Who’s Your Daddy? I AM
“A wise son brings joy to his father…” (Proverbs 10:1a NIV). Although my name’s not Joy, my husband of thirty-three years did bring me to his father, as well as to my own, when we were merely kids–announcing, “She’s my girlfriend!” My slightly bewildered…
From This Day Forward
Dear Nephew, “… do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgement and discretion; they will be life for you” (Proverbs 3:21-22a NIV). Today you’ve met a milestone. All those steps, from preschool until the present, have brought you to this…
Power in the Pause
“Be still and know…” (Psalm 46:10a NIV). You love them too much. That’s what was written in red at the top of my 11th grade advanced literature assignment, with a circle and an arrow indicating the object of Mr. Fisher’s remark. Commas—the punctuation used to…
Our Walk to Remember
“You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness” (Psalm 119:68–The Message). I took a walk with Lila Grace and Emory Wren today. We imagined you held our hands. Had you been with us, we’d have talked of flowers and birds, naming…
A Mother’s Day Song
What could sing more perfectly than scripture? This Mother’s Day, I offer you I Chronicles 16:8-36, with related encouragements between the stanzas of this ancient song of Asaph, as appointed by King David– 8 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what…
When God Changed His Mind–Altars and Isaacs
“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood” (Genesis 22:9 NIV). The word ‘altar’ appears nearly…
Blind? Blonde? Or Both?
Sometimes how one speaks stirs confusion… creates trouble… or worse. Take Judges 12:1-6 (read for full context), for example–particularly verses five and six. “The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, ‘Let me cross over,’ the men…
Prayer for Ukraine
Lately, I’ve felt as though, if I allowed myself to start, I’d never stop crying. And so, most of the time, the wall’s stood firm. Until recently. It crumbled as I watched with horror images on the news of a woman–a very pregnant woman–being carried…
Have You Called on Him?
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV). As a writer, there are times my mind feels as empty as the blank screen or page before me. Though I hold…
New Life in an Old Garden
“The question is not what you look at but what you see” (Henry David Thoreau). Summer’s wildflowers are a faint memory in the often chilly, damp days of early March. What was once a flurry of color in a variety of shapes and sizes stands brown…