If you’ve ever gone hiking with me, there’s a fair chance that you know about my deep love of cairns. You know, cairns, those cute little piles of rocks that are used to mark the trail? Cairns are used on trails all over the world to signal to the hiker, “Yes, continue this way. You are still on the right path.” I’ve had many moments while climbing the Rocky Mountains in Colorado where I wonder if I have wandered off the trail, then I see the distinctive pile of rocks and am filled with assurance and comfort. Other times, I’ve started down the wrong way, and a distant cairn will…

Have you ever gotten such a bad sunburn that you are hesitant to go out in public? Last summer, one of my best friends came to visit me while I was living in France, and the day after she arrived, we went on an all-day beautiful hike through the French Alps. Unfortunately, I left not only with great pictures but a very distinct sunburn, particularly prominent on the backs of my calves with two angry red stripes (imagine Neapolitan ice cream with the strawberry ice cream unusually prevalent). During this time, Europe and France in particular was experiencing a heat wave of unprecedented proportions, so the day after the hike,…

I may or may not be one of those people that listens to Christmas music year around. (Spoiler: I am one of those people.) My heart and mind are captivated continually with the beauty, humility, and miracle of the incarnation of Christ. Whenever I read through Philippians, I will stop at the hymn in chapter 2, which states: /[Jesus], being in very nature God/ did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage/ rather, he made himself nothing/ by taking the very nature of a servant/ being made in human likeness/ No matter what time of year it is, as I read that verse, my…