Author: nmgaultney

When I was in grad school, the "cultural integration" portion of my lesson plans often seemed ambiguous and difficult to write in a meaningful way. By the grace of God,…

I really didn't want to write a post this week. Today is Easter, and I love this celebration of my risen saviour, but I don't want to write a sermon…

I'll never forget Mike pushing me to workout on the stair master one of my last weeks in New Zealand. I was huffing and puffing and begged him to stop.…

I still miss Bryce. [Today's post is going to heavily reference context presented by this post from one year ago.] The other day one of my students sat outside my…

I really like going to church. I'm actually grateful for the opportunity to gather with other people and follow a liturgy that takes my attention of myself and lets me…

The past two weeks, I was really limping along to spring break, and I had a last minute conversation with a friend that led to a spontaneous (for me -…

This morning Graham started his sermon saying we were going on a "romp through Psalm 27," and I love the sentiment. He gave a beautiful reflection phrase by phrase through…

This morning's readings were about profound encounters with God, and Graham shared a beautiful message about how we need to hold on to those experiences for other moments in our…

I have been incredibly blessed to not only take two classes from Dr. Ray Lubeck on Bible study methods, but I've been given his permission to adapt his materials to…

"Your birthday is exactly one week after Waitangi Day," I told my student during lunch earlier this week. "What's Waitangi Day?" his girlfriend asked. "It's a national holiday in New…

By chance, the reflection I read on contemplative prayer this morning talked about Rembrandt's last painting which is an unfinished work of Simeon in the temple holding baby Jesus. That…

I love watching the wind. You can see the movement of branches in a subtle breeze or trunks bending during strong gales. I love listening to the leaves respond to…

I miss Bryce. This is a post about grief and loss as much as it is a post about joy and celebration, so if you can’t handle that paradox right…

Sometimes a small thing has the potential to change a life - like when a German woman checks to find out if an American girl has somewhere to go for…

I love my name. It comes from a disturbing story in Greek mythology. Well, the full Daphne and Apollo myth is a mess, but Laura, Laurie, Laurel, and Lauren type…

Making friends with librarians is some of the best life advice I can give. The current BFA librarians regularly recommend good books and talk to me about what I'm reading.…

The last major allergic reaction I had was in college when I went to an event for the graduating class of my high school that I was definitely not invited…