The patient one
Life is a constant stream of contradictions—things to hold on to, to let go of, to fight for, to give up. We’re told to try harder, to give ourselves a break, to loosen u... »
Marie Alvero
The art of encouragement
As I write this a very good friend of mine is struggling with wave after wave of hard news. Her husband has been laid off from a job he held for 27 years, she had a suspi... »
You don’t need a guru
Not long ago, my social media exploded with the news that a high-profile couple had announced their divorce. This power couple had established a following as “relationshi... »
Christmas reset
Last Christmas I was a few months into a new job. My new office was an hour from my home, my hours were from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and I worked on Saturdays. I was alw... »
The mystery of less
Do you ever feel like, in order to meet your own expectations and those of others, you’d have to work relentlessly, push through the tired, ignore the stress—and you stil... »
Back to basics
I was standing in the checkout line at one of our local stores and noticed the lady ahead of me was wearing a brightly colored T-shirt with a Bible verse on it. Then when... »
Love, actually
Every year, at Christmastime, my husband has to endure my private tradition of watching Love, Actually.[[Richard Curtis. Universal Pictures, 2003.]] The movie weaves toge... »
The joy of community
Today I get the privilege of hosting five families for dinner. We’ve known each other for the better part of our lives, and tonight we’ll all come together in joyful comm... »
The choice
Maybe Peter thought he was going to stump Jesus when he asked the question “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?” He wanted a nu... »
The Peacemaker
When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount,[[See Matthew 5–7.]] one of the most quoted orations of all time, He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” So what is a peacema... »
Great faith
For most of my life I’ve described my faith as a “Jesus-loves-me-this-I-know” type of faith. Jesus said He loved me. The Bible tells me so. I didn’t have a lot of questio... »