Today, July 15, 2023, is the first anniversary of the publication by Koehler Books of my book HEARTSPOKEN: How to Write Notes that Connect, Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire. I couldn’t possibly have known on that exciting day that I would be launching a #HeartspokenMovement and getting my message into the hands of hundreds of readers […]
Book Review: Mary Magdalene Revealed
UPDATE July 2023: I originally posted this review in 2021. Now it seems especially timely as a renewed debate rages over the role women should play in the Church. After Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders meeting in New Orleans in mid-June 2023 voted to amend their constitution to disallow women from serving as a pastor […]
View from the Bench: Late June at Riverwood
I began this series to teach myself to be more observant by exploring a small piece of the world right outside my door at different times of the year. You can do this yourself from anywhere—a country home or a city high rise. It’s a micro-exploration! Wednesday, June 28, 2023 – 7:30 am Eastern Daylight Time I took my coffee out […]
Should We Bring Back This Edwardian Tradition To Our Note Writing?
Smell is our most primitive sense. You have experienced its connection with memory when the scent of pine or cinnamon takes you back to a childhood Christmas or a particular perfume reminds you of your grandmother. There was a time when letter writers used the power of scent to make their correspondence even more compelling. […]
Join Me On An Armchair Pilgrimage
UPDATE: If you’re reading this after the 3-week Aidan’s Way pilgrimage is over on Lectio 365, it will continue to be available from the 24-7 Prayer website so we can return to it any time. This month, June 2023, “Lectio 365’s” founder, Pete Greig, is taking listeners along on “St. Aidans Way,” a three-week, 300-mile […]
Is “Work-Life Balance” a Myth?
For years, I bought into the idea that I could separate my professional life from my personal life and that if I were as smart as I thought I was, I could figure out how to keep them in balance. After a few more decades of living—and repeatedly failing to accomplish that elusive goal—and the […]
Book Review: The Reading List
Review of The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams5 stars Published in 2021, this book was a lovely, heartwarming story that all book lovers will enjoy and appreciate—an outstanding debut novel. The author’s parents are Indian and English, so she renders the Indian characters and the London setting beautifully. I read the print book, but […]