I Spy

by Lane | Writing

  As a child, I loved playing “I Spy,” watching for the obvious in the obscure. While waiting for my dentist appointment, I hunted hidden pictures in dog-eared copies of Highlights, a children’s magazine. On field trips, my classmates and I played endless games...

What’s next?

by Lane | Writing

    Inevitably, if you write a book or create a work of art, people ask what you’re up to next. Maybe that’s true for anything. When you get your degree, people ask when you will get another degree. When you get a job, they ask what kind of work...

Celebration as a Spiritual Discipline

by Lane | Writing

Albert Einstein said, “You can live as if nothing is a miracle or you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Isn’t that the essence of celebration?   If we are attentive, in upbeat places of the heart, we can see the miracle of what God is up to in the moment...

The Shape of New Beginnings

by Lane | Writing

  I’ve been asking God how He wants to shape me for this new year. Not a resolution. Not a goal. A clarifying of who I am to be, how I am to become. I’ve been listening for His response, waiting to hear. As Advent turned to Christmas, as December moved towards...

Alert for Betweens

by Lane | Advent, Poetry, Writing

  Between This line And the next My thoughts burst forth Like fireworks Shimmering against The dark.   Between This line And the next I may have strolled around the block Or down the lane. I may have stopped and chatted with a friend Over a cup of Earl Grey...

The Habit of Poetry

by Lane | Poetry, Writing

  “I want to be a better writer, so I try to read a poem a day,” says L. L. Barkat. I agree. Reading poetry is like the interplay of chocolate and oranges: rich, juicy, tart, and unexpected. It changes how I look at words and how I write them. Poetry...