https://jancarlberg.com/ Food for thought with a dash of hope and humor. https://jancarlberg.com/missing-anything https://jancarlberg.com/missing-anything Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:45:00 GMT Maybe it’s not some thing that’s missing, but some one. For me, it’s both. I miss the whole family crowded on the wraparound porch at “our” beach house at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Mama found it, then rented it for several summers, until she left for heaven, and we “kids” took over. Not cheap but a small price to pay… https://jancarlberg.com/just-for-the-halibut https://jancarlberg.com/just-for-the-halibut Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:41:26 GMT Just chose my entree for an upcoming event. Debated about short ribs, then chose the halibut. While I'm not always sure how my mind works, it still seems to work. Although, I get why some question where I'm headed with some blogs And I admit, I'm not predisposed towards brevity, no matter the topic. Or my knowledge of it. But… https://jancarlberg.com/are-those-pants-hot https://jancarlberg.com/are-those-pants-hot Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:12:42 GMT Well, turns out little Claire wasn't asking to see if my white pants were "cool," like "She looks so HOT!" But wondered, if they felt hot on this simmering summer day? I said I was OK but thought her dress would be much cooler. It was a wispy fabric enhanced by the pastel hues of the rainbow. So I asked… https://jancarlberg.com/a-pebble-for-your-thoughts https://jancarlberg.com/a-pebble-for-your-thoughts Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:11:48 GMT Yes, I meant pebble, not penny. Tina Francis, is July's author for the daily devotional, Forward Movement. Yesterday's reading reminded me how aggravating a pea-sized pebble can be, lodged between your foot and shoe. No matter how you squiggle and contort your foot to remove the pesky pebble, it refuses to budge. Finally, depleted of patience and pain tolerance you… https://jancarlberg.com/a-fan-of-fans https://jancarlberg.com/a-fan-of-fans Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:11:35 GMT Well, the World Cup's a done deal, until 2030. In four years, FIFA will celebrate 100 years of bringing players and people together for the love of country and soccer. I hope I'm still around to watch the USA and Norway move up. Maybe play in the Final. Hope's hard to kill. Well, it's been fun welcoming and surprising a… https://jancarlberg.com/sowing-seeds-of-doubt-or-hope https://jancarlberg.com/sowing-seeds-of-doubt-or-hope Sun, 12 Jul 2026 15:34:15 GMT So, we're each sowing something. However, what we sow matters. Is it doubt or hope? Most of us have a bent towards either the glass half full or half empty. Remember Chicken Little and "the sky is falling"? Granted Chicken Little, aka Henny Penny, was hit on the head with an acorn and concluded the sky was falling. But sometimes… https://jancarlberg.com/i-love-to-win-but https://jancarlberg.com/i-love-to-win-but Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:32:13 GMT Yes, I love to win, but not at any cost. And so I was concerned about the match between TEAM USA versus BELGIUM yesterday. My concern wasn't about the USA winning or losing. We'd already lost, if sportsmanship, respect and rules matter. I was concerned for gazillions of kids watching these games. What were they learning about sports and life?… https://jancarlberg.com/fifty-years-ago-today-and-fifty-from-now https://jancarlberg.com/fifty-years-ago-today-and-fifty-from-now Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:11:03 GMT Hard to believe, our last big birthday party was fifty years ago on July 4, 1976. We were living in Owosso, Michigan. Well, Heather, Chad and I were there. Jud was in New England. So, why the separation? Well, Jud had just been hired as the Dean of the Faculty at Gordon College, starting July 1st. And, while this was… https://jancarlberg.com/first-things-first https://jancarlberg.com/first-things-first Thu, 02 Jul 2026 18:47:16 GMT Well, it's almost July 4th, the 250th Birthday of the United States of America. So it's appropriate to see flags fluttering from houses, yards and towns in my area. And whiIe I love my country, I don't like some of what's going on. Like, while some of us are blessed, too many are not. And our Constitution, with its Bill… https://jancarlberg.com/lifes-about-little-ones-and-small-stuff https://jancarlberg.com/lifes-about-little-ones-and-small-stuff Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:07:10 GMT Yesterday's sermon and the reading from Matthew 10:40-42 nudge me to look closer at what matters to Jesus, and to me. Small decisions, little children and the least of these, matter to Jesus And that's part of why I love sitting in the family section of church, where we welcome wigglers. Like yesterday, Theo squealed for JOY when his Mama… https://jancarlberg.com/a-promise-packed-with-possibilities https://jancarlberg.com/a-promise-packed-with-possibilities Mon, 22 Jun 2026 13:11:26 GMT June's a busy month. It's packed with graduations, weddings, anniversaries, reunions, birthdays, plus Father's Day. Add to that, Juneteenth, a national holiday. So many opportunities to celebrate. But it's also an awkward time in some families. Sometimes, we're better at making promises, than keeping them. In the heat of a moment, we can make or break more than a promise.