Twelve days ago my husband had a medical emergency, and while he does feel better now, he is still in the hospital hooked up to various medical things, waiting for more tests and next steps. Any medical emergency is hard, and even harder in a pandemic. In our case, COVID-19 protocols kept us from seeing … Continue reading Make Haste to Help Us, O God
When I'm tired of words, I find refuge in silence. In fact, as much as I love words, praying in silence has become one of my favourite ways of praying. Sometimes it's a sacred pause to pray before a meal. Sometimes silently praying along in our corporate prayers as a church. Sometimes simply sitting quietly … Continue reading Sitting With God: Show Up, Let Go, Open Your Heart
last updated August 16, 2020 I'm not a parent, but I care about kids, families, and mental health, so I'm excited to introduce you to Bring Them Closer: Calling Parents to Courage through the Mental Health Crisis by Connie Jakab (Word Alive Press, 2020). I know Connie since we're both part of the Redbud Writers … Continue reading Kids, Families, and Mental Health
One of the few Japanese words I know is tsundoku. While it's new to me, it's actually an old word that dates from at least the Meiji era (1868-1912), and it means letting books pile up to read later. Or as we might think of it today, tsundoku is "the art of buying books and … Continue reading Reading My Way Through Tsundoku
As we enter this Holy Week before Easter, it's been four weeks since our congregation has been able to meet in person for worship, and there's no telling how long this coronavirus pandemic will last, or how many more weeks we may need to worship apart at home. While we wait, I'm grateful that here … Continue reading A Story of Faith, Family, and Forgiveness
When Judy Douglass and her husband agonized over their son and his destructive choices, they turned to friends around the world for prayer support. Over time their call for prayer turned into an annual Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day with several thousand first-names-only on the prayer list. "Almost every family I know has a “prodigal”—someone who … Continue reading When You Love a Prodigal: Banishing Fear and Leaning into God’s Love
Earlier this month, Christianity Today published "What It's Like When Your Wife is 'Christian Famous'" with brief profiles of the husbands of four well-known women in ministry. When I shared the article on Twitter I added, "I appreciate these glimpses but husbands supporting wives in ministry isn't only for those who are famous. I'm grateful … Continue reading When Your Wife’s the Preacher
When I heard about Rebecca Brewster Stevenson's new book on waiting, I could hardly “wait” to read it. I’ve featured other posts on waiting, and for my next subscriber bonus, I’m planning a short ebook on How to Wait Well. I hoped that her new book might add to my own understanding of waiting and … Continue reading From Expectation to Delighted Expectancy
April Yamasaki 