Life in a Fishbowl
“… for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or…
A Letter to Ian–Looking At, Looking On
Dear Ian, Looking at God’s Word years prior to your birth, our gracious Father allowed me to see you there on the pages. Not that I knew your name (Remember our song?), nor did I know what you would look like, what beautiful features you’d possess….
An Imperishable Beauty
“But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (I Peter 4:4—ESV). Walking side by side with her father in the October sunshine, the princess stooped…
Because of LOVE…
Though weeping endures for the night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5b). Rain pelted my windshield as tears, too, left their trails. Home from having taken our daughter to school, I sat a moment, only to discover a weight of heaviness in the too…
Who’s My Neighbor? (Finale)
And a woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened … (Luke 10:38b-39–ESV). Pondering the protagonist from Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan might cause one to take pause, ask–…
Who’s My Neighbor? (Part 2)
… [Wanting] to justify himself … [Expert] asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29–NIV). Our next door neighbor is moving. Anyone want to be our neighbor? Come and check it out. I sure hope someone we like moves in! You can fix your…
Thank You for Making Him Real!
[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men … (Ecclesiastes 3:11a–NIV). Born in Minnesota on August 26, 1921, Doris Koskela Heikkinen was a lover of people. She was a lover of people, however, because she was first…
Bloom Where You’re Planted!
(This post has been modified slightly, having first been published in our local newspaper, The Mountaineer, on August 12, 2020.) As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and…
The Bridges We’ve Crossed by Taking the Plunge
Happy 31st anniversary, dear husband! We’ve come so far, have we not? From the kids playing marbles and riding bikes to the adults we are today, we’re here to help our adult children (older now than we were when we took that plunge in 1989)…
O Happy Day!–A Room of Your Own!
This is the day that the LORD has made! We rejoice and are glad in it (Psalm 118:24–Adapted)! Dearest Daughter, We’ve been preparing a room for you, the room that you chose now that your brothers are no longer at home. “I want a room…