I‘m all about  value efficient writing. I understand the value of editing. I can, when I choose, cut words and phrases and even paragraphs. I know that good writing isn’t redundant. But good teaching is. “It is good for us to say these things again.” It’s a phrase that shows up in a letter Paul […]

My boss and I hadn’t talked at length for a couple months. It was summer. We both had vacations and conferences and workshops and many good things. As we were looking toward fall, I was feeling a little lost. I walked into his office one day. I asked him to go down the hall with […]

She stopped me in the hallway on Sunday morning. “Can I stop by this week?” she asked. “I think I just need a reminder of what I’m doing.” I’ve known her for awhile. She’s working hard to apply her understanding of what it means to follow Jesus in the many parts of her life. She knows […]

Some friends gave me some new coffee cups the other day. They are small. They are from Ethiopia. They are for the coffee ceremony. My friend said her husband uses a travel mug while he’s working in Ethiopia. She said that these are the opposite of travel mugs. These are sit-still cups. You sit still […]

I don’t use proverbs very often, wise sayings, pithy statements. Sometimes they feel cliche to me. Sometimes they lack originality. Sometimes I notice the exceptions more than the rule. Sometimes I prefer the snarky one-liner. Sometimes I’m not very wise. If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a […]