I lean forward, Lord.       I wait eagerly for sunrise, for You— to see the face of Truth rising in love over my cloudy horizon.   I wait in stillness like the grass, at peace with the dew, with the shades of darkness that will not remain in daylight, at rest beside the mountains of mystery I cannot understand.   I wait in fullness, my heart open like the blooms of summer zinnias, holding nothing back.   I wait in reverence with the trees, with nothing to boast of except for the One who made me as I am, in His image.   I lean forward to see You, to know You, and to...

No sooner had I sat down cross-legged on the floor when a three-year-old girl in a floral summer dress plunked herself down into my lap and leaned back against me.     We were at the preschool children’s worship time on Sunday morning. I filled in as a teacher that week, and little Claire had met me for the first time only moments before. But, child that she is, Claire felt the need for the security and reassurance that an adult provides, and she trustingly sought them in me.   I thought of Claire this morning as I read through my devotional journal. It reflects this season in which I...

Iona.     So much wrapped up in one word: Turquoise and cobalt blue waters sparkling against a green island. Ancient monks and their monasteries. The Book of Kells. Christianity and beauty.   And music.   Last night I got to see the band whose music weaves together the mystery of foreign soil and spiritual history, the resplendence of nature and the heart’s hunger for it all in the present moment.   The timing was perfect, because my spirit was thirsty.   I needed everything they offered. Lead singer Jo’s sweet smile and refreshing-as-a-spring voice. Lyrics expressing the...

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. Luke 12:27          

Middle Tennessee is flowering. I almost hated the first mow a few weeks ago, cutting down those pretty purple weeds in the cool, deep grass. But when I did, tiny yellow flowers popped up in abundance—and I don’t mean dandelions, though they have since arrived.   The pear and boxwood blooms have yielded to leafy tendrils, and the blue skies these days are edged with layers of varying greens, topped with the soft whites and grays of tranquil clouds.   And just last week, my lavender irises opened. Which means it’s Easter season.   Easter. In that one small word is my whole world,...