When Distraction Outweighs Motivation

Did you make a resolution to tackle more creative endeavors this year? Write that book? Query that agent? Paint that picture? Compose that requiem? Solder that gigantic stained glass window for your second beach house? The Usual Process If so, then you know that…

“Introduction to Poetry” By Billy Collins

There are two approaches to studying poetry: observation and interrogation. Only one leads to enjoyment. Which will you choose?

“Praise and Thanksgiving”: A Puritan Prayer

When you think of the puritans, what comes to your mind? Grim men in gold-buckled hats, and strict women who never smile? A group of religious fanatics who upended their lives and families to move to colonial America? That’s pretty much what I thought…

My Best Piece of Parenting Wisdom

This week I had the privilege of sending a letter to a sweet friend who’s expecting her first baby. She and her husband are absolutely wonderful, and their families are fantastic. She’s the last person who really needs parenting advice from someone like me….

“Earth’s Crammed with Heaven” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

According to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who see and those who don’t. We all enjoy the same universe around us, but our reactions depend on whether or not we see God’s signature in the mundane.

Masterful Poems: “Pied Beauty”

I don’t know about you, but springtime always draws me to praise the Creator. It must be something in the air (apart from the pollen). Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem “Pied Beauty” is a wonderful tool that leads us to praise the Creator of all things dappled.

“Passing and Glassing” by Christina Rossetti

Aging is inevitable, but aging with grace is optional. Rossetti uses mirrors and fading flowers to contrast two views of growing old.