Love Brightly

I’ve had many thoughts and responses to this election season, but here are the ones that have steadily remained from start to finish:         1.   Racism still exists and still inflicts new wounds daily. 2. I’m thankful for the progress of racial equality in America, I’m hopeful that it will continue, and I believe that our country is a place where this is possible.  3.  There are long-term effects of racism; it would serve us all better if we acknowledged this rather than dismiss it. 4. Not all republicans are racists and not all democrats are baby murderers. People need to stop reinforcing these ridiculously false narratives. 5. Just because something doesn’t affect you personally, doesn’t mean it isn’t real or true for someone else. 6.   Having empathy for someone else’s emotions—listening, validating, seeing it from their perspective—is an act of kindness and love. 7. Feelings are a real and good part of our humanity, but many times ...

I’m an advocate for using social media to mobilize the world. I encourage people to use their voices because they CAN make a positive difference!   But… like every progressive technology, there are losses that come with benefits. Instant information at our fingertips makes us become intolerant of things that take time. We now have a world who shares an article before reading it, who tweets a quote without investigating the context, who gathers information from memes, Wikipedia, and spliced YouTube videos, and who believes any version of history that supports their already framed opinions.  To make matters worse, we have a generation of church goers who say they represent the Bible while not having read it, and studies show that only 9% of those claiming to be Christians hold a viewpoint that is in line with what the Bible actually says. Put that together with instant public forums, and we get a cacophony of opinion-generated memes that exalt and entice pu...

A unexpected final bloom. How marvelous is a rose?! Even a short smell activates the happy sensors in the brain and increases the body's immunity! Is it just me, or does it require more faith to believe that this beautiful, fragrant, therapeutic gift of nature happens by chance than to believe it is intended here by a loving Creator who cares for my wants and needs? God, just like the rose, is available to meet my needs, all that's required of me is to pause and allow it. "Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts..." Col. 3 

Friday school mornings mean we listen to a soundtrack while doing school work. Today's selection was Wicked.  During lunch we had a great conversation about presumptions and assumptions. The kids realized that trouble began with the prejudice of Elphaba's green skin. "No one took the time to get to know her...they were afraid of her because she was different...the good things she did weren't seen as good...people thought she was bad..."  When I asked them to apply that to real life, it didn't take them long to make connections.  So timely.  Skin color = obvious.  T hey concluded that you have to get to know someone before you assume what they're like.  They took it even farther and decided they wouldn't judge what other people have to say about Hillary or Donald, but that they would listen to their own words, and that they would have to be careful of who was relaying those words and context--because other people's assumpti...

These are some of the richest moments of parenthood. A big thank-you to my friend and colleague Samantha, who articulated her precious moments so well and gave me permission to share them with you all here. May it encourage you as it has me. One morning, I put down Jesus Calling for Kids with a sigh. My kids look bored and it’s not worth the eye rolls. “Why does it say pretty much the same thing over and over?” the eldest asks. They haven’t been into Bible stories lately, either. We’ve read them all. "Let’s read Charlotte's Web today, instead” I suggest. They eagerly agree. A few chapters in, I recognize the Gospel in Charlotte's web. One creature doomed from birth to die, another acting as savior, coming down from above--from a spiderweb, to be exact. I pause, closing the book and using my finger as a bookmark. "How does this story remind you of the Bible?" I ask the kids.  Silence.  "OK," I venture, "how is Charlotte's W...

I was inspired for our family to read aloud the Declaration of Independence this 4th of July. The inspiration came from a few different sources, including a conversation with my grandma about a trip to the Texas Capitol in the "old days." I mentioned this idea to Karl and my parents, and they were for it! The Declaration has such out-dated language (which I hope one day the kids can understand with ease), but until then, we'll read a thought-by-thought "translation." This practice evoked deep thoughts for me, and will spark good conversations so I thought I'd share with you as well.  Download for free at bottom and/or read here.  Original English in blue,   today's English in red italics. Painting in Independence Hall, Philadelphia (personal photo I took when we visited) _________________________ IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessa...

Our last day in Bologna was full of friends, dancing, and joy in the streets! Can't Stop the Feeling--Bologna Summer Mission from Keri Armentrout on Vimeo .