Blog
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Watercolor Wednesday: The value of work
My parents both grew up on farms in the Midwest of America. Both learned the value of work, that continual work wrought by cows that need to be milked every day and animals fed and watered. They instilled in me the satisfaction of a job well done, whether a clean carpet or a writing project.…
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Devotional of the week: Spot the fruit (14 in Fruit of the Spirit series)
…Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:1–17) We come to the end…
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Watercolor Wednesday: Stopping to pause
Just a few brushstrokes and a painting is born. I don’t have the confidence to paint in this way, but I appreciate others who do. Flowers bring beauty into our days, as we stop to pause, breathing in their scent and taking a moment to reflect. I often post photographs on my Intsagram feed of…
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Tina Brown on writing and editing: The Vanity Fair Diaries 1983-1992
As I wrote in a previous post, I read Tina Brown’s Vanity Fair Diaries with some fascination and yet a sense of repellence. Two areas in particular gripped me: the first, her take on editing and what makes good writing, and the second, her thoughts as a Brit living in America on finding home (which…
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Devotional of the week: Christ’s supremacy (13 in Fruit of the Spirit series)
…bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks… (Colossians 1:9–14) Paul probably penned the letter to the church at Colossae from prison in Rome, although scholars don’t agree on…
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Finding Happily Ever After in Britain
The interview of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after they got engaged captured me, the memories flooding back of my engagement to my own English prince (using that term loosely). We too recounted our love story, clasping our hands and sharing with smiles the thrill of how we met, eager to share the details that were crystalized in…
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Devotional of the week: Think on these (12 in Fruit of the Spirit series)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:1–9) As Paul reaches the end of his letter, this series of standalone statements feels like he’s trying to remember everything he wants to…
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Five Minute Friday: Inclusion and embrace
The royal wedding is just over a week away, when an American will again enter the royal family – this time, I trust, with a strong welcome. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to be representing both cultures in their celebration. For instance, the invitations were printed on English card with American ink. Their wedding…
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Watercolor Wednesday: Roses to delight
This Sunday, America and some other countries (for example South Africa, I believe) will celebrate Mother’s Day. Not Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent that is observed in the UK, but the holiday that falls on the second Sunday in May, as I explain in Finding Myself in Britain. Mother’s Day was first celebrated…
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Devotional of the week: Love in action (11 in Fruit of the Spirit series)
…this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:1–11) The apostle…
