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Traffic Stop
This post also appears at www.inspireafire.com. I’m sitting in traffic as I write this. I don’t mean the backed-up-at-a-red-light kind of traffic. I wish I could write a blog post that quickly. No, I’m talking about the “highway is closed ahead due to two semis and a truck” kind of traffic. That’s according to a…
Bird or Leaf
“It’s a game you’d like,” my friends insisted. As they waited for their daughter to finish her activities, they would ponder whether the sudden flutter on a distance branch was a bird or a leaf. “It’s harder than you might think,” they said. “So how do you decide which it is?” I asked. “Well, once…
I’m Not Looking for a Dog
This post first appeared at inspireafire.com So what am I doing here? The first time my answer was simple. I carried in a nearly new bag of dog food. Some flea and tick prevention. A bag of dental chews with just two missing. “Do you take donations?” I asked the girl behind the counter. “Of…
A Tribute to Fasting and Grief
A post I wrote this week for Inspire a Fire https://www.inspireafire.com/a-tribute-to-fasting-and-grief The details of my experience aren’t significant, but the lessons are. A few months ago I did my first-ever fast. Let me tell you what l learned. First, once I knew the fast was approaching, I became hyper-aware of everything I ate. I expected…
The Law is Gentle
I first posted this thought at https://www.inspireafire.com/the-law-is-gentle/ Martin Luther famously said that God’s Law serves three purposes. First, it acts as a curb to prevent violent outbursts of sin. Think of a curb along a road, or a curb bit in a horse’s mouth. The law is like that barrier saying “you can come this…
Love Springs
Anyone who thinks that spring is gentle has never really paid attention. And anyone who thinks that love is gentle has never really been in love.
Memories. And a Net of Thanksgiving.
This post first appeared at https://www.inspireafire.com/casting-a-net-of-thanksgiving/ Memories can turn bittersweet in a second. I can be happily following the rabbit trail of my thoughts, hopping between afternoon plans and pleasant reminiscing when WHAM! It’s like a hole suddenly opened up beneath my feet, or a rock slammed me back twenty yards. Use whatever analogy you…
Waiting Patiently – A New Understanding of Rest
I originally shared this post at https://www.inspireafire.com/waiting-patiently-a-new-understanding-of-rest/. I hope you enjoy! Fall always seems like the busiest time of year. School is back in session. Work emails quadruple. Outside it’s the season of harvest – that narrow window where all the accumulation from the summer sun must be bundled in before the winter. And just the…
Delayed. A story of fun things.
Fortunately, there were two pieces of good news. First, I could still get out that night, so my long-weekend was still intact. Second, I’m a writer. Writers know exactly what to do in situations like this…
That Still Small Voice
Father’s Day. Let your conscience by your guide. 1 Kings 19
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Meet Janet!
Janet Beagle, PhD is the founder of The Mustard Patch. She divides her time between the Midwest and New England, and if she’s not writing, she’s probably out hiking with her 2-and 4-footed friends.