Light in the Margins

Do you recall learning Grammar? Maybe in third grade you learned that a complete sentence has a subject and verb. But by high school, you learned about those participles, subordinate clauses, sentence diagrams that stretched halfway across the page—and you thought you’d never graduate. Over the last several weeks, I have been contemplating contentment in a similar way. Just when I think I have lea...

On Easter Sunday my husband injured his foot. He was stepping off a curb and rolled his ankle at just the right angle and broke his fifth metatarsal. A classic basketball injury, but without the cool story or any accompanying heroics. In a walking boot, he’s been given instructions to stay off his feet as much as possible. And that… has been a challenge. He has always been the kind of person who j...

As always, you can listen to me read this aloud, just by clicking ‘play’ above.^ The other day I had purchased a three pound package of ground beef and began dividing it up to freeze in one pound portions. The kitchen scale I use is a few decades old, but I’ve always assumed it to be reliable. I eyeballed a handful of meat, put it in the bag, and weighed it—15.7 ounces. Perfect. Another bag, anoth...

My kids can be bottomless pits at times. No sooner than we have finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen when one will wander in asking for a snack because they’re “hungry.” Then there are times we sit down to dinner and they don’t want to eat—either because they filled up on snacks before dinner, or because they don’t like what I’ve prepared. As a mom, it doesn’t really bother me if my children...

Last week I shared about how David believed a lie that he was sure to die at Saul’s hand. Sometimes our imaginations, fears and anxieties get the better of us. If we don’t challenge those thoughts, they can grow loud. Recently, I attended a bridal shower and through a series of small, ordinary events, I found myself at a table I never expected to be at. I was seated with women who were older than...

Everyone is looking at me... I don’t know what I’m doing... Someone else could do this better... I don’t belong here... Do your thoughts ever sound like that? Struggling with self-confidence and doubt is common, even for women who appear to be confident or capable. Sometimes our fears are just loud . But before we run off to YouTube or Google how to be more confident, let’s look at Gods Word. Not...

Waiting is hard. In a world where almost everything is instant, I usually gravitate toward the faster option. My husband is content to order a book and wait for it to arrive—media mail, if you know how slow that can be—but I would rather download the e-reader version and start reading immediately. I’ve always been a little impatient. When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to start college. I e...

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to want to do more and was sensitive about being overlooked? When opportunities for service come up, whether it’s teaching, organizing, or helping, there can be times that our immediate reaction can be “why didn’t they ask me? I could have done more. ” The tribe of Ephraim had this complaint often after battles— “why didn’t you call for us?” You...

As I was driving in the snow Monday morning, I realized this was the pretty snow. Big, fat flakes swirled around, and I could see the definition of each flake on my car window before it quickly melted away. I had every intention of coming home from the grocery and doing laundry. But I grabbed my camera instead. I stood in 20-degree weather, focusing my macro lens on miniature marvels. Intent on ho...

You can listen to me read this reflection aloud, just by clicking ‘play’ above. Today is Thursday, February 12. If you are following a yearly Bible reading plan, you have likely landed in the book of Leviticus this week. Can I be honest? Leviticus is hard. I don’t know how many times I would start out January 1 full of determination to read my Bible through faithfully, only to crash somewhere arou...

Tuesday was a difficult day. I can’t explain what started it, I simply came home from running errands, sat down, and after a few moments, found myself crying. Then I started writing in my journal and poured it all out. Specifically, I wrote about how hard it was to be thankful. I don’t find it hard to be thankful that mom is gone; I wrote, though it hurts, I am confident that God has a purpose for...

Late last summer, within the span of a single month, I fell through two chairs. I will admit, I’m not a petite woman; I am tall, but fairly average. Neither chair looked unsafe. I didn’t feel the need to inspect them. I simply sat down. And for a time, both chairs held me. Until they didn’t. On both occasions, there was no warning, no ominous sound of ripping fabric. I was just seated one moment a...