… https://jancarlberg.com/gotta-love-those-joy-spreading-knicks https://jancarlberg.com/gotta-love-those-joy-spreading-knicks Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:11:55 GMT OK, you don't have to love them, but I found it hard not to, especially since the Celtics weren't in the NBA Finals. Every game was a toss up until the final buzzer. Anything seemed possible. And, after each win, joy erupted and spread like a longed-for virus throughout NYC and wherever Knicks fans gathered. But so did some damage… https://jancarlberg.com/the-soundtrack-of-my-life https://jancarlberg.com/the-soundtrack-of-my-life Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:33:13 GMT So what brought this topic to mind? Credit last night and the Ipswich High School orchestra's final concert for this year. The theme was, The Soundtrack of Generations. If Director, Michael Coelho, doesn't win a Grammy for music educator of the year, no one should! Yes, I do have a very slight bias, since Maggie plays viola and Poco, cello,… https://jancarlberg.com/birthday-blessings-and-a-banana-or-two https://jancarlberg.com/birthday-blessings-and-a-banana-or-two Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:36:06 GMT What a day! It's my 86th birthday and I'm here to enjoy it. So many visual, virtual, fragrant and unexpected reminders from friends and family. Best of all, Lily surprised me by showing up yesterday. I knew Lily was coming Thursday or Friday for Maggie's H.S. graduation, So this didn't compute. I stood there and stared through the screen door… https://jancarlberg.com/holy-hubbub-and-holy-hope https://jancarlberg.com/holy-hubbub-and-holy-hope Sun, 24 May 2026 19:46:40 GMT Yep, church today was holy hubbub! And I needed the joy that came with it! So what caused the hubbub? Two things, probably. First, today is Pentecost Sunday, so children entered, waving flags, resembling fire. (Noone's eyes got poked out !!) And many of us wore red as visual reminders of the holy fire that came at Pentecost. (Acts 2)… https://jancarlberg.com/kinda-weird-and-wonderful https://jancarlberg.com/kinda-weird-and-wonderful Mon, 18 May 2026 12:59:41 GMT Got four minutes? Then, read on. Well, it's Monday, and not as warm as yesterday. But Spring's all over the place. It's that time of year when good surprises keep happening. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "The earth laughs in flowers." So does my Perch. It's laughing inside. Like I wrote before, my Grand Lily sent a bouquet of Lillies for… https://jancarlberg.com/mamas-words-and-ways https://jancarlberg.com/mamas-words-and-ways Mon, 11 May 2026 15:33:30 GMT Yesterday was Mother's Day. A great day for Hallmark cards, florists, and restaurants, but not for all women, nor all mothers. But still, yesterday was a day I felt grateful to be a mother and to have been mothered, and grandmothered. It's good to celebrate the good times and learn from the others. And phone calls, cards, Lillies from Lily,… https://jancarlberg.com/thoughts-on-kings-wannabes-and-leadership https://jancarlberg.com/thoughts-on-kings-wannabes-and-leadership Mon, 04 May 2026 14:37:20 GMT It's been interesting listening to King Charles and President Trump during the King's recent visit. In his address to Congress, King Charles referenced the Magna Carta. Not M.A.G.A. but MAGNA. The Magna Carta states that even, "Kings must answer to the law." I wonder how that resonated with our president and other leaders? So, who's in charge? A democracy isn't… https://jancarlberg.com/i-like-you-just-the-way-you-are https://jancarlberg.com/i-like-you-just-the-way-you-are Sat, 25 Apr 2026 22:12:06 GMT It was a gift, a word from God. Not in the Bible, but heaven-sent nonetheless. And, the day it arrived, it made for a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Does the title of this blog or the phrase, "a beautiful day in the neighborhood" bring to mind Mr. Rogers of PBS fame in children's programming? Well, that's good. So why… https://jancarlberg.com/silence-is-not-always-golden https://jancarlberg.com/silence-is-not-always-golden Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:11:19 GMT Sometimes, we pray and God doesn't seem to hear or answer. And we're tempted to think the heavens are brass. It feels like our prayers go up, but then they bounce back off brass ceilings. God seems silent. And we may wonder if God blocked or muted us? Then there's the silence that's neither gold nor brass. It's not