So I’m doing this sermon series at Tiny Church in which we’re looking at those great “Sunday School” stories we learned as kids—or didn’t learn—and (hopefully) finding something fresh and deep in them. I should have called the series “Beyond Worksheets and Coloring Pages,” but anyway… I had people submit their favorites, so we’re doing […]

Some friends of mine are creating fantasy to-do lists. I’ve decided to limit mine to summer—I have a Life List but it’s too unwieldy to distill down into an actual post.
I also snuck in some things I will actually do this summer, and some things I have a good chance of doing, along with stuff […]

The author of this children’s book is a friend of mine from college and is truly one of the most interesting people I’ve ever known. He’s a computer programmer who doesn’t own a smartphone and has never used Facebook. He’s a Presbyterian who lives in Austin and makes his own shoes. When the motor on […]

Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

In January I led a workshop at Mondo Presbyterian Educators’ Conference in God’s Country. The schedule allowed me to take two workshops during my off times, and I resolved to take one “frivolous” one. […]

Before the status updates begin… we’ve been doing some shifting in our dining room. I’ve talked for a while about doing something with that room, and finally decided not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good… so I turned the room into an art and craft space, just using the furniture we […]

Through a series of scheduling quirks and pleas for extensions, I have seven writing assignments due in the next month or so. Unfortunately I only have two official days set aside for writing, plus whatever time I can MacGyver into my schedule. One of those days was today.
Simply stated, I can’t afford to procrastinate this […]

So I’ve written before that Monday is project day with the girls. This can be simple (fingerpainting) or more complex (sewing a purse from a kit). Yesterday the girls and I decided to make the star flashlight shown here.

It is very simple to make, but it was a comedy of errors. First, did you know […]

Works of Heart: Building Village Through the Arts by Lynne Elizabeth and Suzanne Young
I saw this book some months back in my hippie catalog and finally got around to reading it. What a fun book about different ways that artists have used their art to bring people together for the betterment of their communities. There […]

Several weeks ago I read this article about a writer, Stephen Elliott, who gave up the Internet for a month.
It was a neat read—I find myself wanting to quote the whole thing though…

So what did I do during my month offline? “You must be getting so much done!” was the refrain I heard constantly. That […]

So I am looking through my files for writing exercises to do in class tomorrow, and I ran across this little thing I wrote for a preaching/poetry class in seminary. Unedited. We had to write something that took place in our mother’s kitchen, and as I recall, it had to incorporate a color and something […]

During Lent here at Suburban Presbyterian Church, we are exploring the creative and liturgical arts, with classes and speakers dealing with storytelling, iconography, dance, visual art, writing, and so on. The theme is “A Beautiful Thing,” inspired by the story of the woman anointing Jesus and his declaration that “She has done a beautiful thing […]

Long day, tired, just time to do one quick practice, a poem in response to “Apology to the Wasps” by Sara Littlecrow-Russell, from the September 21 show click here to read it; scroll down
No Apologies
Your What’s that? had always been met
with silky wonder, the unrolling of
a sacred scroll, explanation, unhurried;
This time the answer interrupted the […]

I receive The Writer’s Almanac in my mailbox each morning. I must confess that while I unsubbed from the daily scripture e-mail before M was born and still haven’t resubbed, I never miss the daily poem from the Writer’s Alamanac. It’s the only *daily* devotional reading I do.
Right now I’m sitting in a Panera, having […]

A few weeks ago, our presbytery had a luncheon to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women. It was one of my “take M to work” days, so I schlepped her and all of her stuff to the church where it was held—one of the closest ones to Suburban Pres. Still, I arrived […]

Things I might like to do
if/when I have the time
and/or money
and/or kids that are older and less dependent on me:
–go on pilgrimage to Iona next summer with members of the church, rather than just being the staff person doing the legwork at this point
–Spanish-language immersion in Guatemala for 2-3 weeks
–MFA in writing at Seattle Pacific […]

It hasn’t been edited, it really doesn’t have much of a beginning or an end really, and I’m not sure what the point is, or even if there needs to be one.
—–
This morning C was showing us some hand signs. “This means stop, this means go, this means dude.” I didn’t even know she knew […]

Well I finished the scarf today, and wrapped it in a piece of flip chart paper, taped together with mailing labels (which I looped and hid under the flaps of the wrapping–otherwise, unsightly), and tied with the last stray bit of the Eros yarn. All in all I was proud of that little bit […]