(xaris and shalom)

I've been listening to Taylor Leonhart's lovely new album, Hold Still , on repeat.  (You should definitely avail yourself of the pleasure!) Belly of a Whale particularly captured my heart.   ...but You cannot resist Your tendency to save me from myself... ...but You cannot resist Your habit of forgetting how I fail... These lines struck me as a gentler, less cynically ironic rendition of some of my favorite words that the prophet Jonah spoke: "I knew  that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster."   They also reminded me of the words that we pray each week in my church: "You are the same Lord whose character is always to have mercy." What a remarkable truth.  There are times when, like Jonah, I find myself wishing that God wasn't quite so  merciful, because it is not my nature to always have mercy.  It's my character to run out of patience and graciousness, to wa

I know, I know, we're not really anywhere near the actual season of Advent yet. (Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash ) But Kicky is 39 weeks old today, which means that she is abundantly welcome to show her face any time.  And I've been thinking about Advent.  Thinking about how eager I am to meet someone who I haven't seen yet.  Thinking about the wildness of trying to count down to something that I don't know the exact time for -- just "soon."  Thinking about how hard I'm working to keep short accounts, because I don't want things in a mess when she does show up. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy... (1 Peter 1:8) He who testifies about these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) Pay careful attention, then, to how you live -- not as unwise people but as wise -- making the most of the time, b