top TEN, or rather an important and overarching category of God’s whole… Read More Grace in the Law of the Sabbath: A Reminder

— Favorite Things, Good News —

Friday Favorites: Cooper’s Story

September 28, 2018

A few of you have either mentioned how much Cooper’s testimony meant to you, or expressed a desire to read it. Here it is, reprinted with Cooper’s permission. His baptism, along with two others that day, happened this past Sunday, and it was…well, I’m not sure I have a word for it. Cooper’s life, well-being,… Read More Friday Favorites: Cooper’s Story

— Dwelling in the Land, Fight the Good Fight —

A Battle and a Rescue: Part 2

September 13, 2018

I watched the kind man in the truck drive away to his early shift, I imagine. Not knowing quite what to do with myself at that point, I walked back outside of my dorm and onto the former boarding school campus where we were staying for our retreat. I knew Robert was walking somewhere on… Read More A Battle and a Rescue: Part 2