I’d send a thank you card to whomever introduced me to art journaling–if I could remember who it was. Maybe there isn’t a “somebody who introduced me to art journaling.” Maybe it was God. Maybe she knew I needed it. I’ve been keeping some form of journal…
Category Archives: Essay
Confessions of a Book Smuggler
I have a secret. Actually I have several of them. One in every haunt. If it’s a town I frequent—somewhere I lay my head of overly big curls more than once a year, you can bet I have one there. Let’s see…there’s one at the beach in Atlantic City, North Carolina, one in…
How are the Boys?
“How are the boys?” It is the question I’m most often asked. It is a kind question, it demonstrates that the inquirer knows me, knows that I’m a mom, and wants to demonstrate that he or she cares about my kids. Generally, I obey social convention and say, “fine.” And on some level that…
What if we gave up the guilt?
Yesterday we at White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleighwere treated to the final lecture in a series of discussions about incarnational theology. Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop, http://marciamountshoop.com/, has beautifully served as our summer theologian in residence for the past month and I am sad to see her go. Maybe a little more so because she,…
Music Like a Family
I have struggled mightily to locate an adequate metaphor for the family, picking up and tossing away paltry images. A puzzle is too one dimensional. Yes, like a puzzle, our small family of four is a whole that fits together, each piece required in forming the complete picture. But we depend on and play off…
Christian Meditation: A Call for the Church to Come Home to its Roots
Mindfulness. Meditation. Stillness. Say these words in a room full of Christians and the reactions are not likely to be (a) warm, (b) fuzzy, or (c) welcoming. To many Christians—tolerant mainline Protestant Christians even— these words inch awfully close to the line. What line? You know the line. The line between what’s Christian and what…
Show Don’t Tell: On Loving by Showing How
You may have noticed a dry spell on Honest Conversations. O.k. More than a dry spell. I took a little writing break and stretched some other creative muscles—my crafting muscles. And in doing so, I’ve had great fun with my boys. I’m a huge believer in the power of creativity to bring joy and attention…
