In Texas they build homes with north facing windows, which is the exact opposite of the North, but which is a very sensible thing to do here. The only window in our home that gets any direct sunlight is the laundry room and so I have found my morning coffee tastes best in here, so long as I can keep lint dust from getting in it.

Our washer has a leak. It isn't the rushing sort, where all hell (or whatever the equivalent of a watershed would be) breaks loose and our laundry room becomes a pool of its own; it's the drip, drip, slowly drip sort. It hovers on the line between good morning music and Chinese water torture, depending on my mood.

Today it is a steady and slow drip, passing time more like the second hand on a watch and less like the constant pour of an hourglass, slowing the pace of my half hour of dryer sitting time.

I am grateful for that.

Last night a singer/songwriter/speaker/author (I slash those because I'm not sure what she does primarily and I'd hate to mislabel) spoke to a handful of us at my church.

I can't tell you much about the night except it wasn't long, but it felt long. It didn't go late, but it felt late. It felt deep in my soul and it made me hungry for depth in a way I haven't let myself feel in a long time. She talked about walking around with prison garments on and I nearly stood and shouted, "Me too! me too."

We know we're free, but the prison garments feel so normal, so comfortable, so us.

A friend sent me an email yesterday and I'd like to say it was unprovoked, but it wasn't. I sent out an email to a handful of friends a few weeks ago, asking for prayer about a project I'm undertaking that feels insurmountable, but I hadn't really followed up with any specific requests. His email was simple: I'm in your corner, but I'll do a better job if you tell me what to pray for.

It reminds me that no matter how much I think the battle raging on in my head is the most important battle I'll fight, the truth is that the bigger battle is going to be asking others to join in it with me.

Time, prison clothes, and bigger battles, these are the things I'm thinking about today.

What about you?

What slows your time down or hurries it forward?

What prison garments are you trying to shed?

What battle do you need to ask others to join, or do you need to join with someone else?