I heard 5-month-old Hettie (the fearless/fearful Boston Terrier) barking into the air. I decided to investigate. What caused this barking streak? Another dog? A squirrel? A meter reader? None of the above. It was either the wind, or the sound of big machinery a block away. Her barks sounded tough, but they were actually based […]
What are you afraid of? I’m not afraid of spiders and snakes but give me an opportunity to win the approval of someone I respect, and I fear messing it up! I’ll never forget the time I went for advanced speaker training. The uneasiness started when I found out I was rooming with the leader […]
Does your mind ever start with a question, and then rabbit track? I asked to no one in particular, “Where does the saying ‘brand new’ come from?” First, I thought of the word brand as in a business name, coming up with a new product. Nope. When I looked it up, it referred to a branding […]
I am a former legalist. I didn’t set out to become a legalist. Didn’t even want to be one. But somehow, somewhere along the way, I believed the people who taught a letter-of-the-law type religion that left no room for grace and encouraged being judgmental towards others. But then I heard the word “grace” in […]
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been working on a new “me” for three years now. It sure is a long process! In my case, the outward “me” weighs 65 pounds less (and counting), takes fewer medications, has more endurance, and operates with more grace and less judgment. But I’m still a work in […]
Have you ever been in an unfamiliar space after dark, with the lights out? Does it disorient you? This happens often to me, as I travel to speak. I’ve learned a handy trick. My cell phone can light the way for me. It’s such a small light. (I’m not talking about the flashlight app, although […]
December is the time of year we gear up toward Christmas. But as you’re reading this, your holiday celebration is starting to wind down. It’s the perfect occasion to look back at God’s wonderful works in 2018 and look ahead toward what God might have for 2019. One thing we all love about the holidays […]
Today is my birthday. I used to hate having a December birthday. I always had to share it with Christmas. Sometimes my birthday gifts came wrapped in Christmas paper. Or I’d get a combo birthday/Christmas gift. I always had to share my day with choir rehearsals, concerts, children’s programs, work parties, or some other Christmas-themed […]
I’ll never forget the day my junior high science teacher pulled me aside in the hall and locked eyes with me. I knew this was serious. Today’s vernacular would call it an intervention. She told me I had tremendous talent and I was wasting it all away because I was making the wrong choices. She […]
Our student ministry discovered several childhood games about a decade later than most kids played them. One such game was hide and seek. They updated the game by playing it in the dark church building. Oftentimes, the only way a hider could be found was when the game was over, and the lights came on. […]