No time to read? Feel free to listen as I read this devotion! Just press play above. ^ This week’s article, as always, is also available for listening wherever you get your Podcasts. Just search for ‘Light in the Margins’. This week, I invite you to think back to elementary school. Did your teacher ever assign “classroom jobs”? Each week, a new student would be chosen for a special duty like holdi...

Are you a worrier? I remember thinking as a child that my mom did nothing but worry. Of course now, as a mother myself, I realize her worry was proportional to her love for me. It can be easy to dismiss some worry as just an expression of love. But Scripture uses another word for worry— fret —that deserves our attention. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the wo...

Do you like olives? Maybe in a salad, stuffed with feta cheese or pimentos? Or maybe atop a slice of supreme pizza. I suppose it’s a mature taste; I don’t think I started enjoying olives until I was an adult. Olive trees and olive oil are images God uses throughout His word and one morning during my quiet time, I stumbled into studying the historical and cultural significance of olives. It was a b...

Twenty-twenty five seems to be the year of the ‘wrap up.’ I have gotten more emails and app notifications lately summarizing my activity over the last year. Most are downright embarrassing—48 trips to Chipotle? Guilty. But today I’d like to do a wrap up of my own and share a record of the books I read that have shaped me over the course of 2025. Maybe you’ll find something that sparks your interes...

One of my favorite accessories to bring out at Christmastime is my grandmothers Christmas hankie. With its border of poinsettias and holly scattered across a cream colored fabric, it feels festive and delicate. I don’t like to use it because it is so beautiful, but I do carry it—alongside the hankies that I use often. Those are ones that I purchased or embroidered myself, or more practical ones th...

An adapted version of the devotion I shared at our ladies’ Christmas Cookie Exchange on Monday, December 8. Verses mentioned: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. —Hebrews 10:25 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.— 1 Peter 5:7 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, an...

We are coming in to a very busy season and I confess finding time to write has become more challenging. Holidays and church activities have kept the schedule full, but earlier this week I was reminded of a struggle I had as a young mother, one I want to share with you today. A Word of Encouragement Sunday night one of my girls was up several times sick in the night, and it has been a long time sin...

When faced with a difficulty, we often try everything. We try to fix it in our own abilities, relying on our own strength and wisdom. We pray, we wait, and still see no breakthrough. We may eventually come to the end of ourselves and say, ‘I’ve tried everything.’ But...have you tried thanksgiving? This summer I read a story about Henry Frost, missionary to inland China and a contemporary of Hudson...

This past Sunday in church, we sang that beautiful, contemplative hymn, Nearer, My God, to Thee. With most familiar songs, it can be easy to sing the words almost mindlessly, but this time, I found myself meditating on the words. Do we long to be nearer to God? And does it matter how He chooses to draw us? I can testify that God is true to the promise of James 4:8— Draw nigh to God, and he will dr...

I volunteer as the yearbook adviser at my daughters’ school, and I’ve taken more photos than I can count. Ball games, field trips, plays and concerts—you name it, there’s a folder for it on my hard drive. Not every shot is perfect, but I take hundreds at each event, hoping for a handful of keepers. This week, I was going through the photos from our season opener volleyball game. As I culled throug...

It’s a dreary, gray morning here today. After a summer of drought, it’s been awhile since we’ve had many rainy days like this. The house is dim and quiet—a nice setting for peaceful reflection, or better yet, staying tucked in bed with a good book. But gray days like this can also feel heavy or lonely. If you’re reading this and your heart feels overcast, I’d like to share a simple, encouraging th...

What does it mean to “glorify”? I was pondering this word the other day for a rather unusual reason—a pop bottle. Not just any pop bottle, and no, not a “soda” bottle or a “Coke” bottle—but a very distinct... green glass bottle. As the saying goes here in Kentucky, ‘Ginger ale dreams of becoming Ale-8.’ Where I grew up, we have this regional soft drink, and in my experience, you either love it or...

Do you ever feel like what you do to serve in your church is small or insignificant? Maybe you do laundry for the church nursery, straighten hymnals, or clean fingerprints off a glass door, and it feels like nobody notices. I’d like to remind you today that every act of service is important to God. Several months ago, while reading the book of Numbers, I was struck by the careful order God gave to...