Tag Archives: Growth

2 in 1 Book/Curriculum Review: The Choice Is Yours

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Several years ago, I was volunteering in an overcrowded church nursery that included ages 0–2. A young mother dropped off her two boys, and we nursery workers looked for the best way to make room for them. Because the oldest son seemed like he would be willing to play alone, we put him into one of the cribs. He really was too old for a crib, but it seemed a good way to contain him at the moment.

The boy played contentedly in the crib for several minutes and then suddenly said, “Hey, I’m in the crib! Why am I here?”

We laughed and moved him out. But I think all of us sometimes find ourselves in a different position than we ever imagined we would be. After months or years of making choices that lead us to our destination, we suddenly realize that we did not get to where we wanted to go. Only then do we stop and cry out, “Hey, I’m here in the crib. Why am I here?” Continue reading →

When the Job Is Too Big

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Have you ever felt too little? Like the task before you was too big? Like the role you were expected to fill was too large?

Sometimes the answer is not for us to “get bigger” but for us to get wiser.

Proverbs 30:24–28 tells about “four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise.” In every case, these very little animals conquer daunting need—with wisdom. Continue reading →

Creative Christianity

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Did you ever notice that the most commonly correct answer in Sunday school is “Pray and read your Bible”? I first picked up on this in second grade.

“How can we obey God?” the teacher would ask.

Hands would shoot up. But as soon as the first person answered, “Pray and read your Bible,” the hands lowered.

“What does Jesus want us to do?” the teacher would ask.

Again, hands all over the room.

And again, first person who answered got it correct—“Pray and read your Bible.”

This answer began to seem so routine to me that I remember trying to come up with a more creative one—usually something along the lines of “Be nice to your brothers and sisters” or “Go to church.”

A few years later, I began to think that even those answers were becoming annoyingly predictable. How could the answer to every question be the same? Was there nothing more to the Christian life than “pray and read your Bible?” Continue reading →

A Pesky Question that Works

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“So, how will you use that today?” That’s it—the pesky question. And a dear, godly lady asked it to me twice this week.

All I was doing was telling her about some advice I had been given and something I was learning. It was sort of a big, vague, wonderful, and sure-to-be-helpful-in-the-future truth.

And then she asked, “So, how will you use that today?”

And I squirmed.

I hadn’t really thought that far. Actually, I was planning to use it in the future—hadn’t thought so much about today. It seemed like the sort of truth that would more clearly define itself along the way. Continue reading →

The Price of an Education

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Perhaps it was the crisp fall air from this morning, or perhaps it was the bag of apples calling from the fridge, or perhaps it was the fact that this was the first evening in over a week that I’ve had a few minutes without a specific obligation. But whatever the reason, I decided to make an apple pie tonight.

My mom makes the best apple pie ever. Of course, pie baking expertise is not absorbed by osmosis—as I am well aware. It’s the crust that always gets me. My mom bakes a perfect crust—thin and flaky. I can’t remember that I’ve ever baked a good crust in the kitchen alone. But, since it’s been years since I last tried and failed and since I couldn’t reach my mom on the phone, I decided tonight was the night for success!

I pulled out my mom’s recipe and began measuring and mixing. Yep, the flour and salt mixed together great!

As I began to cut in the butter, I called Kristy, a dear friend from out of state whom I haven’t talked with in months. We chatted as I watched what was taking place in the bowl in front of me with growing concern. This wasn’t looking quite right. In fact, it was looking very wrong. Continue reading →

The Story I Thought I Knew

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Two weeks ago, I was sitting on the second to the last row of a little girls’ class, helping with childcare during Spiritual Leadership Conference. We had already played games and spent some time on the playground, and now we were listening to a lesson.

(As a side note, one of the great blessings to me of this conference was hearing the lesson taught from our newly published Children’s Curriculum. I had briefly previewed this curriculum, but it was a joy to hear it taught and see firsthand how well the story held the children’s attention and how well they related to the application.)

Minutes into the lesson, a fourth grade girl next to me became restless and distracted. As she started talking to the others around her, I motioned for her to listen to the teacher. But with the wise nod of a fourth grader, she assured me, “I already know this story.” Continue reading →