Thoughtful Thursdays

In reading through the Old Testament again, I keep noticing something I noted first several years ago. So often, God reveals His power to the world, and not just to the Israelites. He demonstrates his majesty to people great and small from all the nations. I love...

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending my great-grandmother's 100th birthday party. Most of the family was there, including some of her great-nieces and nephews that I've never even met. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to come and celebrate this amazing milestone. I...

You know, life these days is pretty crazy. We're all running, running, running, trying to keep up with this and that and the other thing, with kids' activities and our own, with our complicated lives, jobs, church commitments, you name it. Rarely do I have a season...

I never considered myself a scientist. Growing up, I wasn't the type to take toys apart to see their inner workings or do my own experiments. When I went to St. John's College (The Great Books School), I didn't quite get it when they said that the most important thing...

I was a kid. I don’t even remember how old, probably about ten. My parents were in charge of the youth at our church, which meant I spent a lot of time there. My favorite thing to do? Slip into the quiet sanctuary and just be there. With no milling congregation, no...

First, thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday--I had an amazing day! Now on we go. =) Sometimes reading the Old Testament can be baffling. We're told that the Lord our God never changes, that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yet when we read about...

I'll be honest--the week turned pretty crappy on me. I had a couple nasty-bad days there. My first response? Wallow. Only, it's hard to wallow with kids and a hubby who need me on my game, with a gazillion books still needing sent out and edits pending on the...

The Dentist by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622 I can say in complete honestly that yesterday evening was just terrible. As in, took me all night to recover. Why, you ask? Because my daughter has a loose tooth. Now, Xoe has lost four teeth already, and they were FINE. No...

First, I'm a guest today on Inkwell Inspirations, musing on how the Lord calms our storms. It's one of my favorite insights (even made its way into Whispers from the Shadows!), so do swing by! The Child Handel by Margaret Isabel Dicksee Now, I'll be honest. I didn't...

The Dance Class by Edgar Degas It's a crazy-busy week around here right now, with everything from kids' checkups to Xoe's follow-up at Johns Hopkins on Monday. We have ballet rehearsal, ballet recital, I have a book talk on the free night between those...I've got book...

Baby at Play by Thomas Eakins, 1876 As a mama working from home with two home schooled kids, one of whom is only kindergarten aged, I know a lot about interruptions. People frequently ask me, "How do you get anything done?" And in answer, I usually have to shrug....

Tuesday night/Wednesday was, let's say, not great. When I went to bed at 11, I'd meant to set my alarm for 5:30 but forgot. I wanted to get up early to write, but I'd been waking up early on my own, so I figured I'd be fine. At 1 a.m., a very distressed "Mommy!" woke...

Anyone who knows me knows this title is not about my house. 😉 As I stood in front of my stove cooking dinner (mark it on your calendar!) the other night, with my head still in my novel (not rare enough to be noted, LOL), I got to thinking. I'd just written an...

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, painted 1883 by Jean-Léon Gérôme My church has been doing a study of the book of 1 John leading up to Easter. It's such a rich little book, full of the foundations and mysteries of faith. And as I read it and study it out, it does...

In our home school reading yesterday, we were reading the continued tale of the life of a Prussian missionary to England, George Müller. In the part of the story we got to, he had just gotten married to the sister of a British missionary, and together they had made a...

My computer is going blind. Which is to say, its video card is failing. It's annoying on a good day--it won't play video, crashes any time flash comes up--and kinda terrifying on a bad day when the screen just blinks out and then doesn't recover quite as it should. I...

The Little Potato Peeler by Albert Anker, 1886 I want to be like a potato. Aside from the fact that they don't have hourglass figures, that is. 😉 But every time I reach for one in dinner prep, it hits me anew. I want to be able to sprout no matter where I am. No...

For Christmas, my little guy got some Legos. He's got great fine motor coordination and will sit there and happily build some fun things. But last week, he just couldn't get the pieces to stick together like he wanted. And from happy builder he turned into wailing...

For some reason that I can't quite explain, 4-year-old Rowyn has decided that Heaven = Outer Space. There is no hesitation in his mind. When he talks about going to Outer Space, it's to drop in on God and say, "Hello." Preferably in a rocket. That, he says, is where...

Lay thy sweet hand in mine and trust in me by Edmund Blair Leighton Sometimes I think the world inside my head is a very strange place. Full of double-think and a pendulum of balance I knowingly employ to keep myself cheerful. A fair amount of rationalization when it...

Little Girl in a Blue Armchair by Mary Cassatt, 1878 Though this isn't exactly the insightful post I'd hoped to start the new year with, it's a necessary one. Yesterday I got a call from one of the ladies in my Bible study group. We have a couples group that meets...

This time of year, if you want a study in eagerness, all you have to do is take a look at children. Okay, if mine are the example, then looking at them anytime will give you a study in eagerness. =) At times, all that anticipatory energy can be exhausting. But...

I'm happy to say that this year (as opposed to most years), I'm nearly done my Christmas shopping already. I have a few things yet to pick up, but all the tricky ones are handled. I'm feeling on top of things there. Mostly. 😉 And as I talk with my kiddos about the...

The Prayer by William-Adolphe Bouguereau  Two weeks ago I brought up callings. And in the responses I got, I realized that I probably should have used different terminology, because while what I've been thinking about does encompass that lofty idea of "my...

Christus bei Maria und Martha by Allessandro Allori, 1605 What's your calling? A few simple words, but a whole world of meaning, isn't it? To what has the Lord called you? It doesn't have to be something grand. He could have called you to accounting. To farming. He...

Ironing Women by Ivana Kobilca It's so easy to point fingers, isn't it? From something as small as "Look what you made me do!" to the bigger "Don't blame me--I voted for the other guy." This is a problem I've recognized in myself for years--not so much in politics,...

Whisperings of Love by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1889 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another,for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”~I Peter 4:8 I just read these words in my daily reading time and they struck quite a chord.  Perhaps...

Par-tay! (Also known as Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir, of course) Last week in church, in the course of our conversation in class time, one fella said something that struck me as so very true: God doesn't want to bless us a little--He wants to bless us...

Degas's The Millinery Shop - don't ask me what this has to do with my topic today, LOL. I guess hats are a blessing? Yesterday as I emailed my best friend, I shared with her a little sermon I've been preaching to myself all week. The subject? Blessings--and how we're...

High Expectations by Arthur John Elsley Tricky things, aren't they? Expectations. On the one hand, we're told to expect great things, especially from God. On the other hand, they can lead to disappointment. Take, for example, these two opposite quotes: I don't have...

I had a nice, insightful post planned for today. Filled with brilliance (ahem) and thought and pondering a scripture that jumped out at me. I was just beginning to delve into the contemplation required for it when an adorable little face appeared beside mine....