My Dad, Dale Riddle, recently brought up a powerful experience that I felt compelled to share. Occasionally, God provides moments of clarity (which can also be moments that are perplexing and unsettling) that are immediately pivotal. We can no longer travel down the same road and are set on a different course (much like the […]
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share via email“A Tutor For Your Feelings” – Out of the Mouths of Babes
In my typical, can’t-help-myself pattern, I have been churning on the give-and-take of faith. We all want peace and contentment, but this seems to be a gift that comes on the other side of fear and adversity. It would be nice if God would just “dump” peace and joy (and all the fruit of the […]
Dare To Believe
It’s hard to describe the emotions that come over me when I think of these two. It’s easy to look at them now and forget what they have been through, but, on occasion, I’m stopped in my tracks, overcome with awe and gratitude. I had one of these moments recently, when we traveled to North […]
Whatever It Takes
My Dad and brother are currently in Cuba on a mission trip, and that has me reminiscing about my own trip there with Dad, exactly 21 years ago (we were there from January 20th-30th in 1995). There were so many memorable moments that have stayed with me and I’m eternally grateful for the experience. As […]
Anger, Embarrassment, and God’s Irritating Grace
I saw something on Facebook this morning and, as I was getting ready to make a snarky comment, I felt God urging me to erase what I was writing and pray for the person who posted it instead. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but God can be so irritating. […]
Devotion for Episcopal Diocese of Western MA
Hey, how about this craziness? I was asked to write a devotional for the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA (this surprised me, because my writing can be a weeeee bit irreverent and crude). But I was honored to be asked and it has been a joy to follow the other writers through the Advent and […]
I’ll Take the Jacked-Up, Overloaded Jensen Tree
One of my favorite family traditions is decorating the Christmas tree! And not just because I love Christmastime – the festive decorations, the music, the gifts, the sugary treats, the “over-the-top” excitement of the kids, and (most importantly!) the celebration of the birth of Jesus — I love decorating the tree because it’s a time […]
Lord, Get Me Out Of The Way
Kids seem to ask profound questions at such random times. And every time there’s a window to discuss spiritual things, I feel like I blow it. Instead of relaxing and letting their faith take shape, I let fear get in the way. I scramble for the “right” answer (the very thing I’m trying to teach […]
Good Grief
I’m thankful I was raised by “processors” and am now married to one. Life is so much easier when you don’t have to hide your emotions. When I want to avoid something (you know, when “nothing” is wrong, except everything is wrong), Keith always says, “The truth is not the problem” and then he encourages […]
Why Sit Here Until We Die?
My Dad used to preach a sermon called “Why Sit Here Until We Die?” (well, that’s not the real sermon title, but as a kid, that’s what I called it). He only preached it a few times – he said it was a “hard” sermon and he reserved it for congregations that were on the […]
