The Place of Places in our Lives

Do you believe in “thin places”?

My friend Suzette used this term as she told me about her retreat on the Isle of Iona, off the coast of Scotland….

Do you need an in-car espresso maker?

I think I do. I love this idea.

Granted it’s dangerous, but of course I would never use it while driving—only while stopped at a gas station or…

Put a Ring Around Your Prayer Requests

I’m doing something new in my prayer life.

 The idea came from my daughter Betsy. The last time I visited her apartment, she showed me one of her…

Long Live the Table

 At 6:00 this morning, 5 friends gathered around my kitchen table.

We shared coffee and oatmeal and stories from the week. We prayed through Psalm…

The Iron Lady’s angle of repose

Margaret Thatcher is alive and well and had tea with the Queen a few weeks ago, according to an article in the UK press. I wonder if she has watched Iron…

Managing Complexity with Checklists

If you like reading about innovative and practical ideas, here’s a book I recommend: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande. The subtitle is How to…

2012 will be A Wonderful Year

 Last night our family watched It’s a Wonderful Life, as our we do every New Year’s Eve.

My favorite scene is near the end when George Bailey (played…

I think they’re on to something

Everyone wants to change the world, but how many people are actually doing something about it?

Quite a few people, it turns out. Certainly more…