metal,… https://jancarlberg.com/about-moving-on https://jancarlberg.com/about-moving-on Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:12:55 GMT No, I'm not talking about dying, but about moving on from places where we feel stuck. Since several of you responded to the prayer by Harold Bussell in my blog, Unfinished Business, I wanted to refer you to Harold's book, from which it came: Thoughtful Prayers for Serious Believers. While, it's easy to skip over the preface or introduction to… https://jancarlberg.com/stuck-between-the-worst-and-the-best https://jancarlberg.com/stuck-between-the-worst-and-the-best Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:23:11 GMT Is that how you're feeling on this Saturday? If so, that's probably how the followers of Jesus felt on that Saturday between their worst Friday and their best hopes for themselves and the world. Stuck! No way to change the past and no desire to go forward. Despair is catchy. But so is hope. Today I read just one verse… https://jancarlberg.com/unfinished-business https://jancarlberg.com/unfinished-business Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:08:50 GMT The prayer came from my friend, Harold Bussell. We served together at Gordon College. Harold was Dean of the Chapel for several years, and I served with him, as the Assistant Chaplain, for three years. Then joined the staff at Grace Chapel, as Director of Women's Ministries. Some of you know the Bussells from Gordon College, others from when Harold… https://jancarlberg.com/what-happened-to-putting-on-our-sunday-best https://jancarlberg.com/what-happened-to-putting-on-our-sunday-best Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:11:18 GMT Maybe the better question is, "When did Sunday become more like another Saturday? As we approach the beginning of Holy Week, many will shop for Easter outfits. Some folks will make reservations for Easter Brunch. And some will make elaborate Easter baskets, dye eggs, plan an Easter egg hunt to get the kids running around outside the house. And some,… https://jancarlberg.com/close-encounters-of-the-best-kind https://jancarlberg.com/close-encounters-of-the-best-kind Thu, 19 Mar 2026 21:54:19 GMT Sometimes it comes through a song. And sometimes through spoken or written words, the Bible, or a person. But, for me, anyone of those, including nature, can add up to an encounter with Jesus. Recently, Lenten readings by Liesl Smith and Adele Calhoun, nudged me to experience one or more of those encounters. As for encountering Jesus through music, I… https://jancarlberg.com/fishing-for-names https://jancarlberg.com/fishing-for-names Thu, 12 Mar 2026 19:17:47 GMT Don't worry. I still know my name and what day and year it is. I've been practicing for my annual physical. You know, when someone in the medical field asks questions, like day and year, to determine how my brain's aging, along with the rest of me. Then there's the great weigh-in. And thanks to my sister-in-love Chris, I'm so… https://jancarlberg.com/almost-perfect-pancakes-for-almost-perfect-people https://jancarlberg.com/almost-perfect-pancakes-for-almost-perfect-people Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:33:10 GMT Nothing like a blizzard to hit the pause button on life as usual. Because the power stayed on, it's been a blessed break. My nest stayed warm and cozy. So I made Norwegian pancakes for one. That was a first. It was always for two or more, which is what I prefer. Share the joy. Speaking of JOY, the storm… https://jancarlberg.com/sorry-im-late https://jancarlberg.com/sorry-im-late Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:53:29 GMT Well, I'm late. A new blog post is overdue. Did you miss me? The Super Bowl and Valentine's Day are history. As for Valentine's Day, it's a day of dread for some and hopes-too-high for others. For sure, love is complicated and vital. Then there's puppy love. I laugh remembering when I took nine year old Basil, my grandson, to… https://jancarlberg.com/oh-the-messages-we-receive-and-send https://jancarlberg.com/oh-the-messages-we-receive-and-send Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:55:11 GMT Ads and messages pop up like blinking lights on my screen. Take this one from Toyota, "Collision Repair Support-We're here for you!" They promise not to pressure, if we limp into their garage with dented or neglected heaps of history, like my fifteen year old Prius. Then they ended with these words that could've been part of a church bulletin.… https://jancarlberg.com/feel-like-hibernating https://jancarlberg.com/feel-like-hibernating Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:51:42 GMT Me, too. It's one of those snowy days in New England when schools are closed and the outside's full of snowy possibilities. Or to stay inside, brew a cup of tea, grab a good book and enjoy some holy hibernation. Some sacred stillness. Well, earlier this month, I read an article in the New York Times by Melissa Kirsch, entitiled,…