Purpose
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confessions of the world’s worst barista
Note to 1995-coffee-house self: NO MATTER WHAT, ALWAYS PUT THE CARAFE BACK UNDER THE AUTODRIPPER BEFORE YOU PRESS “ON.” Even if that old crank with the bad hair fusses that her bagel is charring in the toaster, even if your boyfriend is chatting you up for free coffee, DO NOT FORGET THE CARAFE. Of course,…
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why you’re headed toward harvey helper burnout (and what to do about it)
I’m a muddy mix of post-Harvey feelings. I bet you are, too. I’m grateful my neighborhood was spared the worst so we can be out there helping our city. I’m heartbroken over other’s losses. I’m also worried about my friends facing down Hurricane Irma, but I’m not sure how to help them. I want to…
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want to help Houston? 6 things to know
However, I’ve noticed that not all types of “helping” are encouraging or even useful—I’ll list a few actions later that are extremely needed, but first, here are three things that we could use your help in stopping: Outside armchair quarterbacking and social media “outrage” over whether things are being done the way you would’ve done…
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waiting on a storm and preaching to myself
Between Monday’s eclipse and getting kids back to school, it’s already been a strange week. Now, with Hurricane Harvey bearing down on us here in Texas, we’re all throwing our schedules out the window and getting prepared. Storm prep is a bit sobering—last year’s devastating floods are still fresh on people’s minds. However, one good…
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what house are you building?
This week I posted on Facebook with regards to events in Charlottesville, VA, “I pledge not to look away, not to offer the cop-out of “It’s complicated” as an excuse for doing nothing. This white supremacist garbage is straight out of hell, and we’ve got our work cut out for us as the body of…
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Keep Waiting and Be Brave
On Saturday I waited in a crowd at the airport International Arrivals gate. Our numbers grew, as did our wait time, but we weren’t unhappy. True, we were all a bit anxious—various members of our group kept popping up onto our toes and craning our necks to see down the corridor—but it was the good…
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love far beyond any weakness
This summer I’ve gotten the chance to know Victoria Adams, a senior religion major at Baylor University who is interning with the youth ministry at our church. She recently shared a message with our middle school group about how God can meet us in our place of weakness and remind us that we are His…
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garden thoughts
As a non-gardener, I’m easily impressed with those who have a knack for all things green and growing. I wrote about childhood memories of my dad’s garden earlier this year, and though Dad’s not raising a crop of squash and pumpkins at the moment, he does tame the woods with his chainsaw until it’s an…
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A Letter To My Kids
This weekend I set out to revise an old article on how parents can teach their children about God, thinking I’d post some things that worked when my kids were younger and add some new ideas for older kids/teens. But it dawned on me in the process of looking through my material that I’m not exactly…
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i am pauline
Ever want to share an experience, but when you try, it’s like you’re back in grade-school writing a theme called something like “Why It’s Important to Help Others”? For weeks, I’ve been trying to synthesize my thoughts following a three-day outreach project I did with Caroline, my daughter. It would have been simple to post…