markmanry

Good fences make good neighbors. I didn’t realize that Robert Frost is actually questioning this neighborly proverb in his poem Mending Wall. As two men come together to mend a stone wall, it’s the neighbor who utters the possible wisdom. Though many forces threaten the existence of a fence — the earth below, animals, hunters — this neighbor seems certain that its these structures that make good neighbors. The man who speaks the story wonders if it’s true. He says, before I built a wall I’d ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom […]

[bl]O[/bl]n the 26th we reached our two year mark of being home. Bitter sweet are these milestones that have us looking back and forward, praising God for where he’s taken us and where we’re going. Home. There really is no place like it. The smells, the people, the patterns, the food. I know home isn’t a place that brings everybody joy. For some, it’s been the environment of pain, abandonment or abuse. May God continue to redeem this for you, creating new places and people to call home. For me, home is like a blanket that wraps me in everything […]

[bl]T[/bl]here’s been an increasingly obvious sibling tension running through our home. There’s always been a power struggle between the boys. Dear friends, they are. Rarely separated, nearly like twins. But they’re not. One is older and one is younger and those seventeen and half months create a distinct sibling rivalry. The older – the one who sets his ambitions high — just wants to be good…and right…at everything. The younger one is tired of comprising, and isn’t too young to express it anymore. But more than getting his way, he wants to be like the older brother. Luke is a […]

[bl]T[/bl]he power went out. And I was taken back. Back to Uganda. To my cement house. To my frustrations over not being able to do laundry. To my gratitude for those hours of candlelight. To the moments lost because of no electricity. To the moments embraced because of no electricity. To the people whose dark hours were opposite of mine so we gathered in each others homes often. To the pounds of meat I would have to cook so it didn’t defrost and spoil. To the cold showers I despised. To the quietness that was first uncomfortable, but later treasured. […]

[bl]I[/bl] continue to dwell on this idea of being fed. On why I’m afraid to feel hungry or empty. We misquote Scripture when we encourage the hurting or empty or anxious with the phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Emptiness, suffering and the pouring out of life ought to be expected in those who follow Jesus into the brokenness of man. God never promises that the load will be light. He doesn’t promise an easy journey. Or limited participation because we don’t think we’re capable of more. In fact, he says our load to carry is a cross. […]

[bl]I[/bl]t’s the response of our flesh. The urges of our spirit. The appetites of our stomach seek satisfaction. The longings of our heart seek fulfillment. Hunger. It’s carnal and spiritual. We are a people who are continually emptied, body and soul, in need of continual replenishing. It’s the way we were created. So we would look to a provider. But in our fallenness, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to supply our own needs. Instead of upward, we look inward and outward for fulfillment. In fact, we don’t really even know what hunger is. At the first sign of it, we […]

[bl]T[/bl]hese are the images I came home to last night. After three days gone, these children, this husband, this home instantly brought comfort to my tired mind. This life. The one I live. It’s beautiful and colorful. And the life we witness right now. In this season, in this place. The one that surrounds us. It is also colorful. So vibrant. It hardly seems possible. The change happens so fast. From greens to deep golds, bright yellows, vibrant oranges, stunning reds. I stand in the middle of my yard wanting to soak up all the color. Because I know well […]

Is her. She is so full of life and energy and creativity. This picture displays her personality beautifully. Ruffled. In motion. Spontaneous. Arms open ready to receive. Not everyone, though. For she can be slow to love. But when she does, she loves deep. And she clings tight to moments of holding and snuggling and being together. Surely this is abandonment redeemed by togetherness. And her heart knows it. And needs it. My blond haired, blue eyed girl is the image of myself. This brown haired, browned eyed girl reflects my spirit. The spirit God breathed life into when her […]

[bl]M[/bl]y words are pouring into a study for an upcoming women’s retreat. And my thoughts are wrapped up in a situation that has me waiting for judgment and hopefully grace. So in order to be present in this virtual place, I want to re-post from my archives. May I always allow the past to speak into the present. Today, I need to be reminded of the Jesus I encountered in Uganda. For it is his presence that forms my words and helps me engage situations out of my control with truth and grace. See with me….again. [bl]I[/bl]n the quiet, I’ve […]

[bl]O[/bl]ur behavior and choices lead to natural and created consequences. Often, we’re able to reconcile with our actions, even the immediate outcome. But it’s the lasting consequences that shape our heart. That’s where we’re haunted with the reminder of our poor choices, our sinful nature. That’s where we’re held captive by our decisions. That’s where our pain motivates healing and reconciliation, or escape and deeper rebellion. How do we recognize grace in our consequences? When people don’t trust us because of past behavior, where is the grace? When we watch how our decisions deeply affect and hurt others, where is […]