Since I started blogging, I’ve seen many other blogs come and go. Some were created for a specific time and purpose with a limited life span. Others fell into disuse and eventually closed. Some bloggers grew tired or disillusioned or… Read More ›
Scripture
How to Pray for Your Enemies Even When You Don’t Want To
What does it mean to pray for our enemies? For the terrorist taking many lives in response to other grave wrongs, for the known or unknown assailant afflicting apparently senseless violence, for the thief who breaks into your house in… Read More ›
Faith in a God Who is Bigger than Our Fears
On a weekend off, there’s nothing better than a good book, and this weekend, I immersed myself in Redeeming Ruth by Meadow Rue Merrill (Hendrickson, 2017). As she says in her book trailer below, Redeeming Ruth is an adoption story. But more… Read More ›
Journeying with Jesus Through Holy Week
Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday as we do every year, with the children waving branches and everyone in the congregation singing, “Hosanna!” It’s a way of re-telling Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem that’s recorded in all four gospels. As the… Read More ›
Waiting for Resurrection
I love to connect with readers, and was thrilled to receive this email comment recently from Shelley K. Hill of Second Baptist Church in Chester, Virginia, reprinted here with her permission: I am one of the teachers for our Lenten… Read More ›
How to Start a Small Group
Get motivated and get the word out. Instead of giving up something for Lent this year, I decided to start a small group that would use Christ Is for Us. After working on the book last year, I was eager to share… Read More ›
Christ at the Heart
I love the cover of my most recently published book, Christ Is for Us: A Lenten Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary. The dusty blue background seems appropriately subdued for Lent without being overly solemn. And the word, “Christ,”… Read More ›
Christ Is for Us Even When We Face Deep Division, Disability, and Death
Titles have never been my strong suit. I used to write regularly for a Christian newspaper, and no matter how hard I worked on the titles for my articles, they would inevitably be changed in the editing process. Today when… Read More ›
How to Pray Powerfully for Peace
I’ve written before on praying for peace and how to pray for peace when you can’t find the words, but I’m still wrestling with how to pray for peace. If faith the size of a mustard seed can move a… Read More ›
The Fragile Beauty of Marriage
A few weeks ago, I published my review of Dorothy Greco’s Making Marriage Beautiful. “But what does that mean?” asked a friend with a puzzled look. “Isn’t that like saying soup is wise?” For him, somehow marriage and beautiful didn’t go… Read More ›
Curious, Puzzled, and Holy Listening for God
When I heard that Upper Room Books planned to publish a spiritual formation resource that combined lectio divina, prayer, yoga, aromatherapy, and journaling, I felt both curious and puzzled. Curious, because I’ve written for the Upper Room daily devotional guide; because the Upper… Read More ›
Introducing and Celebrating Christ Is for Us
Two weeks ago, I introduced my latest book in an adult education session at my church. I love seeing Christ Is for Us available to order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Cokesbury, and at my local Christian bookstore and coffee shop, House of James. It’s… Read More ›
How to Make Your Marriage Beautiful
As a pastor I’ve read my share of books on marriage, met and counseled many couples preparing for marriage, and I’ve been married to my husband and best friend since the first Star Wars movie was released (and yes, for those… Read More ›
One Word for 365 Days of the Year
I’ve been trying to find just the right word for 2017, since I loved wonder as my word for 2016. I read I Asked for Wonder by Abraham Joshua Heschel, and found much to ponder in his writings: “Prayer clarifies our hopes… Read More ›
The Best of 2016 From April Yamasaki
As I look back on 2016, I’m so grateful for all of you readers–thank you for liking, sharing, commenting, emailing, following incognito, faithfully reading every article, or just dipping in here and there–THANK YOU! It’s always a guessing game to… Read More ›
