Author: Kelly Keller

She was happier in her muck boots in the farmyard than at state dinners with a tiara on her head.

(Republished. Originally shared in January, 2016) The other day I was listening to a podcast about home education, a decision in life which requires more than a little long-term perspective. The guest, who had herself raised and educated six children at home, attributed much of her success to being a “plodder.” She said one of … Continue reading Be a Plodder

I spent most of the last summer with the Trasks and the Hamiltons. East of Eden, John Steinbeck’s masterwork of four-hundred-plus pages had long been on my to-read list, and with the help of my book club, I finally got through it. Steinbeck himself considered it his finest novel; after finishing it, he said “I … Continue reading Imagining for Others: Steinbeck’s East of Eden

We act surprised when we reach the end of the day and there’s still so much undone. Yet there lies the boundary line. We must rest and go about our work the next day, in a limited, human way, to the glory of God.

(This was originally published ten years ago on my "mommy blog" -- remember those? I thought I'd revive it in honor of the child in question's eighteenth birthday.) Today is my third son's eighth birthday. He would have been an April baby if everything had gone according to plan. But, as these things often do, … Continue reading Cosmo Kramer, Nine Months Along

(Heads up: this essay contains major spoilers on some super old things and light spoilers on season two of Ted Lasso.) Spring has landed in Charlotte. Maybe it hasn’t happened where you are, but here we’ve had blooms for about a month. Camellia blooms kick off the year in January. Then the daffodils make their … Continue reading A Word for the Redbuds Among Us

Here are some things that made my 2021 better.

Just as the road to hell is marked by a series of little turnings, a gradual descent, the road to sanctification is marked by a series of little uphill battles, a little endurance, and the occasional battle won. It is not the fast-track version of efficiency that the world, as well as many in the church, want to sell you.

Since news sources keep telling us all that the supply chain issues will be an...issue this year, it's a perfect time to buy from independent artists.

Though they will remember none of it, the babies of 2020 will serve as a reminder of both intense grief and common grace.