Category: featured
-
Faith, Grace and Women Like Us
We arrived 20 minutes early, enjoying some time to talk before the concert. I had heard the artist before and was looking forward to the concert. My friend didn’t know what to expect. She had never heard him; she had just responded to my invitation. First and last She looked around to study the audience…
-
Lives That Matter
Last Friday, I was honored to co-host a celebration in honor of the volunteers of the church. Our local church has approximately 1 100 members and 700 attended the party. The staff decorated, cooked, and served the volunteers, and later on, we did a 45 minutes show, making complete fools of ourselves. There’s nothing better…
-
In the Eyes of the Beholder
”Oh no!” Her eyes were wide with horror and embarrassment. She pointed at me, then covered her mouth, before pointing at me again, obviously buying time before saying something that would embarrass me or possibly hurt my feelings. “Oh Marian… I’m so sorry, but you’ve got something on your dress… there!” She pointed at the…
-
The Steep Climb to the Pulpit
A few weeks ago, a couple of friends from Mozambique and South Africa came to visit. Over dinner they eagerly told us how they had fought their way up to the majestic Pulpit Rock, showing us the selfies to prove it. The Pulpit Rock This steep cliff rises 1982 ft. or 604 m a above…
-
Love, know, serve
The year was 1969. That’s actually a few years before I was born, but growing up as the youngest of five siblings I was blessed with a head full of utterly useless music information from years gone by. His name was Bobby Vinton… and the song was….? You don’t know? I’ll give you a hint.…
-
Honor or hype?
In an honoring culture, we often talk about cheering each other on, calling forth the gold, and encouraging people to step into their destiny. What does that mean? Are those merely words, or do they come with a content? “Is honor just another word for hype?” “Is that what you’re doing? Hyping whatever you agree…
-
Facing the Greatness of Others
I have been blessed to be spending a few days with Heidi Baker, listening to the stories of years of hard work and love laid down. I’m humbled. Honored. Moved beyond words. Undone by the faithful surrender. And I’m challenged. Because it’s impossible to be near this woman without reflecting on what love looks like…
-
Building Walls
I’ve been studying the book of Nehemiah lately. Over the years, I’ve read it many times and I know the story well. But truth be told, having a speaking engagement on the topic always serves as an invitation to dive right back into the Word with a fresh perspective. You remember the story, right? The…
-
What the Raging Waters Left Behind
Last week I told you about how our summer house was surrounded by a massive flood. Thomas and I went down there this weekend to check out the damages left behind. It’s interesting how these things affect you. We watched the media reports on how the flood progressed, recognizing the houses from the area. That…
-
Here Comes the Rain Again
We have had heavy rain in Norway these last days. Norwegians are used to all kinds of weather, except dry summers (!), so that usually doesn’t bother us. However, this time it was slightly different. We’ve had a lot of rain. Like, ‘cars and houses disappearing’ kind of rain. You know, the ‘don’t go looking…