Not Easily Tossed or Blown
On October 3rd, 2017, waves came for our family when our son, Clary, a freshman at Clemson University, was in a serious car accident. In God’s providence, the circumstances of the accident took him down a ravine to the edge…
Interlock, Overlap and Fit Together
I wish I could attend the Bible studies taught by this week’s Guest Writer, Paula Miles. I first heard Paula speak at a women’s conference. Her passion.…
I Will Never Leave You, Assuredly Not!
Today’s Treasure is one of my favorite Scriptures. When there are no other answers, there is the promise of His presence and He wants us to trust that His presence…
Don’t Panic – He’s Got You
On an ordinary day in August, our son went for a routine sinus Cat-scan; that same day we learned that my father-in-law would need open heart surgery. My husband flew off to be with his parents. Shortly after 2 p.m., my mother-in-law…
God Rules Everything
Four days after our son’s first MRI, we sat in an exam room, waiting to meet the neurosurgeon who would perform his brain surgery. As the …
Becoming Mature and Complete
On the first day of August, I had jotted a note in my prayer journal under our son’s name: “humility and gratitude.” It’s not that he isn’t generally a humble and grateful twenty-two-year-old—but really, what twenty-two-year-old couldn’t stand to grow in this area? Or what fifty-two-year-old couldn’t grow a little more, for that matter?
You Are Forgiven
One day, in the waiting room of my Dad’s oncologist, I happened to sit next to an (annoying) angel. The very word angel in the Greek indicates a messenger…
Your Only Comfort
As I waited in a dimly-lit hospital hallway for our son to finish his first MRI—the one that followed the incidental discovery of a “something” on his brain, my mind turned to the first question from the Heidelberg Catechism…
What She Said! - Part 2
Every one of us has or will experience medical waiting rooms throughout our lives. These challenging moments that can stretch into hours, days and sometimes…
Meeting My Goals
September 1st is looming. At 8 AM those registered and those registering will gather to begin an event. Money will be raised for…
It’s All About Me
The pastor’s words rang from the pulpit. Each word pronounced distinctly and clearly.
“We live our lives as if it’s all about me, it’s all about me”. What does that mean? What does that look like?
It’s the Simple Things
Zephaniah prophesied during the reform of King Josiah who brought spiritual revival to Judah after a long reign of evil. He pronounced God’s judgment on corruption but also talked about God’s plans to lovingly restore Judah…
A Starting Over Handicap
My mother informed me one day as she was telling stories about my childhood, “Your kindergarten teacher tirelessly encouraged you to rework your project in a different direction. When you felt you had made a mistake, not doing what you had planned to do…
Captive Thoughts
It is 3 AM right now. I cannot sleep. I toss and turn and silently pray, “dear Lord please clear my thoughts and let me fall back to sleep”. It doesn’t work. I tiptoe…
Learning to Wait
As I write this, my multiple sclerosis is causing some balance difficulties. My doctors are working with me to figure things out. MS is as unique as its victims are unique. Necessary to “figuring things out”, is waiting. There is a lot of trial and error…
What She Said! - Part 2
It’s so good to have Sherry Bitler back as our Guest Writer this week. Sherry and I have been doing life together for over twenty-five years. We have…
Dear Future Me: on regret, memory, and keeping the record straight...
In Matthew 8, an exhausted Jesus climbs into a boat with his disciples and immediately falls asleep. The disciples are expecting a calm trip…
“Wake Up, Jesus!”
In Matthew 8, an exhausted Jesus climbs into a boat with his disciples and immediately falls asleep. The disciples are expecting a calm trip…
A Stinging Realization
A few years ago, a light bulb went on in my marriage. While on a weekend getaway with some couple friends, we were asked: “What have your biggest marital arguments been about?” As we answered, an embarrassing and unfortunate…