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If Truth Be Told…
It was the Sabbath, a very sacred day for us Jews. You see, our law explains quite clearly that we are not to do any form of work on the Sabbath. So, you can imagine my shock this one particular Sabbath. I was walking near the synagogue when I heard a commotion. [...]
Continue reading...More than he Longed For
7. February 2010
Some of my friends had tuberculosis a few years ago. In order to prevent spreading this highly contagious disease, they had to stay in their apartment all day, every day. They ordered groceries online with instructions for the food to be placed outside their door. Only at night were they allowed to leave their enclosure, [...]
Continue reading...Flint-Faced
1. February 2010
May 27, 2002, Boulder, Colorado. The day of my first 10K running race. Sixty-two minutes later, as I crossed the finish line in front of 40,000 fans, I looked only for the faces of my husband and three little boys in the crowd, cheering me to the very end. They’d driven over an hour and [...]
Continue reading...Harsh Words and a Difficult Lesson
24. January 2010
Almost every week my eight-year-old daughter comes to me on two different occasions—once on Tuesday and once on Thursday. Sometimes she doesn’t even have to speak. I just know by her facial expression what she’s thinking. On Tuesdays she asks me if she has to go to dance class that day. Each [...]
Continue reading...Jesus no where to be Found
17. January 2010
Jerusalem A twelve year old boy has been missing the past three days. His parents, Mary and Joseph, were returning to Nazareth after celebrating the Passover and mistakenly believed Jesus was in their company. It wasn’t until they traveled a day that they realized the child was not with any of their relatives. They immediately [...]
Continue reading...A Four-Letter Word That Makes All the Difference
10. January 2010
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” ~ Jeremiah 32:17 Luke 1 reveals two impossible scenarios (as if one isn’t enough!): A elderly couple, too old to reasonably think about child-rearing, but praying for it with hoarse voices just the [...]
Continue reading...Is There a Doctor in the House?
3. January 2010
I realize studying history is not for everyone. Twenty some years ago I could have cared less about it. I was only interested in receiving a good grade in my history classes. I didn’t try to retain any information; I just did what I needed to get by. Well, that has [...]
Continue reading...New Knives
27. December 2009
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 My husband has been wanting a new set of knives for years. I couldn’t figure out why. After all, [...]
Continue reading...The Perfect Plan for a Messy People
20. December 2009
For years I’ve complained. Whined. Argued. Questioned. Even pouted in a corner with a generous bottom lip turned out from time to time. I’d imagined my life simpler. Planned it up big and beautiful, absent of most every complication and hiccup, with life’s every “i” dotted and “t” crossed. But then this and that happened, [...]
Continue reading...Time for Simplicity
13. December 2009
There is a famous Christmas song titled, “Mary Did you Know?” It was written in 1984, by Mark Lowry, whose Nashville church asked him to write a song for Advent. It is quite popular on Christian and secular radio this time of year. The song asks a series of questions, “Mary did you know [...]
Continue reading...Expecting
6. December 2009
We expected it for years. The coming of Messiah to free us from our oppressors. Oh, how we longed for that day. But suddenly the corporate turned individual. I was expecting, awaiting to give birth to the Son of God. What an incomprehensible thought! I mean, the holy scrolls recorded long ago that a virgin [...]
Continue reading...Open-handed Thankfulness
30. November 2009
I’m a mother in the process of losing her babies. “Losing” might not be the right word, but they’re growing up and moving on. And each day that passes I feel them pulling a little further away from me. Not as anxious to jump into my arms when the school day ends. Not as likely [...]
Continue reading...“B-F-F-L’s”
22. November 2009
It was my turn for carpool duty this particular afternoon. I was driving, not only my kids, but the kids of some close family friends home from school. As I usually do on these drives, I was listening quietly to the chatter of two first grade girls and two third grade girls. You won’t [...]
Continue reading...One Action
15. November 2009
One action changes everything. Don’t believe me? Just read Acts 18:24-26. Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately.” [...]
Continue reading...Plans Interrupted
9. November 2009
There’s so much we don’t understand. Several years ago, something happened in my life that seemed very much like a detour. A big, fat sign blocked my way: “I know you thought you were going this way, but not a chance. You’re going that way now.” Without so much as an apology, my plans were [...]
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14. February 2010
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