Spiritual growth should be normal for every Christian. The Bible is the living Word of God, and it nourishes us to grow in Christ.
Good Housekeeping. Family Circle. Ladies Home Journal. In the days before Pinterest and even the Internet, magazines were my windows to the world. I poured over them for recipes, parenting advice, and the latest decorating and fashion trends. As a young mom I sought refuge in their pages when I was tired, bored, or wanting… Read More
Ninety days. I counted them up on my calendar, carefully circling DAY NUMBER NINETY. I was a young mom and my husband worked overseas. He regularly left my two young daughters and me for 90 days at a time to work in the South China Sea. At the end of 90 days he’d come home… Read More
It’s been years since I’ve ridden this kind of emotional roller coaster. Many years ago my husband worked overseas. I was a young mom, and his three-month absences were almost more than I could bear. I was physically exhausted and emotionally drained even on the good days. From one day to the next (depending on… Read More
“I’m not sure my kids can make the seven-hour trip without a DVD player.” One of my daughters was contemplating a road trip in her family’s pickup truck. Unlike her van, the truck isn’t outfitted with an entertainment system. Her kids would have to “rough it.” My husband and I looked at each other and… Read More
I hung a palm branch on my front door this year to mark the remembrance of Palm Sunday. That’s the day Jesus entered Jerusalem on His way to the Cross. On the day He arrived, people waved palm branches and hailed Him as their king. “They took palm branches and went out to meet… Read More
I’m having a bad day . I didn’t expect to. I can’t even put my finger on why today is hard when yesterday wasn’t. “I’m struggling today,” I said to one of my daughters. Yeh. That’s what if feels like today. A struggle. For whatever reason, even though I’m still counting my blessings, today I… Read More
I’d never seen so many stars before. Layer upon layer in a blackened sky, they were my first glimpse of a night sky that reflects the vastness of the universe. My family was camping in Portugal. I was ten, and my parents, brother, sister and I had piled into our station wagon the day before… Read More
My knee-jerk reaction was NO. On a beautiful, warm, sunshiny day, my granddaughter pleaded with me to roll down my car windows. But why would I want to trade air-conditioned comfort for mugginess, dust, and messy hair? While I paused to think of an excuse that wouldn’t leave me looking like a grumpy grandmother, I… Read More