and how to avoid it! When our youngest daughter moved out of the house last summer, I couldn’t bear the echo of her empty bedroom, so I made fast tracks into turning the room into an office for myself. A desk, rug, and couch did much to erase the lonesome echo, and I began to…
and a reminder to be careful… The first day of a new year always brings a sense of cleanness and fresh dreams for me and this one is no different. But along with its energy comes a slight quiver of mystery and reluctance. Mr. Sun has already cleared the horizon of the Florida panhandle and…
Christmas came fast on the heels of Thanksgiving this year, didn’t it? I don’t know about you but at our house, we barely had time to eat up all the leftovers ‘til it was time to turn the calendar page! I’m not complaining one bit though; I love Christmas! I love reading Advent…
She sat beside his hospital bed, supporting him in his grief. He’d just received news that would rock anyone’s world. It was not likely he would live to see the new year. He blamed himself, and maybe part of his guilt was valid. Some of it wasn’t. Cancer is no respecter of persons. He had…
The jet engine hummed and I shifted in my seat, trying to make myself as small as possible. Why did I always get a middle seat on these trips? Cold air from the vent above me combined with an internal stress I couldn’t shake and my whole body gave way to an involuntary, violent shiver….
It was one of those weeks when more things had gone wrong than right. The deck was stacked against me; no use trying anymore. While wallowing in shame and defeat, my eyes were drawn upward to the right-hand corner of my bedroom, just feet away from where I sat. Earlier this year, Jesus had met…
If you met him on the street or at church, he would appear to be an ordinary young man. Early thirties of average height, with dark hair and handsome features. An observant bystander might identify him as military because of his haircut and a certain bearing but there is no arrogance in his…
On my back porch hangs a planter that just a year ago held a big, beautiful green fern. Today it is just a bunch of brown spikes sticking out of the container. It is dead. Like what I call dead, dead. But my daughter sees one green frond coming from the side of it…
“What are you looking for?” The answer to this question varies a lot depending on where you find yourself in life. If you are on a quest for better health, it could be a specific diet plan your doctor ordered. If your body needs some shoring up, you may be searching for a…
The day was off to a promising start. It was Saturday and I was spending a lazy hour or two reading and meditating on Scripture. That is until I came to an unexpected section of verses that hit on one of the deepest pain points I carry right now. As if a light switch had…