In the mid-60s we were living in Hong Kong – my Dad was helping to start a missions hospital for refugees there. I was six. We heard that Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden were coming for a state visit, and we ran to the street to see them drive by. I couldn’t wait! From my […]
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WHO DESERVES MERCY?
The man lies on a stretcher, desperately in need of medical attention. He’s not far from the door to the hospital, but no one will admit him. It’s a Union army hospital—and the man is a Confederate soldier. A nurse tries in vain to get him help. Finally she cries out, fiercely, “Everyone deserves mercy!” […]
THE LORD BRINGS LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS
Some situations just never get better. And I wonder: God—where are you?? We’re two weeks into Lent and the darkness is starting to settle in. I’m feeling the effects of self-denial and am not enjoying it. But worse is the longing for resolution to a long-standing problem. Lord—this is crushing me! I cry. Where is […]
NOT BY BREAD ALONE: How to live by the word of God
I wasn’t thinking of Lent when I scheduled our annual baking day in the old wood-fired oven. The home we meet in was originally a boarding school, built in 1830 just as the side-flue oven was invented. The 7’ deep, brick-lined oven heated by a fire in an adjoining chamber provided ample room to bake […]
SCRIPTURE & SONGS TO THE RESCUE
“Put your hand in the hand of the man who stills the waters . . .” It’s been decades since I heard that song by Ocean, but the snatch I caught took me right back to seventh grade. I was riding the after-school bus, sitting not with the cool kids in the back; not with […]
LOVE: ALWAYS THERE FOR THE GIVING
“When you run out of love, just make some more!” My grandmother used to tell me this when I was having trouble loving someone or forgiving them. You might not like someone, but you can always love them. “Like,” having to do with feelings, you can’t control. “Love,” having to do with actions, you can. […]
THE GIFT OF THE STAR
“This time, I will praise the Lord.” That’s what Jacob’s wife Leah said in Genesis 29 as she named her fourth baby Judah, which means “praise.” “This time, I will praise the Lord.” This time. Because she named her first three boys for her pain: Reuben (“see, a son”) because “surely now my husband will […]
FIND PEACE THIS ADVENT
The house up the street from us was fully lit for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, a decorated tree twinkling in the front window. It’s lovely! But I admit my blood pressure goes up when I see it. My to-do list for December is so long, I won’t be getting to decorations for a couple […]
LETTING GO: Embracing New Seasons
It took a day and a half to paint the room, what with sanding and spackling and taping and waiting for each coat to dry. After 15 years you could say it’s about time for a fresh look! But it was hard to do. As I rolled primer over the midnight blue and the bright […]
PRACTICING GRATITUDE: Grace Before Meals
Two-year-old Evie watched as the ladies at the next table started in on their salads, then kicked her legs to get their attention. “Aren’t you going to pray first?” she asked. After all, they had smiled and voiced their approval as she carefully touched her finger to her forehead, heart, and shoulders before we thanked […]
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