As our culture grows more and more polarized and brokenness seemingly ever-present, I find myself aching for a world without pain, sorrow, and death. Aching for a world in which truth, beauty, and goodness flow like a river throughout all relationships and creation. Each morning as I begin pushing the pedals of the running machine, I am aware of my hunger to escape the discomforts of the Now with a “fix” of the transcendent. Even creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now awaiting its restoration (Romans 8). Just as hunger points to the reality that we were made ..read more

I sat in a circle surrounded by 39 other retreaters. One of my favorite teachers was in town from South Africa to lead the retreat for spiritual directors, and I felt completely spoiled to be in attendance.  Trevor opened our first session by asking us to walk around a large quilt in the middle of our circle adorned with different images and choose a picture that invited us toward it. It was a practice to help each of us synthesize our state of being in life in an image and a few sentences.   I had been conversing with God for some time before the retreat about my tendenc ..read more

Five days a week, I begin my day in the gym. This has become a sacred space for me as I commune with God and recenter my mind and body on my purpose for being in this world. Two years ago, I developed tendonitis in my shoulder. Over the following 18 months, it seemed to spread through my body like a virus. I developed tendonitis in both elbows and in one of my Achilles tendons. The clincher came when I developed tendonitis in my right hip flexor last fall. That was a new spot for me and my pain levels were barely manageable. As I came to the end of my usual healing resources, acupuncture came ..read more

Several weeks ago, I led my formation hour class (aka Sunday school) at church through an ancient guided prayer practice called Lectio Divina, which means divine reading. Lectio Divina makes space to meditate on biblical passages and encounter God in them. In Opening to God, Benner writes, A better starting point for an adequate understanding of the breadth of prayer is to view it as communion with God. Communion includes conversation but is much broader. Because it involves union, not just closeness and connection, it also entails much more intimacy than mere conversation. We are, as Paul ..read more

I love order. I’ve seen my passion for order birth beauty and goodness. Like when I bring together an array of freshly picked herbs, garlic, and other ingredients to prepare an evening of feasting for those I love. The way I can plan a meal and merge together a host of ingredients in a specific fashion to evoke experiential euphoria brings me deep joy. I bask in the joy it brings to those indulging in the meal as well. This is one way I have tasted and seen the beauty and goodness that my love and penchant for order can bring into the lives of others.  On the flip side of the coin, I ha ..read more

I walked behind them through the Target parking lot. She was a young momma holding the hand of her seemingly two-year-old daughter. The little girl had a slow and steady gait as she laboriously lifted her back foot and swung it through to plant it before her in a Frankenstein sort of way. Her mom offered her stabilizing hand and patient heart, sauntering beside her little girl with eight-inch blond pigtails that flared out the sides of her head with personality plus.  As I enjoyed watching this little one’s steady plodding, I was struck with the realization that Jesus was once her size ..read more

Gil’s eyes filled with tears as he shared, “Lisa, I’m so glad for this time together. I’m never going to forget it.” Gil and I had spent the previous evening feasting together with friends, sharing stories, laughing, and playing. It was a rich gift of fellowship as my time with these dear ministry partners came to a close.  As I returned his sentiment, he wiped a tear from his eye, apologizing for crying.  “I cry often,” he confessed, seeming a little bit embarrassed.  “I do, too,” I offered, wanting him to know that I am a friend of tears and that his tears won’t discomfort me ..read more

Two weeks ago, I officiated my first wedding. Mike and Emily are a couple to whom I’d grown beautifully attached during months of pre-marital counseling, but I had never dreamt they would invite me to officiate their wedding. When they did, I felt honored and excited.  Their invitation also felt weighty. I took seriously the responsibility of leading Mike, Emily and their guests through one of the most significant ceremonies of their lives. As soon as I accepted their invitation, my mind went into action—thinking about me.  What if I botched their day? What if I messed up and looked ..read more

Cole and his hurry-tendencied mom This season is demanding. My plate is full of tasks and I struggle to figure out how I am going to create what I need to create to meet upcoming deadlines. I have found myself either hurrying or feeling hurried inside, which took me back to this post. I needed a gentle reminder. Perhaps it will nourish you as well. Reposted from April 16, 2020 Dallas Willard taught that hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day and that one of the foundational ways to care for our souls is to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives. I was introduced to his t ..read more

“Look at me somersault, mommy! Look at me jump! Look what I can do with whipped cream, mom” “Look at me.” From the time my children began talking, they were beckoning me to look at them. I learned swiftly they desired more than being seen. They desired to move me. They hungered for a positive response.  If I didn’t respond to what I was seeing, they continued inviting/demanding until I responded. For them—looking would naturally flow into a positive response. They knew they were seen when my seeing them evoked a response. This experiment of an interchange between a mother and her infant ..read more