Category Archives: Writing
My First Podcast Interview
On Hints of Gladness, spiritual director and coach Rod Janz interviewed a number of spiritual directors about contemplation. I was thankful to be one of them. In our conversation, Rod asked what contemplation means to me and what it looks … Continue reading →
The Cross I Take Up and Lay Down
Then Jesus said to them all, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” –Luke 9:23 What does it mean to take up our cross and follow Jesus? Plenty has … Continue reading →
The Little Girl at the Window
“I feel so vulnerable,” I said to my spiritual director on the day I clicked publish. “Even though I sense from God and others that my writing is significant, something in me feels the risk of putting it out there … Continue reading →
In the Heart of the Beloved
When readers open my new book, I invite them to open it up and flip it over. In the introduction, I wrote: Look at the whole cover. Take in the beauty of the image: vibrant pink, glowing edges, green stem, … Continue reading →
It’s Your Turn
For the past few months, I’ve been revising blog posts for my third book. I’ve hunkered down to do the grunt work of publishing: formatting, footnoting, acquiring permission from a photographer and poets, and designing the cover. I used to … Continue reading →
My Wild and Precious Life
Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism gave me the courage to schedule more time for writing. My third book won’t get published if I keep trying to fit it in around everything else. “Everything else” includes my non-negotiables–spending time with family and … Continue reading →
The Journey of an Everyday Pilgrim
As I was preparing last week’s post, I felt nervous. I loved the concept of becoming more aware of God’s felt presence in my body, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to maintain the practice. What if this … Continue reading →
Doing Things that Don’t Spark Joy
I tend to avoid doing things that don’t spark joy. These jobs end up at the bottom of my To Do list and don’t make a fuss until a deadline pinches them and they squeal. I groan. Oh bother. Do … Continue reading →
Being Vulnerable
“How can you be so vulnerable?” readers have asked me over the years. That question makes me nervous. Am I too vulnerable? What criticism have I invited? Then I hear from these askers the most common response to my honesty: … Continue reading →
What You Didn’t Know When You Woke Up That Day
Last week, I was in a classroom in Austin, Texas, where a girl who was apparently going through a really rough spell at home wrote a poem that was definitely tragic and comic both, about—everybody was yelling at her in … Continue reading →
An Everyday Pilgrim 