“…Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV) Fear is a feeling we have recently experienced more than we would like. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary gives several definitions for the word fear,...
Imagine it’s Sunday morning back in the days when things were normal. You are busy getting yourself and/or your family ready to leave the house to go to church. Have you said or heard any of the following? “I’ll meet...
When I married my husband, Jim, I inherited quite a large family. But, I also wanted a child that we conceived together. We were ultimately blessed with Jeremiah, our first son. As this made twelve kids for Jim...
I grew up in a Pentecostal church where we clapped our hands, replied to pastor sermons with “amen” and “hallelujah,” shouting and speaking in tongues — far from the church I attend now. My current church home is 99.9% white...
For half of my life, I was what you would call a “holiday Christian.” I was always searching for something, but I was searching in all the wrong places — until I finally stopped worrying what others would think. When...
Since my mother’s sudden death in 2017, people began to tell me I was “strong.” In the hospital the night she died, during the funeral, after I returned to school — “strong” was being tossed around as some sort of...
I long for my friend, Normal, to show his face. I miss him. I am beginning to doubt he ever existed. Normal usually shows up in my psyche when life is humming along without challenge to my sense of safety....
Why do bad things happen? When “bad” things happen (like death, natural disasters, pandemics, etc.) we, as human beings, tend to reflect on our current relationship (or absence of relationship) with God. We reflect on questions deep inside us: does...
All of our lives were changed with the outbreak of COVID-19, and it seemed to happen overnight. Parents not only became professionals working remotely, but teachers to their children, co-workers to their spouses and, in some cases, the in-house nurse...
Are you there God? That’s a question I’ve asked a lot. I mean, a lot! For too many years, I asked the question over and over again, feeling alone and lost. But, I’m a glass half full kind of girl...
When my children were younger, it wasn’t always easy getting them to want to open up their Bibles and spend time reflecting on God’s word. Sure, they were attending their Bible School classes on Sunday mornings, along with Sunday service,...
I don’t have it all together, but I have grace. I lost my computer a few weeks ago. I tell you this to assure you that I do not have it all together. I am a mess just like every...
