Americans have certain dates emblazoned on our collective memory. Dates when life as we knew it suddenly took a hard turn into the unknown. For our grandparents it was Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941, when Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on our military in Hawaii. The shock of war waged on American soil … Continue reading Where were you when?
Turning Toward Light
Pessimism is my soul’s default setting. Even when life is filled with blessing, melancholy has always been my temperament’s natural course. As a result, it has been the work of my Christian life to turn away from the darkness and look up, look away, notice beauty and give thanks. But although I have been training … Continue reading Turning Toward Light
What’s Behind Your Door?
A devotion I wrote posted this morning at Christian Devotions. It's about the doors before us and the courage to walk through them. I hope it blesses you. https://christiandevotions.us/
How Heaven Changes Us
I’ve often pondered what Ben will be like in heaven. I used to think that he would still have Down Syndrome, since it comes knit into his every chromosome. But the longer we deal with not just the delights but also the deficits and struggles that Down Syndrome brings, the more I am convinced that … Continue reading How Heaven Changes Us
When it Feels Like Evil is Winning
Some of us remember when the world’s suffering was relegated to one hour on the nightly news. We watched a sober-faced newscaster recount famines and wars and disasters in far-off places with sorrow in our hearts, and then we returned to a sink full of dishes or our algebra homework and the horror faded as … Continue reading When it Feels Like Evil is Winning
Invisible Drums and Air Guitar
I wrote a devotion that was published this morning at Christian Devotions. I hope you’ll go there and check it out! http://christiandevotions.us
Legacy
I am visiting the land of my ancestors this week. One of America’s earliest settlements, it is now filled with tourists and the industries that serve them. The tourists take pictures of the 17th century jail where my 10th great-grandfather served time and feast on lobster that was once so common that it was fed … Continue reading Legacy
Who Loves You?
“Who loves you?” I used to ask my children as I held them close. Mama. Boppy. Jesus. We were made to love and be loved. In the image of God we were created, the God who is the very essence and definition of love. So we spend our lives reaching out of our brokenness to … Continue reading Who Loves You?
Stitch by Stitch
I do some cross stitch embroidery every now and then. I stitch to remember, to give something of myself that my hands have made for those I love. It seems a straightforward task, but the small, precise stitches are challenging. One dropped thread can skew the outcome, marring the master pattern I’m trying so carefully … Continue reading Stitch by Stitch
My Church, My People
“Your gall bladder needs to come out right now,” the emergency room doctor said. “I’ll contact the surgical team.” I was in a city far from home, my husband recovering from spinal surgery nine floors above where I lay on the emergency room gurney. If I had been home, I would have acquiesced. But not … Continue reading My Church, My People
A View of the Lake 