the perfect place to live.

Photo Courtesy of Outdoor Home

Wisdom is calling out to you, inviting you to live in her neighborhood. She'd love for you to sit with her, talk with her, dine with her. She stands outside waving, encouraging you to pull in the driveway, come inside the house. She lives with Prudence, and her friends Knowledge, Discretion, Integrity and Nobility are next-door neighbors. They are all inside her home- drinking sweet tea and living life to its fullest. She knows other neighborhoods might look more beautiful, might be more lush and enticing with their fine stone and fancy gates. But she knows you'll not be happy there. She knows her warm, home-spun street - with its simple, sunshine-filled homes and Dutch doors - is worth the investment. Conversations there are true and honest and kind - there's not one self-serving, snide "bless your heart" remark to be found. Advice is sincere and uplifting - and the words are words to live by. Days are full and sleep is sweet.


Wisdom has lived in the neighborhood for what seems like forever. She was there when the Builder and Architect designed it. She put hand to the plow when the gardens were being designed, and helped drill the deep wells of life-giving springs. She watched Him speak life into the community - watched him craft the homes and breathe color into the flowers. She smiled as He drew the roads in just the right way to encourage slow, thoughtful drives. He set the boundaries, filled the ponds, painted those Dutch doors with bright, inviting colors.Wisdom's neighborhood is rich in all the things that count. And the gardens there? Full and abundant, with enough for everyone. Every single person has all they need. Their aprons are filled with sun-kissed, sun-ripened delights. 

The sweet tea is ready. The Dutch door is open. 

(inspired by Proverbs 8)

(musings) a clear view

Time is such a peculiar thing. It always seems to fly by or crawl, one tick of the second hand at a time. Simple and profound moments cause the shift from one extreme to another, crafting a beautifully blurred stop-motion movie of life. 

Somewhere between the fast-forward and the frame-by-frame, what's important comes into clear view.

Eternity. Community. Divinity.

Type A and Plan B.

"We're called to be faithful to God even when it seems He hasn't been faithful to us. We're called to love Him even when we feel abandoned. We're called to look for Him even in the midst of the darkness. We're called to worship Him even through our tears."

Pete Wilson is the pastor of Crosspoint Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His blog, withoutwax.tv, is a place I visit frequently to be inspired and challenged. And it's where I learned about his first book, Plan B. I was honored to receive an advance reader's copy.

So, my original plan was to finish reading Plan B several weeks ago. I even blocked time on my calendar - “read Plan B, “ponder Plan B,” “review Plan B.” But it seems this Type A has had to move to her own Plan B, because I haven’t finished it yet.

Now, please don’t get the wrong idea - it’s not that I don’t want to read the book (trust me, I’ve got a stack of books that have been started but not finished because they simply haven’t captivated me). Rather, it’s because I keep reading - and re-reading - chapter after chapter, finding myself and those I love in the stories, discovering new soundbites, and falling even more in love with the beauty of an imperfect life made perfect by a God who causes all things to work together for His good and His glory. Pete is unafraid to talk about a life that is messy, that doesn’t have all the answers - and about a God who is sovereign in the midst of the mess.

"In this life, many of your questions will simply not have answers. But through it all, God Himself will never change. That is why our faith must rest on His identity and not necessarily His activity."

Plan B reflects on the beauty of disappointment, suffering, surrender and community. It is practical and weighty without being heavy-handed. It will be a book recommended to many, including you. And it will be a book I read - and re-read- over and over again.