Category:
Living the Faith

An Act in Due Season

before you start thinking this is just another cute puppy story, let me stop you right there. During this valentine’s season when so much attention is placed on the emotion of love, let me suggest we place some attention on the practicality of love.

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Shoveling Rain

The storm started as rain. Cold and pelting. Then sluicing. Then softer. The quality of the sound changed, the texture of the rain changed, and I knew it was time for action. By the time I bundled into winter gear and opened the door, giant white flakes were soaking into the wetness. Slush coated every…

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Leadership Lessons in a Blade of Grass

There is an opportunity in between all of that to have a real impact. Here’s how.

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Advice from a Friend

No matter how clearly I can see the path of another, there is always the possibility that what I share will not actually be right for them. It might be accurate and true, but it might not be the right time, or the right lesson, or the right path for them.

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Lessons from the ‘Hood

This post originally appeared at www.inspireafire.com/lessons-from-the-hood. I wanted to hear from those who have been there. Not just read about, visited, or studied it, but those who have lived it. So I pulled up the contact list on my phone, fingers flying over the keys. Yes, I’ve got some friends in the ‘hood. Motherhood, that is.…

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Connected

This post originally appeared at www.inspireafire.com/connected.  It was a long day of travelling followed by a harrowing drive through an unfamiliar city. I arrived at the hotel with thoughts only of food and sleep. Too spent to venture far, I ordered a cheeseburger at the hotel bar and sat down to wait. I was counting…

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Janet Beagle and Brown Dog The Mustard Patch mustardpatch.org
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.